By
Scot and Maurine Proctor
It
was an unusual sight on a New York City marquee, where the giant electric signs blast passers-by
with the latest Broadway offering. In the
mood for Thoroughly Modern Millie or Phantom?
Want to stop along the street and read the electronic newswire?
Not on this particular Saturday night before the Manhattan Temple dedication.
Something
better—and harder to get into—was in the offing.
Around
the corner at 50th Street, on the Radio City Music Hall, the moving marquee read
“Manhattan Mormon Temple, Standard for the Nations, Youth Jubilee,
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
It
was, as President Hinckley, observed, up there in lights for
all of New York to see.
Move
over Rockettes, the show with the largest cast ever to appear at
Radio City Music Hall history was about to take the stage—2,400
youths from the Manhattan Temple district, coming to sing and
dance in a celebration worthy of the miracle that having a temple
in downtown Manhattan is.
You
may think that to commemorate the opening of a temple, the Church
would plan a great meeting where grand, serious speakers would
address thousands. Last fall, President Hinckley initiated
a new idea.
In
the Old Testament, the building of the temple was marked by
celebration, and he wanted celebration as well—but celebration
of a very particular kind. It is a jubilee for the young.
He
told the youth, “I have desired to put a little more fun in
your life.” He said this Church should be fun. Man is that
he might have joy. Of the jubilee to celebrate the temple he
said, “I want the youth to remember this the
rest of their lives.”
Thus,
beginning with the Ghana Temple dedication in January and then followed by the temple
dedications in Anchorage, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen and now Manhattan,
the temple dedication has been marked by huge celebrations performed
by the youth who have spent weeks preparing their dances and
songs.
Click
here to go to Part 2 of The Youth Jubilee in New York City
