St. George • A lapsed Southern Baptist who says she has not attended church in years, Allisa Clark still felt compelled to check out the majestic white St. George Temple during her return home from a hiking excursion in Zion National Park.
Entranced as she was with the temple, the Las Vegas resident said what really drew her attention was “Believe in Him,” an expansive seven-panel artwork in the adjoining visitors center that portrays Jesus Christ and depicts scenes from his mortal ministry in the Holy Land.
“It is breathtaking,” Clark said about the 20-foot-by-7-foot exhibit. “The [New Testament] Gospels stories it portrays are so moving, and the colors in it are so vivid, I feel like I could stare at it for hours. It inspires me to want to pick up my Bible and revisit some of Jesus’ teachings and miraculous healings.”
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) The visitors center for the St. George Temple.
Bruce Winn, director of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ St. George Temple Visitors Center, said the art panels crafted by Tom and Gayle Holdman and the team at their Lehi-based studios has been a marquee attraction at the center since its September debut.
“People looking at ‘Believe in Him’ often reflect about how Christ has healed them,” Winn said. “I’ll hear people say things like, ‘I feel like the young man Jesus heals in the [artwork].’ Maybe that healing was not the result of a physical ailment but happened during periods of distress when Christ reached out to them. And they can feel that when they visit the exhibit.”
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) Latter-day Saint missionaries discuss the "Believe in Him" panels at the visitors center at the St. George Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.
Taking it in, working it out
Visitors are taken by the fact that there is so much to take in, according to Winn. For example, it showcases biblical parables like the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. Other scenes depict miracles, such as Jesus healing a young leper and the woman with a blood disorder who was cured by touching the Savior’s robe.
Also pictured is Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who tried Jesus, and Caiaphas, the Sadducee and Jewish high priest during Christ’s trial and crucifixion. Apostles Peter, James and Paul and other New Testament stars also pop up on the panels.
Upon closer inspection, Winn explained, some of the stories and figures that grace the panels can represent multiple stories or biblical characters.
“The woman at the well can represent either the Samaritan woman whom Jesus asked for a drink or the woman taken in adultery,” he said. “It can also represent the woman with the blood issue.”
Latter-day Saint missionaries from the Utah St. George Mission are on hand to help visitors piece together the exhibit’s rich symbolism, scriptural portrayals and multiple meanings.
“The beauty of this artwork is that it teaches so many things without using any words,” said Reed Smoot, a female Latter-day Saint missionary from Dallas. “It reminds us … of the Savior’s life and the things he taught us. He’s at the center of the artwork."
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) Latter-day Saint missionaries discuss the "Believe in Him" panels in the visitors center at the St. George Temple.
The five centermost panels are an acrylic replica of the Holdmans’ 6,000-piece stained-glass masterpiece, “Come Unto Me,” which debuted at the Rome Temple Visitors Center in January 2019. The two additional panels, one on each end, further expound the New Testament story.
In rare company
St. George’s visitors center is the only one, other than its counterpart in Italy, to have a permanent exhibit of the Holdmans’ signature piece on display. There is a traveling nine-panel, stained-glass exhibit, another extended replica of the Rome original, making appearances at the faith’s visitors centers in Europe and the United States.
There is more purpose to the panels and other exhibits at the center, Winn said, than their aesthetic appeal.
“We want visitors to have a Christ-centered experience that inspires them to act,” he said. “As they interact with the exhibits, we want them to reflect on how the Savior Jesus Christ has influenced them and has meaning in their lives.”
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) The St. George Temple seen from the visitors center.
St. George’s visitors center attracts more than 100,000 people a year, many of them tourists from France and Germany who stop by after visiting the national parks, according to Winn. The center displays copies of the Book of Mormon, the faith’s signature scripture, in 100 languages.
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