Over 6,000 Treasure Valley youths celebrated the dedication of the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple in Meridian Saturday during the Youth Culture Celebration.
LDS members including church leaders from far and wide have come to Boise for the dedication, so many that they rent out the Taco Bell Arena at Boise State.
"I think it's really cool that this is able to bring so many youths close together. I think it helps us learn to love each other more and love our culture and Idaho and Meridian," said Hudson Roberts who danced during the performance.
Their performance titled "Be strong, Steadfast and Immovable" showed their commitment to following Christ and the history of the Gem State. While the kids and teens practiced for months all for this day, many older LDS members in the community are happy to see Meridian be home to a new temple.
"It means a lot to the city of Meridian and the surrounding area. I know people have looked forward to something like this for years and years," said Former pro-baseball player Vernon Law.
The Meridian Temple will be dedicated on Sunday in three sessions at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The dedication will be broadcast to members of the church in Idaho and the temple district. The Meridian Idaho Temple is located at 7345 North Linder road, a few blocks north of the intersection of North Linder road and Children Blvd.
