The long-awaited day has come for the Montpelier Idaho Temple to open its doors to a community connecting generations of hope and faith.
For generations, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Bear Lake Valley have hoped a temple would stand in their own community.
As the day has come for the temple doors to be open to the public, residents and visitors are eager to see inside and get their first opportunity to walk through the building, standing as a representation of faith, sacrifice and a promise remembered long ago.
Residents, visitors and church members across the region have joyfully followed the construction progress immediately following the groundbreaking in June 2023.
During the media day held Tuesday, Sept. 8, Robyn Alleman shared that her great-grandfather came from Switzerland and later helped build the tabernacle.
Now more than 100 years later, there stands a temple next to that tabernacle, making a tangible connection between those faithful pioneers who settled the Bear Lake Valley.
Elder Karl D. Hirst, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, also shared of the powerful connection between generations and geography.
Elder Hirst grew up in Lancashire, England, and was baptized less than 25 miles from where a young girl named Anne Elizabeth Walmsley Palmer was baptized nearly 190 years ago. Palmer later came to the Bear Lake Valley and is remembered as the first female convert to the church in Europe.
Walmsley didn't live long enough to see the Montpelier Stake Tabernacle. Elder Hirst shared her story and said, "The presence of a temple would have meant so much to them, and it's one of the ways, again, which we feel this tender, precious divine connection."
For Elder Hirst, so many stories represent the way faith has connected people across continents and generations.
"Temples stand as beautiful, sacred symbols of the invitation, the tender and loving invitation from Jesus Christ, for all of us to come to Him, across all generations and all places," Elder Hirst said.
Elder Mark D. Eddy, also a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, stated the region's pioneer heritage is an important part of this temple's story.
More than 15,000 church members across Idaho, Utah and Wyoming will live within the Montpelier Temple district. Eddy stated the Montpelier Idaho Temple is the 226th operating temple of the church worldwide and one of 11 temples announced, under construction or dedicated in the state of Idaho.
While the temple holds great religious significance for the area church members, the open house — and even the following dedication, held Oct. 18 — is expected to have a great impact on the Montpelier community.
Montpelier Mayor Slivinski stated that the temple has already brought significant attention to the city.
"One thing that is indisputable is the fact that the advertising and online posts have placed Montpelier on the map," Slivinski said. "The exposure we have gained you cannot put a dollar value to."
Slivinski shared the efforts the city has made over the years to prepare the area for the possibility of increased visitors. New restaurants have opened, existing businesses have grown and expanded, as well as city officials examining infrastructure needs and future developments.
Slivinski said the greatest immediate economic impact is expected to be felt by restaurants, hotels, shopping and recreation businesses, particularly as the traditional Bear Lake summer tourist season begins to slow down.
The potential influx is significant, with an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 visitors potentially coming to the area.
For a community of Montpelier's size, Slivinski shares how that kind of attention could have a lasting effect.
The city has already looked into future housing growth while making sure to retain the qualities that continue to make Montpelier a desirable place to live.
"This truly is a historic event that I am proud to be part of," he said. "This temple should be looked at with appreciation from members and nonmembers alike."
For local families, the temple's presence is remarkably visible as it sits on one of the main roadways through town.
That proximity is something Elder Hirst said he finds remarkable.
Elder Hirst shared that it is a structure not hidden from the community. It has become a prominent landmark that residents will see as they go about their daily lives.
The Montpelier Idaho Temple now represents many years of hope not only from pioneers who crossed oceans and snow-covered mountain passes, but also from generations of faithful church members who held on to the belief that a temple would stand in the Bear Lake Valley one day.
Visitors of all faiths and communities are invited to walk beyond the doors and see its beauty and craftsmanship, feel its peace and learn about its purpose.
For church members, it is a long-awaited house of worship.
For the Montpelier community, it is a new, beautiful landmark standing for potential growth.
For the generations of families who prayed and awaited this day, it is a reminder that hope is something worth holding on to.