Rick Palmer of Bloomfield put 70,000 miles on his car traveling to and from Albuquerque once a month for 20 years. He did so to volunteer at the Latter-day Saints Temple there.
His volunteer schedule changed when the Farmington Temple opened one year ago.
“My wife and I work in the temple every week (on) Saturday for six hours,” Palmer said.
Having a temple in Farmington has made service to the Lord and family much easier for area members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“When we got the Farmington Temple, it was a miracle,” said Mark Hathcock of Aztec.
He and his wife served in the temple once a week right after it opened, making the location “quite a blessing.”
“Growing up in the church we had to drive to Mesa or Manti,” Hathcock said. He added that his ancestors go all the way back to the beginning of the church, and they also “had to do a lot of traveling just to go to the temple.”
“Us having our own temple – to have this in our own area – I only have to drive 10 minutes and I’m at the temple,” Hathcock said.
Now others, who live outside the area travel to the Farmington Temple, Hathcock said.
“There’s a lot of people coming from out of town just to go into the temple. It’s really an attraction for the area,” Hathcock said.
Norman Finch, of Farmington, said the furthest church members have traveled to use the temple is from those who live on the west side of Chinle, Arizona. About a “150- to 160-mile drive.”
As far as how many people have visited the temple, since it opened July 14, 2025, Finch said, “the temple and the church do not provide statistical information about the temple’s use.”
The Farmington Temple, last year, became one of 200 LDS Temples worldwide, with 100 more in the planning stages or under construction, Palmer said
“I was born in 1951, and in 1951 there were eight temples in the world,” Palmer said. “I grew up in Bloomfield, our nearest temple was Mesa. We have three temples now closer.”
Growing up, Palmer said his family didn’t go to the temple. “We couldn’t afford to go. Pretty much anybody who is a member can go in the temple now.”
Palmer added, “There’s a neat spirit about the temple. The members of the church are really excited after a year.”
Each temple is “amazing in its own way,” Hathcock said.
The Farmington Temple is a 29,066-square-foot building unique to Farmington, representing the three main cultures of the area.
San Juan County is a “unique place with the confluence of three rivers,” said Tom Taylor, of Farmington. “It’s the confluence of three cultures being the Native American, Hispanic and the Anglo cultures.”
Those cultures can be found in all aspects of the temple – making it unique to this community – including the symbolism of feathers, Southwest colors and the pinon juniper cone.
In the temple, the Latter-day Saints work on “ordinances” and make “five covenants to God,” according to Elder Steven R. Bangerter, executive director of the Temple Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
An ordinance, or sacrament, is a sacred formal act such as baptism, confirmation and sealing of marriages.
The covenants are obedience, sacrifice of the cares and concerns of the world, to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his teaching, to live morally and consecration, which is to give oneself in the service of Christ, Bangerter said.
At the center of the church is the baptismal font, which rests on the backs of 12 oxen, which are symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel, according to a sign in the room.
Mostly Latter-day Saints go to the temple to do “work for the dead,” according to Heather Finch, who said she and her husband, Norman, volunteer there weekly.
The first time a member goes to the temple, they go for themselves, Heather Finch said, “After that we go for our ancestors giving them the same opportunity to receive the blessings we have.”
Latter-day Saints also provide service by volunteering in the temple.
“We don’t have a paid clergy, so to speak,” Palmer said. “We have a couple of full-time custodial people, but most of the work is done by volunteers, like me.”
The church has “bishops, and we’re asked to serve in that position,” Palmer said, adding that too is a volunteer position.
“I know quite a few people who have full time jobs and volunteer at the temple once (a) week,” Palmer said.
Whether volunteering or doing work for the dead, the Latter-day Saints consider it a blessing to have a temple in Farmington.
“We consider the temple so holy,” Palmer said. “We’re grateful to have the house of the Lord. We consider that the most sacred place on Earth.”