Brent Maxfield — March 19

Brent Maxfield is a structural engineer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil and structural engineering, respectively, from BYU and went on to work under two engineering firms over the course of eight years. In 1992, he began employment for the Church and has remained there ever since, working on dozens of temples. He presented on the many operations that have taken place on Temple Square in the last eight years.

"A temple is a holy place and a sacred space. It is a point of intersection between our life on earth and eternity. The temple is the house of the Lord, Jesus Christ." —Elder David A. Bednar

The Church believes that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He atoned for our sins so that we could one day live with Him again. To do so, we must become like Him, which we do by following what is called the Covenant Path, where we make sacred promises that bind us to God. As we follow the Covenant Path, we become more like our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Church builds temples all over the world, where, under proper authority, these covenants are made. The Salt Lake Temple is one such temple.

Planning for the Salt Lake Temple renovation project began twenty years ago. On December 29, 2019, the temple was officially closed for construction. The purposes of the renovations were threefold: to enhance, refresh, and beautify the temple and its surrounding grounds, to address seismic concerns, and to increase accessibility. To achieve these goals, a number of improvements were made to the temple and the surrounding buildings. These included a significant seismic overhaul and new additions to the original structure of the historic temple building, a new visitor's center, renovations to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, as well as improvements to the landscaping and streets. In addition, the temple will now feature a perpetual open house, where anyone can visit and learn about the purposes of temples.

The new and improved Salt Lake Temple will be a blessing for members of the Church for generations to come. Every change was made with the intent of pointing us towards Jesus Christ. Technology and techniques developed for making the temple renovations possible are being shared with engineers and architects from all over the world. The fruits of that knowledge will bless the lives of countless millions.

For more information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visit www.churchofjesuschrist.org.