KIRTLAND, Ohio — Standing together in the historic Kirtland Temple on a beautiful Sunday morning, the voices of close to 300 people, including members of Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, closed the 59th annual Mormon History Association conference by singing the hymn “The Spirit of God.”
It was an tearful moment on June 16 for many in the lower assembly room of the historic house of the Lord.
“I couldn’t imagine a better way or better place to end the conference,” said David Howlett, an eighth-generation Community of Christ member who serves as this year’s Mormon History Association president.
The powerful musical rendition of the hymn sung at the 1836 dedication of the Kirtland Temple came after Barbara Walden, executive director of Community of Christ Historic Sites Foundation, shared history and personal, life-changing memories of serving in the Kirtland Temple, as well as how her grief transformed into gratitude after Community of Christ on March 5 transferred stewardship of the temple and other historic properties.
In his closing prayer, Seth Bryant, a historian and Community of Christ member, petitioned for the Lord to “turn hearts,” provide peace and “let the story continue in this holy house,” bringing an emotional end to the devotional and hymn fest.
“For me, it was incredibly powerful to have so many people from so many different faith backgrounds all united together worshipping in this place,” said Patrick Mason, a scholar and Latter-day Saint who attended the devotional. “The Kirtland Temple is not just a historic site but a place where people still come to feel the Spirit of God every day, and that was felt in real abundance today.”
‘Power of place’
In her remarks, Walden said it was a tremendous honor to be invited to speak in the Kirtland Temple, where she served as the historic site director from 2002 to 2009, meaningful years that shaped and formed who she is today.
Walden pointed out the pew box where she sat and processed her emotions on March 4, the day before the transaction between the two faiths was announced, trying to imagine what the next day would bring.
“I was flooded with memories shared within these walls,” she said.
She told stories about attending devotionals and listening to sermons, mourning with people who lost loved ones, seeing a young man propose to his girlfriend, and hearing individuals bear testimonies or share sacred experiences.
“This was safe space where they could pour out their hearts and challenges, to cry and support one another,” she said. “It was incredible to see that comfort and strength here in this space.”
Walden said every time the Kirtland High School football team held a devotional in the Kirtland Temple, the team went on to win the state championship. And once when a local elementary school visited, a little boy asked Walden if a ninja had ever visited the Kirtland Temple. She wasn’t sure how to respond.
“I don’t know to this day if a ninja has ever visited the Kirtland Temple,” she said as laughter erupted.
Reflecting on the memories helped her to find gratitude in the midst of grief. She said the ongoing story of the Kirtland Temple continues to teach resilience and resolve.
“Kirtland’s house of the Lord is significant not just because it has a great story to tell, but because of the lessons that are embedded in those stories, the lessons that are embedded in these very walls and wooden pews, can change our lives if we only listen,” she said. “That is the power of a place. That is the power of history. It is my prayer that as we leave here today, that the 188-year-old story of the Kirtland Temple will long remain a powerful and timeless tale that continues to unfold and breathe within all of us.”
Carol Wynder, a Latter-day Saint, former missionary at Historic Kirtland and former volunteer with Community of Christ, was touched by Walden’s remarks.
“Through her words I could tell how difficult the change in ownership has been for the members of Community of Christ,” she said.
Sharing Kirtland
Karl Anderson, a historian and longtime Latter-day Saint leader in the area, said when the Church returned to Kirtland the late 1970s, it began meeting with leaders of Community of Christ and city officials to develop friendships.
“We felt that had to be a background for whatever we did in Kirtland — the community and Community of Christ,” he said.
Less than a decade later, when an arson fire destroyed the new Latter-day Saint meetinghouse, Community of Christ was the first to offer assistance.
“Anything you need, we will help you,” a Community of Christ leader told Anderson.
Community of Christ allowed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to hold meetings in its buildings while the meetinghouse was rebuilt.
“They are such good, Christian people,” Anderson said. “They have a real love for the temple, and that won’t go away. They know how much we love it and how we treat it. Personal relationships always triumph in the end. It’s just an adjustment.”
When Howlett learned about the March 5 transaction, his reaction was “shock and devastation.”
