Logan Institute of Religion

The Logan Institute of Religion is the largest institute of religion in the world, and the oldest in Utah operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[1] It is located in Logan, Utah adjacent to the campus of Utah State University (USU). The institute provides religion classes to young adults age 18-30, serves as a meetinghouse for local congregations, and sponsors activities for students.

Logan Institute of Religion
Formation1929
PurposeReligious Education
Parent organization
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Staff
54
Websitehttp://loganldsinstitute.org

History
Painting of the Logan Institute of Religion c.1940

Building Construction

The Logan Institute was first opened in 1929, and has since been expanded with five additions. This has led to the building-block feel as different sections were added over time.[2]

List of Additions[3]

  • 1929 - When the institute opened, the structure contained a single chapel, lounge, library, and classrooms.
  • 1938 - Addition introduced a ballroom, game room, and two kitchens. An apartment was also added to house the institute director and his family. The director's residence has now been repurposed for use as office space.
  • 1960 - The institute was doubled in size with a second chapel, six more classrooms, a cultural hall, and offices.
  • 1977 - A larger library, student lounge, and instructors' offices were all added.
  • 1990 - The southeast section of the building was added with six classrooms and offices for local church leaders.
  • 1994 - The most recent addition added a full-size gymnasium used for sports, social events, and weekly devotionals

Other History
Logan Institute's first graduating class

Construction on the Logan Institute began in 1928 as the first institute of religion in the state of Utah.[1] When the building was completed, it was dedicated by LDS Church president Heber J. Grant on Easter Sunday, 31 March 1929.[3] When it opened, there was a total enrollment of 114 students and offered two classes: Bible Literature, and Moral Philosophy. The institute's first class graduated on 26 May 1935 and had 21 students.[4] Thomas C. Romney was the first institute director and the only instructor until Milton R. Hunter was hired in 1936.

On 25 January 2012, the building suffered from a minor fire that started in the second floor kitchen.[5] The fire began when a box of apples was left on a stove burner, causing $18,000 in damages.[6] This prompted upgrades to the structure, including adding a sprinkler system to the building's upper level.

Features

Organs
  • Organ pipes in the west chapel
  • Unenclosed pipes
  • Names of pipes
  • Voice list

The institute's west chapel contains a hybrid organ built by Anderson Organ Works with twenty-nine stops. Twenty-one of the stops are voiced by six ranks of pipes, with the remaining eight voices provided by speakers located within the swell box.[7] The swell box also houses a rank of chimes, although the chimes are not playable from the current organ console.

The institute has an additional three electronic organs: one in the east chapel; one in the gym used for weekly devotionals; and one that travels with the institute choirs. Throughout the building there are also five grand pianos, and various upright pianos located in classrooms.

Art and Artifacts

The Joseph Smith Student Lounge features a 10' x 26' mural of the sacred grove painted by Kent Wallis.[2] Many pieces of art depicting Jesus Christ are hung in the halls and common areas throughout the building. The study lounge also has many prints of photographs made during the church's filming of the Bible Videos series. The west chapel used to have a stained glass window, but after renovations the window is now only visible from the attic area.[8]

Library copy of 1830 edition Book of Mormon

The library is the largest in the state for an institute of religion and contains several items of historic value, including an original copy of the Book of Mormon and a 1906 sacrament set from the Mendon ward.[2]

Student Involvement

Student Council

Student activities and events at the institute are organized by the local chapter of the Latter-day Saint Student Association (LDSSA). According to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, LDSSA is "an organization which sponsors social, religious, and recreational activities for LDS college students and their friends."[9] It was first organized in 1966, with Richard Eyre serving as its first president.[2] LDSSA is an approved campus club of USU where all students are welcome, regardless of religious affiliation.[10]

LDSSA is led by the Logan Institute Student Council. Whereas anyone can join LDSSA, the student council is a smaller group of students who have been selected by local church leaders. The student council consists of seven presidencies who each lead a different LDSSA committee.

As of the 2021, the Logan LDSSA consists of the following committees:

  • Publicity
  • Dance
  • Proclaim the Gospel
  • Spirit of Place
  • Technology
  • Campus Relations
  • Ambassadors
  • Feed my Sheep

Choirs

The Logan Institute's first choir, the Delta Phi Chorus, was organized in 1957 to serve as "ambassadors of good will for the institute."[2] Today the institute has two different choirs: the Logan Institute Choir and the Logan Institute Singers (formally the Latter-day Voices). The Logan Institute Choir is open for all students to join, and typically has 200-300 members. The Logan Institute Singers is by audition only, and will travel to perform in other venues, such as in seminaries.

The two choirs often combine to perform for special events such as semiannual concerts, the Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional, and for events held on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The combined choir has performed for several worldwide young adult devotionals held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle when church general authorities have spoken, such as Lynn G. Robbins[11] (2015) and Carl B. Cook (May 2019). A choir from the Logan Institute also performed in the priesthood session of the church's general conference in April 2016.[12]

Devotionals

Religion in Life

Each Friday, a Religion in Life devotional is held in the gymnasium.[2] Students of all faiths are welcome to come listen to inspirational talks from a variety of speakers. Often, speakers are local church leaders or other influential figures. Other members of the community have also spoken such as when USU president Noelle E. Cockett spoke in September 2017.[13]

Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional

The Joseph Smith Memorial devotional series is an annual devotional hosted by the institute in honor of Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is scheduled as close as possible to 23 December, Smith's birthday, and is usually held in USU's Smith Spectrum.[14] The first devotional was held in 1944, and past speakers have included all who have served as church presidents since that time.[15]

References
  1. Stewart, Lis. "LDS Institute 'a home away from home'". The Herald Journal. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  2. Shill, Aaron (2008-03-05). "History written on walls at Logan Institute of Religion". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  3. "Logan institute building history". DeseretNews.com. 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  4. DeSpain, Troy (2019-04-24), English: The first graduating class of the Logan Institute of Religion, retrieved 2019-04-25
  5. "Hard News Cafe » Blog Archive » No injuries in Wednesday fire at Utah State's LDS Institute building". Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  6. "Hard News Cafe » Blog Archive » Silver lining in smoke cloud: LDS Institute will get kitchen renovation". Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  7. DeSpain, Troy (2019-04-26), English: Flute D'Amour, retrieved 2019-04-27
  8. "Historic LDS Architecture". ldspioneerarchitecture.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  9. "LDS Student Association - The Encyclopedia of Mormonism". eom.byu.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  10. University, Utah State. "Clubs | USUSA". ususa.usu.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  11. "Desire Is Key to Testimony, Elder Robbins Tells Young Adults - Church News and Events". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  12. "Calendar - Logan Institute Priesthood Choir". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  13. "Presidents Noelle Cockett and Michael Scott Peters address students at Logan Institute devotional". The Utah Statesman. 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  14. "A behind-the-scenes look at the Joseph Smith devotional held in the Spectrum". The Utah Statesman. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  15. "22. "Praise to the Man": A Review of the Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermons | Religious Studies Center". rsc.byu.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-28.

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