The Laie Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is scheduled to close on December 29 for approximately 18 months of extensive renovations.

During that period Latter-day Saint temple patrons who can afford the trip are most likely to attend services in the next-closest temple — in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.

The Laie Temple Visitors Center will remain open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the renovations.

When it originally opened in 1919, the Laie landmark was only the Church's fifth temple and the first to be built outside of the North American continent. It was known simply as the Hawaii Temple for many years (until the Kona Temple opened in 2000), and for the next 50 years served Latter-day Saints from throughout Asia and the Pacific.

Today it is the Church's oldest operating temple outside of Utah. There are also now almost 130 other Latter-day Saint temples in operation around the world — including in many of the countries which previously sent "temple excursions" to Laie; and it's still not unusual, even now for example, for Church members to come from the Marshall Islands to attend the Laie Temple because it's the closest one for them, although normally most patrons come from throughout Oahu and Kauai.

The Church has periodically refurbished the Laie Temple over the years, with major additions to the grounds made in the early 1940s and 60s. It most recently closed for an extended period in the mid-1970s when additions were made to the temple itself.

Prior to reopening in 1978, approximately 100,000 people toured inside the temple, which is otherwise only open to qualified members of the Church.

Such "open house" tour opportunities are typical in new and extensively remodeled temples, but no plans have been set yet for 2010.

Also unlike 30 years ago, the scheduled closure calls for updating infrastructure and accessibility changes, but no additions.

One of the many volunteer "ordinance" workers in the temple said she feels "glad for the changes, but sad I can't render my weekly service for a while." She added she did not know if she would go to the Kona Temple or not during that period.