New LDS temple to be built on Maui

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints announced Sunday that they will build a temple in Kahului.

In a pre-recorded video, President Russell M. Nelson, told the semiannual general conference that the church is building 20 new “houses of the Lord” in the coming years.

The church owns BYU-Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center as well as temples in Kona and Laie. This will be the first temple on Maui.

According to the LDS website, “Latter-day Saint missionaries first arrived in Hawaii in 1850. Today, nearly 75,000 church members make up around 145 congregations with more than 4,500 on the island of Maui.”

The church in Kona, located at 75-230 Kalani Street, was dedicated in 2000 and is undergoing renovations. It is expected to reopen in September 2025.

The Polynesian Cultural Center, also owned by the church, is a very popular tourist attraction and offers six island villages where visitors can experience the cultures of Tonga, Tahiti, Samoa, Aotearoa, Fiji and Hawaii. The park also offers an evening show, “HĀ: Breath of Life Show.”

The opening date was not announced.