Visiting a Temple Open House (Ogden Utah Temple)

I recently got to visit the open house tour for the Ogden Utah Temple.  The Ogden temple was originally built in the 1970's, but underwent extensive renovation and thus had an open house prior to being re-dedicated.  This has been done with several of the older, more dated temples in recent years.  I think it has been a great idea because it allows those who have lived near a temple for many years to finally see it.  Although I have participated in many temple open house events before, I tried to view this one from the perspective of a first time visitor so that I could know what to write about.

Visitors to the Ogden Utah Temple open house

First, let me clear up a few things:
1.) reservations are free and are recommended, but not required.  If you come without one, you will not be turned away, but you may have to wait a bit longer.
2.) you can come as you are.  Many church members wear nice clothes out of respect for the temple, but most visitors come in jeans and T-shirts.  Wear whatever you like!
3.) Everyone is welcome. Bring your kids, it's okay if they get a little whiny (mine did. the kids behind me did too!). Also, the temple is handicap accessible, and there will most likely be a volunteer translator for any major languages in your area, or you can request another language when you make a reservation.

On to what to expect:
1.) When you arrive you'll be put with a group of people in a waiting area.  Here a volunteer will give a short introduction of temples and play a short (maybe 15 minute) film about temples.
2.) If it's busy, you'll be free to walk through the temple at your own pace, with signs explaining the purpose for each room.  If it's not busy, you may be lead through by an actual tour guide who will explain each room.
3.) After the tour, there will be a reception area where you can learn more about the basic doctrines of the church and the purpose of temples.  There will be missionaries or volunteers available to answer any questions you might have. (Really, ask anything!)
4.) Plan about an hour for the introduction video, tour, and reception area afterward.
5.) You won't be able to take photo or video inside the temple, but photographs outside the temple are encouraged.

Some commonly asked questions:
Q: What are the white shoe covers for?
A: These actually have no religious significance.  They're just to keep the floors clean since there are so many people walking through!

Q: Is there anything special about the water in the baptismal font?
A: Nope! It's just regular old water.  We don't use 'holy water' or anything like that.

Q: The tour left out many hallways and rooms, what are you hiding?
A: Honestly, nothing. Every open house I have been to showed all of the most sacred and most important rooms, as well as the locker rooms, waiting areas, offices, etc.  The places that were skipped were: storage rooms, duplicate rooms (Ogden has 6 identical ordinance rooms, but the tour showed one. It has 8 nearly identical sealing rooms, but the tour showed three.), the laundry room, the cafeteria, and maintenance closets.  So what is hiding down those mysterious hallways that are not part of the tour? Probably a broom closet, or something you've already seen.

Q: What is changed in the week between the open house and the dedication?
A: All the furniture is removed, the temple is deep cleaned, and then folding chairs are brought in to fill nearly every room so that as many people can fit inside the temple for the dedication as possible.  After the dedication the furniture will be put back just as it looked during the open house.

Q: If I fill out the comment card at the end, will I be contacted by missionaries?
A: Yes, if you provide contact information. You are welcome to write your comments without leaving your contact information.

Q: Do the people hosting the tour have any special standing in the church?
A: Not usually.  Members of local congregations sign up to take different shifts during the open house, so most if not all of the people you'll see are just average Mormons who were willing to help out.  Missionaries will be there too, identified by the black name tags.

Displays about the temple (modern and ancient temples) and some visitors asking questions to a missionary in the reception area.

Comment cards and take-home cards (with a photo and website) in the reception area

display about the temple (the purpose of each room in the temple) in the reception area

Visiting a Mormon Church: What to wear?

So, what should you wear if you visit a Mormon Church?

Well, technically, you can wear whatever you want. You aren't going to be turned away.

Most people like to have some guidelines so that they don't stick out, though. Unlike many Christian churches today that have adopted a 'come as you are' casual worship culture, most Mormons wear 'Sunday Best' (think business attire), even children. How you dress for worship often reflects your respect for God and your attitude toward faith.

Men:
Most men wear slacks with a white shirt and tie. Suits and sport coats or blazers are also common. You will see men wearing colored or even patterned button-down shirts with or without ties, but white is the standard. If you wear a hat, please remove it when entering the chapel.

Women:
Most women wear dresses or skirts that reach at least to the knee and tops that cover the shoulders.  Dress pants are rarely seen, but acceptable.  Dress styles range from more casual knit skirts and t-shirts to structured business-like suits and blouses.

Children:
Young children don't typically dress as formally as their parents. For boys, colored or patterned button-down shirts or polo shirts are quite common, but you will also see boys wearing suits or white shirts and ties. Teenage boys usually dress like the adult men.  Girls usually wear dresses or skirts like the women.

Examples of typical 'Sunday Best':

What if I'm attending an activity, not a worship service?
'Sunday Best' is only worn for Sunday worship services. If you were invited to attend a congregation activity, community event, youth group, or other non-worship activity, you can wear whatever you want. Most Mormons wear jeans and t-shirts to non-Sunday activities held at the church, unless a special type of dress might be needed (i.e. dances or sports)

*All photos in this post courtesy of the LDS Church (https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/)

Secret?

Many people seem to think that the inside of a Mormon Temple is some sort of enormous secret. I have heard all sorts of comments about this, such as “Even most Mormons don’t know what it looks like!” and “They never let anyone who isn’t Mormon inside!” I once read an article from a respected national news service which posted a photo of inside a recently-dedicated Temple (released to the newsmedia by the Church) with the rouge-sounding comment “A rare and exclusive photo of the interior.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or to point out to them that they had probably received an entire collection of photos from the Church to use in their coverage of the story.

The fact of the matter is, what the inside of a Mormon Temple looks like is no secret. It was never meant to be a secret. In fact, when the Salt Lake Temple was built, the Church published an entire book describing it, detailing every corner, from the carpets and furnishings to the type of plumbing used. Photos of each room were included, even those that are only entered by top Church leaders. Every time a new Temple opens, the public is invited to tour the building for free, seeing every room save perhaps bathrooms and storage closets. These tours usually end with an opportunity to ask any questions you have about the building to Church representatives. (I once participated in one of these events, and the questions ranged from “How many crystals are in the chandelier?” to “What exactly goes on in that room?”) Temples are usually opened to the public for tours again if the temple is extensively remodeled or renovated.

The fact that pictures of the interior are available from the Church and are distributed to local and national newsmedia are also proof that what the inside of a temple looks like is no secret. We WANT you to know what it looks like. We WANT you to understand by seeing these photos that the ridiculous rumors you might have heard are not true. Most importantly, we WANT you to feel a sense of that sacredness that the temple contains. Anything good is worth sharing, and that is what we try to do with our Temples.