Members and missionaries report that the Church will organize its first stake in the Canary Islands this September. Currently there are 10 branches in the sole district that operates in the islands. It is unclear how many of the branches will become wards once the stake is officially organized.
The Church has a unique history in the Canary Islands. Formal missionary activity began in the late 1970s and the population exhibited high receptivity to LDS missionaries. In 1988, the Church organized a separate mission based in the Canary Islands (Spain Las Palmas) that also administered the Portuguese-administered Madeira Islands. During the first year of operation, the Spain Las Palmas Mission baptized over 1,000 converts; essentially increasing the number of members on church records by 50%. By 2001, there were three member districts (Fuerteventura, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and 18 branches in the Canary Islands. Low member activity rates, a major decline in the number of convert baptisms, leadership development problems, and reduced missionary resources assigned to Europe resulted in the closure of the Spain Las Palmas Mission in 2006, the closure of two of the three member districts, and the number of branches declining from 18 to 10 by the early 2010s. Missionaries reported efforts to create the first stake in the islands for many years. The Canary Islands currently pertain to the Spain Madrid Mission.
Click here for an LDS Church News article on the Church in the Canary Islands written in 1990.
37 comments:
Off topic...
so if we're at 85K missionaries my October, when is the peak? I would say we wouldn't hit a peak until next summer, since all the sisters I know of don't get back until then. I'm almost thinking we'll peak at 100-105K rather than the previous consensus of 90K? Even when the sisters start coming home, we'll still have extra elders until summer 2015, so we could see a full year with 90 thousand missionaries (and more, closer to 105K, briefly)
Well, most of the sisters left this spring, so I would say the peak would be near the end of 2014. We are still pumping in the missionaries though, over 800 are arriving this week and it will be 500+ for at least another two to three months.
In the American MTC, that is.
The Bonneville 3rd Ward, Provo Utah Bonneville Stake, was created on 11 August. There are now 11 wards and 1 branch in the stake:
Bonneville 1st Ward
Bonneville 2nd Ward
Bonneville 3rd Ward
Bonneville 4th Ward
Bonneville 5th Ward
Bonneville 6th Ward
Bonneville 7th Ward (Spanish)
Bonneville 10th Ward
Bonneville 11th Ward
Bonneville 12th Ward
Bonneville 13th Ward
Bonneville 8th Branch (Care Center)
The Log Cabin and Steeplechase Wards, Las Vegas Nevada Tule Springs Stake, were created on 11 August. There are now 10 wards in the stake:
Copper Crest Ward
Deer Springs Ward
Gilcrease Ranch Ward
Iron Mountain Ward
Log Cabin Ward
Lynbrook Ward
Rainbow Crest Ward
Shadow Ridge Ward
Silver Stone Ward
Steeplechase Ward
The Lynwood Branch, Calgary Alberta East Stake, was created on 11 August. There are now 7 wards and 2 branches in the stake:
Chestermere Ward
Elliston Park Ward
Franklin Park YSA Ward
Prairie Winds Ward
Strathmore Ward
Sunridge Ward
Valley View Ward
Lynwood Branch
Siksika Branch
New stake to be created in Brazil, Maranhão State, São Luís Pioneiros Stake, 25th.
august 25th
250 for Brazil!
That is great about the soon-to-be stake in Brazil.
The Málaga 4th Ward, Granada Spain Stake, was created on 11 August. There are now 7 wards and 4 branches in the stake:
Almería Ward
Fuengirola Ward
Granada Ward
Málaga 1st Ward
Málaga 2nd Ward
Málaga 3rd Ward
Málaga 4th Ward
Jaén Branch
Mijas Branch (English)
Motril Branch
Nerja Branch
75K missionaries per Mormon Newsroom
I developed an econometric model using seminary enrollment, war, GDP and policy announcements to predict missionaries set apart.
The model forecasts that 44,967 missionaries will be set apart in 2013 and 45,318 next year.
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/63862/Bienvenidos-a-Mexico---Doors-open-for-missionaries-to-attend-the-Mexico-MTC.html Here is an article on the new MTC in Mexico City from the Church news. Even though most missionaries there at any given point are North Americans, I figured the 100 Mexican missionaries still mean probably 40% of missionaries going through the Mexico MTC are from Mexico, since they go through 3 times as fast. This is assuming none of the US or Canada missionaries get put on the 2 week track due to being fully fluent in Spanish, and also assuming that there are not missionaries from Central America, so my percentage of Mexican missionaries may be calculated high.
