New owners of Kirtland Temple place tour focus on visits from Jesus and other events

Mar. 30—When Jesus came to Kirtland in 1836 a chorus of angels sang from the rooftop of the Kirtland Temple.

That's just one of the stories told to those visiting the Temple, which has recently been transferred to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from the Community of Christ, which had stewardship of the Temple for 144 years. The $191 million transfer also included historic properties in Nauvoo, Ill., and early church documents.

The "angels from on high" story comes from the 1836 journal of Preaesidia Huntington, a Latter Day Saints member who witnessed it.

Although both LDS and Community of Christ churches consider Joseph Smith Jr. a prophet, their interpretation of events taking place at the Temple differs and so do the tours of the Temple. Although the scripts for the LDS tours are still evolving, those joining the 45-minute long tours will find them different from the tours given by the Community of Christ.

"We're telling the Temple story in terms of the events that took place there," explained Scott Barrick, director of Historic Kirtland. "The Community of Christ story was told around its architecture." The Community of Christ had been giving Temple tours since the 1960s.

Tours, which are limited to 25 people, depart every half hour from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 until 4 p.m. on Sundays. Kirtland Temple Visitor Center is at 7809 Joseph St. in Kirtland. There is no cost, and reservations are not required.

Historic Kirtland, in the valley below the Kirtland Temple, was established in 2002 with the $15 million restoration of seven buildings from the original 1830s settlement by followers of Joseph Smith Jr.. Its visitor center is at 7800 Kirtland Chardon Road. Visitors from around the world come to visit the village and the Kirtland Temple, considered a pilgrimage destination by the world's 17 million LDS members.

They believe that Jesus came to Kirtland in the days surrounding the Temple's 1836 dedication. But many others, including the Temple's neighbors in Lake and Geauga counties, are unaware of that belief. As word spreads, visits are likely to increase greatly. The Temple itself, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, is considered a sacred site by members of both LDS and Community of Christ churches.

On Easter Sunday, April 3 in 1836, LDS Church founder Joseph Smith Jr. and Oliver Cowdrey saw a vision of Jesus Christ standing on the Temple's pulpit to accept the first-ever LDS Temple as his "house." On that day 900 to 1,000 people crowded into the Temple, a space built for just 400.

Members of the LDS Church believe that Jesus and multiple prophets came to Kirtland several times in the weeks around the March 27, 1836, dedication of the Temple. Stories of those events are woven into the Temple tours now being given.

The Temple tours reflect the different interpretations of the events between the two churches.

"We're considered the more liberal church," said Roger Rose, who was the Community of Christ director of the Kirtland Temple. Since its sale, he's accepted the directorship of that church's Independence, Mo., facilities and will be departing from Kirtland soon.

The differences, which have evolved over the years, go well beyond Community of Christ members drinking coffee, from which LDS members abstain along with alcohol.

The Community of Christ was at first called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It and the LDS church, along with denominations of Quaker, Shaker and Mennonite, all were established as mid-1800s churches in response to uniquely American issues of the frontier, explained Rose.

He likens that era to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century which resulted in widespread religious, cultural and social upheaval in Europe.

After Smith's 1844 assassination, the LDS and Reorganized church divided over its leadership and the issue of polygamy. Joseph Smith III was named leader of the Reorganized Church, which Smith's widow, Emma, also joined, and ownership of the Kirtland Temple passed to them. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints operated from 1860 to 2001 when it was renamed the Community of Christ.

The construction of the Temple by volunteers, mostly farmers, is considered a manifestation of Christ's presence in Kirtland. "The first commandment to build the temple came in December 1832, " explained LDS volunteer Kevin Hyde, who leads Temple tours."They didn't know what they were doing and were slow to respond."

Joseph was given the second commandment six months later in June 1833, Hyde said. To show church volunteers what was needed, a detailed vision of the outside and interior of the Temple was given to Smith and his two counselors, Sydney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, and work then began in earnest.

"I think those visions were more like our virtual reality," explained Barrick, who said they were often seen by several people at the same time.

Just a handful of the men who labored to build the Temple had any construction skills, but the Temple is exquisite with its details, easily seen in original windows, stair rail and even its hand crafted square-headed nails.

Stone was quarried from what today is Lake Metroparks' Chapin Forest two miles south. Those sandstone building blocks were hauled north down today's Route 306 to the Temple site by horses pulling and pushing them on logs cut from the surrounding forest. Women and children collected old glassware to crush for adding to the stucco layered over the Temple so it would glitter in the sunshine from the top of the hill.

Replicas of windows created by Brigham Young and his brother, Joseph, frame the room where Temple visitors gather at the Visitor Center on Joseph Street before walking through the gardens to the twin doorways of the Temple.

The building's third floor, to which access was previously limited, has been re-enforced to permit 25 visitors to that level, which was used by Smith for his offices and as classrooms for various groups over the decades.

The transition to new ownership is a hard one for the Community of Christ Church, which meets just across the street, said Karl Anderson, a historian who specializes in the LDS church's Kirtland period.

"They have been our friends for years and they have always maintained that they didn't own the temple, they were only its caretakers for the Lord," he said. "It is my greatest wish that we don't celebrate so much that we forget it is the Savior's house. They have set the example for us to follow."

Easter service

The Community of Christ hosts an 11 a.m. Easter Sunday service at the Temple which includes members of the LDS church and the public. Provisions in the title transfer permit occasional services by the Community of Christ at the Kirtland Temple.

Editor's note: This story was edited at 6:30 a.m. March 31, 2024, to correct the date and number of prophets who appeared in Kirtland and Kevin Hyde's title and to clarify the limited access to the Temple's third floor.