What is now a rapidly growing stake, surprisingly started out as a little branch of members from all over the North Dallas area who met in the basement of a Baptist church in downtown McKinney. Eventually when the Baptists grew out of their building, the Mormons inherited it. That was in the late 70s. In 1982, the McKinney Stake was created. At that time, they were part of the Mesa Arizona Temple District which was challenging for most people to get to on a regular basis. The members were thrilled and excited when the announcement came that the first Texas Temple would be located in Dallas. The Dallas Temple was finished and dedicated in 1984.
In 2007, the Allen Texas Stake was created and a year later the Frisco Stake was created.
At the dedication for this new Fairview building on Sunday night, our former Stake President spoke about the blessings of meetinghouses.
"Our meetinghouses are bridges. They bridge the gap between our homes and the Temple. In the meetinghouses, tools are given to help us teach our children, to qualify ourselves for temple attendance, to fit ourselves and our families with the armor of God. Here we are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to prepare ourselves to accept and magnify the gospel, to strengthen one another's testimonies, and to get to the temple.
"You are here tonight because you know enough to be where the Spirit is. Hold on thy way. It will get harder before it gets easier. Rise up and be men (and women) of God. Be excited for this time. Cherish today. There is much to be thrilled and excited about. Use the resources in the meetinghouses of the Lord's church that are available in abundance, and couple those with the resources available in the Temple. If we will use the meetinghouses of God to prepare our homes to become like Temples, and to prepare the people within our homes to go to the Temples of God, then we are doing what He has asked us to do." - President Gordon Wright, Fairview Chapel Dedication, 2/28/2016
How grateful I am to have been in attendance at that beautiful dedication on Sunday night and how grateful I am for the Spirit I felt in that new meetinghouse. What a huge blessing it is to have so many church buildings and Temples currently sprinkled generously around the globe. I can't imagine not being able to attend either of those places without the convenience and regularity that I have been blessed with in every city we've ever lived in.
Another beautiful new chapel - so wonderful. The work is hastening and the church continues to grow. I love the idea of the meetinghouse as a bridge between the home and the temple. Thanks for sharing.
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