Tonight I helped the missionaries teach a lesson to an investigator, the lesson was on “the law of tithing”. The investigator is planning on getting baptized soon, as we explained tithing, she looked concerned and she started to ask a lot of questions. She was trying to understand the law of tithing better. We read the bible, talked about physical, and spiritual blessings, but she asked “what other blessings are there?”
I replied “It is a worthiness commandment, it is a requirement to live in order to be baptized and go to the Temple. Honestly, I would be willing to pay 10% of my income just to go to the Temple”. When I said this she looked at me oddly, she asked the temple? We started to explain the Temple, at first the missionaries where scared that we were going to be covering to much information at once. But soon they realized she wanted to know about the Temple.
As we talked about the covenants, ordinances, and blessings of the Temple, the member (who’s house we were teaching in) stood up and starting pulling the pictures of the Temple off his wall and handing them to her. She was mesmerized, she kept looking at the pictures, and when he pulled the South Carolina Temple off she asked “where is this one?” the reply “Columbia” sent a smile to her face. She got excited and asked “How many temples are there?” we talked about how the church has been building many temples, and tithing allows that to happen. At the end of the lesson she said “I want to go to the temple” and she also said “I am ok with tithing now, I want to learn more about the Temple”.
So tonight I looked up the dedicatory prayer for the Columbia temple, and to my surprise it talks about tithing! Enjoy the dedicatory prayer, and the pictures I took of the Temple when I visited on April 11th, 2015.
Columbia South Carolina Temple Dedicatory Prayer
O God our Eternal Father, we come unto Thee with reverence and love. We acknowledge Thee as the Governor of the Universe, the Great Elohim, and our Father to whom we may come in prayer.
We are met together on this day of dedication in this sacred house which has been built to accommodate Thy glorious and eternal work.
We thank Thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith through whom Thou hast revealed Thy plan of salvation for the blessing of Thy sons and daughters of all generations. We thank Thee for the keys of the everlasting priesthood, the very fullness of the priesthood, revealed in this dispensation, which will be exercised in this holy house.
Acting in the name of Thy Beloved Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the authority of the holy priesthood in us vested, we dedicate this the Columbia South Carolina Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Thee and to Thy Beloved Son as Thy house. We pray that Thou wilt accept of it as our offering gladly given for the accomplishment of Thy divine work. Let Thy Holy Spirit dwell here at all times and in all circumstances, to be felt by all who come within these sacred precincts.
We dedicate the grounds on which it stands with their vegetation representing the beauties of nature. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the tower on which stands the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the internal features—the baptistery, the facilities for the initiatory ordinances, the endowment rooms, the beautiful celestial room, and the sealing rooms with their sacred altars. We dedicate the offices and all other areas of the temple.
We pray that from this day forward Thy watchcare shall be over this sacred edifice. Wilt Thou preserve it from the storms of nature. Wilt Thou move in Thy power against any destructive forces, either of nature or on the part of those who would deface or mar this building in any way. We pray that all who cross the threshold of this structure will be worthy to do so, that they will be Latter-day Saints in very deed, living the gospel, and fully qualified to come here to serve in Thy work.
Many have yearned for this day when a temple would be built in their midst. May they now use it for the purposes for which it has been constructed.
We rejoice in the presence of this house in this great state of South Carolina which has hosted Thy messengers of eternal truth. They have been coming here for generations, and there has been established a great body of faithful Latter-day Saints. We pray that the very presence of this Thy house will have a sanctifying influence upon the people of this area, and particularly upon those who enter its portals.
We pray for the temple presidency that they shall not weary in the great and sacred work in which they will be engaged. We pray for the matron and her assistants that they likewise may be buoyed up and strengthened for the tasks that are theirs. We pray for all who labor here, including those who come as patrons that they may serve with an eye single to Thy glory and that their experiences may bring joy into their hearts.
Dear Father, we pray for Thy work in all the earth. We thank Thee for the faithful Saints wherever they may be whose tithes have made possible the construction of this temple. Shower down blessings upon them. Bless them with the good things of heaven and earth, with security and peace and love in their homes, with vitality and strength to do their work, and with great joy in their service in Thy Church and Kingdom, whatever that service might be.
We ask Thy blessings upon those who have been called to positions of leadership in Thy Kingdom that Thou wilt grant them health and strength and length of life to accomplish the work which lies before them.
Dear Father, we are so deeply grateful unto Thee for every gift Thou hast bestowed upon us. May we walk worthily before Thee at all times and in all circumstances. May Thy work grow and prosper exceedingly in this part of the earth. May faith increase in the hearts of the people. We ask it humbly, together with every other blessing that Thou seest fit to bestow upon us, and do it all as Thy sons and daughters, recognizing Thee as Our Father, in the name of Thy Divine Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Dedicatory by President Gordon B. Hinckley
The source of this prayer is http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/temples/28/Columbia-South-Carolina.html
Abigail
Thursday 17th of March 2016
I was blessed to be there when President Hinckley dedicated this termple. There are so many stories that play apart in this temple being built. Years before an area authority was visiting and everyone wanted to know when we would have a temple built. The visiting authority chastized the saints in Columbia and SC for not paying tithing and and fast offerings and not having temple recommends, and telling us that a temple would be built when the saints would make themselves worthy of it. How the ward and stakes grew quickly after that, and are still growing. How the church had been trying to sell the plot of land that the temple stands on for years but no one would buy it. The surrounding homeowners and business owners tried to stop it from being built by saying the church could hold meetings there every day of the week except Sunday, not realizing that temples are closed on Sundays. So man tender mercies and blessings that Heavenly Father placed upon us so we could have a temple close to us. I now live in Southwest VA and the temple is 7 hours away. I miss being able to visit often but am greatful that there are so many temples all over the world!