Sunday, December 12, 2010

New Stake in Brazil and New District in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Brazil

A new stake was created in Brazil last Sunday from a district in the Rio de Janeiro area. The Macaé Brazil Stake consists of five wards and one branch. Prospects appear high for the Church to announce a temple in Rio de Janeiro as at present members travel to the Campinas Brazil Temple to participate in temple ordinances. There are now 235 stakes in Brazil.

DR Congo

The Church created its fifth district in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the third largest city of Mbuji-Mayi. The Church had one branch in Mbuji-Mayi for several years which divided into two congregations in the late 2000s. At present, there are now four branches in the city that are part of the newly created district that pertains to the DR Congo Lubumbashi Mission, created last July. Church growth remains strong in the interior of the DR Congo in the cities of Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga, Luputa, Mwene-Ditu, and Ngandajika. The creation of a third mission for the DR Congo based in one of these cities appears highly likely in the coming years and with the exception of some mission leaders and senior missionary couples, would be staffed entirely by African missionaries. The population of the DR Congo stands at 70.9 million and Latter-day Saints numbered 23,600 at the end of 2009. In addition to the five districts now operating, there are seven stakes.

10 comments:

Heather M. Collins said...

Hi, quick question for you.

Would you happen to know if there's an existing list of missions accepting sister missionaries from the US? Or perhaps where that information would be available so such a list could be composed?

Thanks,
Paradox

Tom said...

does anyone have any idea how membership growth for the Congo DR has faired out through 2010?

Congregation growth seems to have been overall for this country. So I'm guessing another 4000 new members?

Matt said...

Paradox -

I believe all missions of the Church accept American sister missionaries with the exception of the following areas:

-Mindanao Philippines
-Africa (excluding Reunion, Mauritius, and Uganda)
-Haiti
-Vietnam
-India
-Guyana/Suriname/French Guiana

There may be additional areas, but these are the ones I am aware of.

Matt said...

Tom-

I think that a membership increase of 4,000 for the DR Congo in 2010 appears about right. It may be more like 3,000, but it is hard to say as there have been likely a thousand baptisms just in Luputa, Mbuji-Mayi, and Kananga.

Erik said...

Is there any way to find out these membership figures before April Conference or will we just not know until then?

Ryan Searcy said...

On the Temples site, it says there is the new San Francisco Venezuela Stake. I have all of the stakes mapped out by name, but I don't know where to place this. There are multiple San Francisco's in Venezuela, so I put it on the one between Merida and San Cristobal. Am I right to assume this?

Ryan Searcy said...

It looks like the maps for the Temples site are working again. It shows the new stake is near Maracaibo.

Brandon Plewe said...

San Francisco is in the southern part of Maracaibo (divided from M South and M West). The stake appears to include the following wards:
-San Francisco
-Union
-El Sol
-Bolivar
-24 de Julio
-El Caujaro
-La Canada

Ryan Searcy said...

Got called to the California Ventura Mission, English Speaking!

Luciano de Moraes said...

December 12, 2010, divided Belém Brazil Cidade Nova Stake, Belém Brazil Cabanagem Stake, Fortaleza Brazil Est Stake.