Another question I do not know the answer to is where they would send missionaries called from Mexico to serve in the US. I know they are sending missionares called from the US to serve Spanish-speaking in the US to Mexcio City MTC, but those called Spanish-speaking from Mexico to the US may be a different story. I know when I was on my mission they put missionaries called from Latin American to my mission (LAs Vegas) through the English-language course at the MTC, even if they had been called to serve in our mission as Spanish-speaking missionaries.
What perplexes me more is why U.S. missionaries called to Mexico do not train in Mexico City. If they are already going to mexico and will have the passport requirements, they might as well be trained in Mexico. Then there are missionaries going to other Spanish speaking nations that will have to travel through two boarders because they will train in Mexico City.
It seems like they could smooth out the logistics a little bit to save money.
Yes. It seems strange to spend so much money and get a passport etc, as well to send US missionaries that are staying stateside, but speaking Spanish, to go to the MTC in Mexico as well.
I think it is capacity. They are pushing US missionaries to other MTCs, knowing that a fraction of them will end up in Provo anyway, so they can't call people to keep Provo full. So, send people to other MTCs and absorb in Provo those that can't get their visa on time. Otherwise, all would be called to go to Provo and even with the added capacity, there would not be enough room.
Many people back east would love to see an MTC here--Palmyra, Nauvoo, or Buena Vista, VA (as examples I hear).
But, for now the Mexico City MTC has capacity they have to use.
That would be neat, but all three of those are *very* small towns, and I doubt the locals would be thrilled about such an influx of people.
I wrote a blog about online education reform and seminary and institute here:
http://metsikmatthew.blogspot.com/2013/08/online-education-reform-and-lds-church.html
Another on mega-projects here: http://metsikmatthew.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-lds-churchs-mega-projects.html
The Tecnologico Ward, Metepec México Stake, was created on 18 August. There are now 10 wards and 2 branches in the stake:
Atlatlahuca Ward
La Crespa Ward
Las Torres Ward
Lerma Ward
Metepec Ward
Tecnologico Ward
Tejupilco Ward
Tianguistenco Ward
Tollocan Ward
Totoltepec Ward
Tenancingo Branch
Valle de Bravo Branch
Hi Matt! I was hoping to find out what effect U.S.-Russian relationships have had on missionary work, as well as the effects of this last year's developments in the Central African Republic. I can't help wondering if the tit-for-tat politics between Russia and the U.S. the last few years have lead to more complications for the Church in Russia. Also, I recall that this time last year a mission president from the DRC met with the President of CAR to assess conditions for opening that country to formal proselytism. Since then the President was deposed and this week the a rebel leader was formally sworn in as CAR's president. Were plans for starting a mission put on hold indefinitely, or is this seen as a temporary setback? I was wondering if you or other blog followers had any insights. Thank you!
The Mahogany Ward, Calgary Alberta South Stake, was created on 18 August. There are now 12 wards in the stake:
Auburn Bay Ward
Chaparral Ward
Cranston Ward
Fish Creek Park YSA Ward
Mahogany Ward
McKenzie Ward
Midnapore Ward
New Brighton Ward
Parkland Ward
Queensland Ward
Sundance Ward
Willow Park Ward
The Tamandaré Branch, Palmares Brazil District, Brazil Recife Mission, was created on 1 August. There are now 4 branches in the district:
Escada Branch
Palmares Branch
São José da Coroa Grande Branch
Tamandaré Branch
Sorry, the creation date of the Tamandaré Branch should have been reported as 18 August.
The Stephenville YSA Branch, Weatherford Texas Stake, was created on 18 August. There are now 6 wards and 4 branches in the stake:
Azle Ward
Cleburne Ward
Granbury Ward
Hudson Oaks Ward
Stephenville Ward
Weatherford Ward
Graham Branch
Mineral Wells Branch
Stephenville YSA Branch
Weatherford YSA Branch
Interesting that Weatherford Texas Stake has two YSA branches. Does it cover a large area? Are there colleges in specific locations that are focal points for YSA branches? Actually, maybe having two branches works a lot better than one ward, but I wonder what is up there.
Nauvoo also is a long way from any major airport, and I think the same is true of Buena Vista.
I would actually expect if they did an Eastern US MTC to see it by the DC Temple. That is clearly the most landmark temple in the east. It also would be close to a major airport, at least relatively. However even though there is space, I am not sure people in Kensington would approve of such a development.
