Kansas residents will have an unique opportunity to take a tour inside the Wichita Kansas Temple starting this week. It’s the first Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple built in the state, and will give Kansas church members a closer place to perform sacred worship.
The building will be open for public tours beginning Thursday. People can register online for the tours, which last through Oct. 10.
This is a rare chance for the public to tour the new temple, located at 2550 W. Harborlight St. in northwest Wichita. Once it is dedicated on Nov. 1, the doors will be closed to non-members.
Local church member Rebecca Rather said it’s worth taking the time to visit.
“As people come, I hope that they can appreciate the beauty and the peace of the building,” Rather said. “The architecture is amazing, but that is all to remind us to focus on Jesus Christ. Hopefully, people will be able to feel that as they enter.”
The temple incorporates many motifs from the surrounding prairie. There are stained glass sunflower windows, shining warm yellows and pinks into the rooms. Wheat stalks can be found in the woodwork, railings and lining the top of the walls.
Hanging alongside artworks depicting Biblical scenes, like the baptism of Christ, two local artists have created paintings of Kansas landscapes. The interior brings Kansas’ beauty inside, while creating a peaceful place to worship.
Rather said her favorite parts are the plentiful sunflowers that serve as a reminder of her faith.
“As the sun crosses the sky, the sunflowers move to face the sun,” Rather said. “When I see the sunflowers on the temple, it's a reminder to keep my focus on Jesus Christ and always be thinking of Him.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints said temples are places where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through ceremonies that allow families to be united for eternity.
Within the temple, people will see rooms that are sacred to Church of Jesus Christ members. These include a baptistry, a circular room with a baptism pool at the center. Relief sculptures of 12 oxen on the pool represent the tribes of Israel. It’s a place where church members can perform proxy baptisms for their ancestors.
Church Elder Jeremiah Morgan said many church youth come to the temple to perform the baptisms.
“They do research about their ancestors, and they come to the temple to perform baptisms on their behalf in the temple,” Morgan said. “It’s in fulfillment of that practice and doctrine that was taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul.”
Near the end of the tour, visitors will get to visit the Celestial Room. Church members describe it as the most sacred place on Earth. No ceremonies are performed there. Instead, it’s a place where members can sit in silent contemplation.
A towering, cut glass chandelier hangs from the center of the room. Upholstered couches and chairs surround a table with a large floral arrangement. And stained glass windows with wheat and sunflowers illuminate the room’s warm earth tones.
“It is a place where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints come after they've performed a religious ceremony in different places in the temple,” Morgan said. “They can come to the Celestial Room and quietly ponder, and in that sense find Jesus Christ in the temple.”
Kansas is home to more than 45,000 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members. Before, these members had to drive to temples in Oklahoma or Missouri to perform these ceremonies or visit the Celestial Room.
Rather said these visits were always a bit of a sacrifice. She, her husband and six boys would have to get up early to travel to Oklahoma City. They could only spend a few hours at the temple before they had to drive home. When her boys were younger, the family had to find child care.
Now, she’s looking forward to visiting the temple more often.
“We have been waiting for a long time,” Rather said. “Frequently, we would come and see the progress of the construction of the temple. Every time seeing it more and more done was just so exciting. Now, to have it completed is just amazing for us.”
Having the temple in Wichita will benefit the whole city, Rather said. After moving from New York, her family found a welcoming community here and friends who respect their beliefs.
“We have many friends of different faiths who we look up to very much because they live their beliefs so faithfully,” Rather said. “We believe this is a wonderful addition to the community here, because it is a house of God. We hope people will be able to feel that and feel the peace that comes from it.”
Roger Nomer reports from the Wichita area for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at nomer@kmuw.org.
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