Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Elder David L. Stapleton, Area Seventy, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Moses Lake Washington Temple on Saturday afternoon, October 10, 2020. "Please help us as we not only dedicate this ground," he said in his site dedicatory prayer, "but also rededicate our lives to Thee and Thy purposes when this new temple will be completed in all its beauty." Due to social distancing guidelines, attendance was limited to a small group of individuals who came together to mark the beginning of construction of Washington's fourth temple. Groundbreaking coordinator Steve Jorgensen said in his remarks, "We are recipients of this blessing because of the pioneer heritage of those who came. Many of us today are children or grandchildren of the early pioneers."¹

Temple Rendering

On April 7, 2020, an official exterior rendering of the Moses Lake Washington Temple was released. Additional exterior and interior renderings will be made public later.

Temple Design

The Moses Lake Washington Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 20,000 square feet with a central spire. A meetinghouse of approximately 17,000 square feet will be constructed next to the temple.

Temple Site

On October 29, 2019, the location for the Moses Lake Washington Temple was officially announced as a 17-acre property across from Yonezawa Park and near Moses Lake High School. The deed that transferred ownership of the two contiguous lots, dated June 19, 2019, noted that the land was being sold for a future church. The location, just a mile and a half west of the junction of I-90 and Highway 17, will provide convenient access to patrons traveling from the surrounding region. Standing on the north side of I-90, south of Yonezawa Boulevard, the temple will be a beautiful landmark to travelers along these major routes.

Temple Announcement

On April 7, 2019, at the 189th Annual General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced Washington's fourth temple to be constructed in the scenic community of Moses Lake. Members in the region currently attend temple services at the Columbia River Washington Temple, located in the rapidly growing Tri-Cities area. There are nearly 290,000 Latter-day Saints in Washington.²

Temple Facts

The Moses Lake Washington Temple will be the fourth temple built in Washington, following the Seattle Washington Temple (1980), the Spokane Washington Temple (1999), and the Columbia River Washington Temple (2001).