Also, if what we have is a temporary surge and not long term, it might not make sense. Plus, they have plans to expand the Provo MTC. Lastly, overall most new stakes get formed in the western US or other countries, the eastern US is not where the church is growing on a large scale, although maybe being in low growth Michigan skews my view a bit. Also, maybe I need more vision to see growth.
Still, I see getting an MTC in the DR Congo as a higher priority than one in the eastern US.
On the Central African Republic I came across on on-line posting from an elder serving in the Republic of the Congo who mentioned his mission president was going to send missionaries to CAR, but then at the last moment was impressed not to. The week they would have gone was the week the revolution flared again. I don't know if they plan to send missionaries soon. They are also in the midst of opening Gabon in that same mission, and that country has not suffered periodic bouts of civil war.
John, I thought the same thing about the Weatherford Texas Stake having 2 YSA branches. I am not sure what is going on.
Good points about a lack of a nearby major airport for some of the proposed sites. Roanoke Airport might work, it is not much further away from Buena Vista than the Salt Lake International Airport is from the Provo MTC.
Virginia has been growing. So, maybe I am colored about growth in a different direction.
The Washington DC temple site is 57 acres of fenced-off woods. The only entrances for vehicles (and deer) are all off Stoneybrook Drive. Legally things could be worked out - right now a nearby Church-owned apartment complex for temple workers is officially classed as a convent. I wouldn't necessarily put an MTC right there though, as it's not that close to an airport. Also it would be hard for students and young professionals who would teach there, to get there without cars.
Once Philadelphia and Hartford temples are up and running, the Bos-Wash corridor will have five temples right down the middle of it, almost equally spaced about two hours apart. Between that, and maybe a temple in Pittsburgh and/or Williamsburg VA, this region will be an even more attractive of a place for LDS professionals to move to. Eventually putting an MTC somewhere out this way might not be a bad idea.
Thanks, John. I hadn't listed the area around the DC Temple as a possibility for an MTC, but it potentially could be.
I wouldn't know how to gauge local reaction. For about a month every year, Stoneybrook is clobbered because of the Temple Christmas lights and activities. I could only wonder what they would think if an MTC for a few hundred or potentially more than 1000 missionaries would be considered by the neighbors. That said, they wouldn't add much to the traffic, but that might be hard to sell to the neighbors.
As for a major airport, there are 3 Class B airports closer to the Washington DC Temple than the Provo MTC is to the Salt Lake Airport:
Dulles-27 miles
National-23 miles
BWI-34 miles
Traffic can be really bad to get to any, but that can be worked around. Flights in/out on Tuesday to Thursday during the day shouldn't be a problem. I suspect if an MTC went in next to the DC Temple, Dulles would be the airport of choice.
Regardless, I'd like to see the main fence come down, and the temple grounds better integrated with Rock Creek Park and the neighborhood to the west. Right now, for instance, there's a road that cuts through the Raleigh temple grounds to a town park but it comes off the main road and doesn't cross the side road the temple/stake center parking lot comes off of. It was used as a rear exit during the temple open house.
I could see something like that in Kensington. That wouldn't include vehicular access between the temple parking lot and the neighborhood to the west but could include some hiking/biking trails.
If you used the stake center at 10000 Stoneybrook for MTC offices and assemblies, and put up a few classroom/dorm buildings it could be doable. Or you could put at least part of the MTC somewhere else and run a bus to the stake center and/or temple as needed.
I know what you mean about December traffic on Stoneybrook. And all that action might be distracting to an MTC anyway unless the dorms were deep in the woods. Part of the problem is that the three parking lots (visitor center rear, temple/visitor center front, stake center) aren't connected. Maybe the Church could help pay to upgrade that part of Stoneybrook. They've done that sort of thing before.
Another thing is that buses aren't allowed on Beach Drive, and any other way off the Beltway involves going way up or down Connecticut (or getting off at Georgia) and taking secondary roads that really weren't designed for that kind of traffic. (My wife and I need to find a better way to come in from US-29/Columbia Pike than what we've been doing.)
The São Luís Stake Poneiros Brazil was not created. Omotivo was not informed. We agurado more information.
It surprises to me the good reception that most missionaries have in catholic society. Last summer I traveled and had a rent apartment in buenos aires, there I found a big lds church, very important too. I felt truly happy about that
I thought the Canary Islands were part of the Malaga Mission and not the Madrid Mission.
The Canaries were part of the Seville mission, then had its own mish, then joined Málaga, then Madrid.
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