“It was a mix of sadness, anger and resignation, all those things. I cared very much about the historic sites,” said Howlett, who spent parts of 12 summers in Kirtland. “It’s also personally meaningful to me. Part of my story, and my ancestors’ stories, are tied up in these geographies and places.”
He mourned the idea of the next Community of Christ generation not having the same experiences in Kirtland that shaped his life. But he’s hopeful his church will find new creative ways to carry on.
“We’re still invested in the stories and people will want to return to these sites,” he said. “The agreement between the two churches grants Community of Christ access six times a year. We want to make sure we’re intentional about making sure we coordinate that and find ways to make these sites accessible to our people. So we’re grateful for that opportunity.”
Walden finds hope and solace in the shared heritage and love of the historic sites by both faiths, as evidenced by the friendship and mutual respect among historians and scholars.
“These relationships grow and expand,” she said. “I love that we are exchanging knowledge and learning from the knowledge and research of our friends and they are learning from ours. It’s a beautiful thing that together we share a love of our church heritage.”
At the end of his keynote remarks at the opening of the Mormon History Association conference two days earlier, Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy who serves as Church historian and recorder, thanked Latter-day Saint scholars and historians for their essential role in developing friendships with Community of Christ.
“It is this body — historians — who were responsible for thawing the frost that existed between Community of Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ,” he said. “I’m so grateful for that thaw and that we continue to get warmer and warmer, and I pray that it will continue for ever and ever.”
For the last decade, Casey Griffiths, a BYU professor of Church history and doctrine, has been part of an interfaith team that works with Community of Christ. During that time the group collaborated to publish a book that features scholarly dialogue of their respective beliefs.
“We chose the Kirtland Temple as the cover of the book because we felt like that was something that unified all of us, that brought us all together,” he said.
While Griffiths was happy to see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints obtain the temple and historic properties, he sympathized with his Community of Christ friends. He recently accompanied a Community of Christ friend to the Kirtland Temple for her first visit since the transaction, but she was too emotional to enter.
“It’s a raw feeling for them, just like it would be for us,” he said. “I feel like the missionaries and everybody that has been a part of the process has been super gracious and kind, especially toward the feelings of members of Community of Christ. I hope the temple continues to be, under our stewardship, exactly what it was under their stewardship, which is this great commonality, this great place where everybody can come and feel like they have a home.”
Continuing friendship
Over the years, Community of Christ has offered time and space in the Kirtland Temple to others, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to hold private devotionals, which has blessed the Church, Elder McKay said.
“We have very much appreciated our relationship with Community of Christ over the years. Our feelings of gratitude toward them have heightened since the acquisition of the Kirtland Temple and other properties,” Elder McKay said. “We’re so grateful for how they have cared for them over the years, that now allows us to assume responsibility and carry on what they’ve been doing so well for so long.”
The Church’s relationship with Community of Christ has been one of “great respect” and acknowledgement of their important role in preserving these historic properties, said Elder Hugo E. Martinez, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Church History Department.
“They were always very welcoming to us when we came in,” he said. “We wish to come together at this time and continue to share this space just like they shared with us. It’s a good relationship now, and we hope that it continues to be better.”
President Scott Barrick and his wife, Sister Shauna Barrick, who serve as directors of the Church’s Ohio Historic Sites, said the Church will continue several traditions and activities involving Community of Christ.
The first Saturday of each month, Community of Christ holds a pancake breakfast and donates the proceeds to charity. The Barricks take all the missionaries serving locally and make a contribution, which has been a fun activity.
Other traditions with Community of Christ are expected to continue. Each summer on Emma Smith’s birthday — July 10 — the Church of Jesus Christ and Community of Christ hold an event in which they sing hymns from Emma Smith’s hymnbooks. “That has been a wonderful thing,” President Barrick said.
The two faiths participate in a community Thanksgiving service and hold a Christmas Eve service in the Kirtland Temple.
The Church and Community of Christ will also continue to be members of a ministerial alliance in Kirtland with other faiths and community leaders.
“We look forward to being involved with Community of Christ for a lot of time to come,” President Barrick said.
