The mission of the Church is "all one great work," President Ezra Taft Benson reminded new temple presidents at a seminar held in the Salt Lake Temple Aug. 23.

Attending the annual new temple presidents seminar with President Benson were his counselors, President Gordon B. Hinckley and President Thomas S. Monson, who also addressed the group in the opening session; all members of the Council of the Twelve; many members of the First Quorum of the Seventy; members of the Presiding Bishopric; and a number of the General Authorities' wives.The nine new temple presidents and matrons were to be instructed for three days by General Authorities and members of the Temple Department. Most will assume their new duties on the first of September.

In his address, President Benson said it is important "to keep in our minds that it is all one great work on both sides of the veil. It is not important if we serve here or there, as long we as serve with all of our heart, might, mind and strength."

He encouraged the new presidents to cultivate the spirit of temple work, "that it may be felt in your associations of all the good people who serve, and all the good people who attend the temple."

"May this spirit be a protection to you," he said.

He recounted memories extending back into his boyhood regarding temple work, and the regard his parents and grandparents had for service in the House of the Lord.

"Yes, the veil is very thin," he said. "Inspiration may and does come to us when we are in tune with the Spirit. These are precious memories to me, and I have often reflected on them as my wife and I visit the temple each week.

"Sometimes pure knowledge flows to us under the influence of the Spirit," he continued. "I am grateful to the Lord for temples. The blessings of the House of the Lord are here - they are of the highest importance because in the temple, we obtain God's highest blessings.

"Temples," he said, "really are the gateways to heaven."

President Hinckley counseled the new presidents and their wives to be "pleasant hosts," and to strengthen and support those around them. He encouraged the new leaders to be an example, and observed that President and Sister Benson were great examples to all the Church in their temple attendance. He said President and Sister Benson go to the temple each week it is possible for them to do so.

President Hinckley said one of his assignments is to confer the sealing power upon others, when authorized to do so by the president of the Church.

"I have never conferred the sealing power that I have not pondered the wonder of it all," he said. "It is the only power that reaches beyond the grave. It is eternal in its nature, and everlasting and binding in its consequences."

He called the temple a "bridge to the eternities," and added, "As you daily walk that bridge, I hope the wonder of it all will never be diminished."

He said service in the House of the Lord is a sanctifying experience to all who take part. "I would hope that we would cultivate in the House of the Lord an environment of spirituality that all who come would . . . have the opportunity to glimpse toward the world in which theyT may someday live."

President Monson also paid tribute to President and Sister Benson for their regular temple service. "It has been said that our people need less urging and more examples to follow," he noted. "I commend President and Sister Benson for the example they set in coming to the temple every week that they can."

Temples, observed President Monson, should be houses of order where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell. Temples should be organized with a "calm efficiency where things move along in a quiet way with a minimum of excitement."

Every temple worker and every temple patron should be regarded with love. "Let there be love all around as you preside in temples," he said.

"`If there ever were a place where there should be a true spirit of service, it should be in the temple," he declared. "I believe the true spirit of service will prevail."

He said the leaders should start a chain of reverence to filter down to every one who comes to the temple. Reverence, more than being quiet, is an attitude of respect, he said.

Leaders should have reverence for the names that are presented and the patrons who perform the work, counseled President Monson. "When we realize that prayer has preceded almost every name that comes to the House of God, then I think we will have a proper attitude toward those who come to do the work.

"This is no simple work in which we are engaged - it is a work that affects all eternity."

President Monson said the Spirit of the Lord attends the rooms of the temple and patrons might well "envision in their minds those for whom we are being proxy - they might well be there."