Missionaries serving in the Jamaica Kingston Mission report that the Church has approved the organization of the first stake in Jamaica during the weekend of June 7th and 8th. The Church has attempted to organize a stake in Jamaica for over a decade but has experienced challenges with member inactivity problems and few active, full-tithe paying Melchizedek Priesthood holders. The approved organization of the stake signals some real progress in addressing these concerns within the past couple years.
Jamaica currently ranks as the country with the seventh most members without a stake.
18 comments:
The Gjakova Branch, Adriatic South Mission, was created on 13 April. There are now 3 independent branches in the mission:
Adriatic South Mission Branch
Gjakova Branch
Pristina Branch
The Ketu Ward, Lagos Nigeria Stake, was created on 16 March. There are now 7 wards and 4 branches in the stake:
Ikeja Ward
Ikorodu Ward
Ketu Ward
Ogba Ward
Ojodu Ward
Surulere Ward
Yaba Ward
Akute Branch
Ibafo Branch
Igbogbo Branch
Itamaga Branch
The Sierra Springs Ward, Calgary Alberta North Stake, was created on 13 April. There are now 12 wards and 1 branch in the stake:
Airdrie 1st Ward
Airdrie 2nd Ward
Airdrie 3rd Ward
Calgary 2nd Ward
Calgary 6th Ward
Calgary 13th Ward
Confederation Park YSA Ward
Coventry Ward
Crescent View Ward (Spanish)
Luxstone Ward
Panorama Ward
Sierra Springs Ward
Drumheller Branch
The Val de Saône Ward, Lyon France Stake, was created on 13 April. There are now 8 wards and 1 branch in the stake:
Clermont-Ferrand Ward
Confluence Ward
Ecully Ward
Grenoble Ward
Porte des Alpes Ward
Saint Etienne Ward
Val de Saône Ward
Valence Ward
Chalon-sur-Saône Branch
The following are the units in the Jamaica Kingston Mission
Mandeville Jamaica District
Boulevard Branch
Constant Spring Branch
Kingston Branch
Linstead Branch
Old Harbour Branch
Portmore Branch
Spanish Town 1st Branch
Spanish Town 2nd Branch
Spanish Town Jamaica District
Hopeton Branch
Junction Branch
Mandeville Branch
May Pen Branch
Santa Cruz Branch
Independent branches in Jamaica:
Montego Bay Branch
Negril Branch
Ocho Rios Branch
Port Antonio Branch
Savanna-La-Mar Branch
Yallahs Branch
Jamaica Kingston Mission Branch
Branches in the Bahamas, Grand Caymans, and Turks and Caicos:
Grand Bahama Branch
New Providence Branch
Grand Cayman Branch
Providenciales Branch
I wonder if the stake will just be the Spanish Town District, or whether it will include other branches in Jamaica and/or the Mandeville District.
I knew a guy whose parents were the 1st converts in Jamaica, but the family moved to Utah a few years ago. His parents had joined the church in 1976, and for a time they couldn't hold sacrament meetings because the American expatriates who had done the baptisms had moved away, and this was before the 1978 revelation and the family had African ancestry. He was born in I think 1981, and was named Spencer after President Kimball.
I think in the listing of the districts, they were reversed. I wouldn't be surprised if Spanish Town is made into the stake.
John, you are right, the Jamaica districts are reversed.
I do believe it will be the Spanish Town District that will become a stake, but I wonder if it will absorb other units in doing so.
The Dongguan 2nd Branch (English), Shenzhen China International District (English), was created on 30 March. There are now 3 branches in the district:
Dongguan 2nd Branch (English)
Guangzhou 1st Branch (English)
Shenzhen 1st Branch (English)
The Gbawe and New Gbawe branches, Accra Ghana Kasoa Stake, were created on 13 April. There are now 6 wards and 2 branches in the stake:
Ashtown Ward
Buduburam Ward
Kasoa 1st Ward
Kasoa 2nd Ward
New Weija Ward
Odorkor Ward
Gbawe Branch
New Gbawe Branch
Trying again with the Jamaica Kingston Mission
Spanish Town Jamaica District
Boulevard Branch
Constant Spring Branch
Kingston Branch
Linstead Branch
Old Harbour Branch
Portmore Branch
Spanish Town 1st Branch
Spanish Town 2nd Branch
Mandeville Jamaica District
Hopeton Branch
Junction Branch
Mandeville Branch
May Pen Branch
Santa Cruz Branch
Independent branches in Jamaica
Montego Bay Branch
Negril Branch
Ocho Rios Branch
Port Antonio Branch
Savanna-La-Mar Branch
Yallahs Branch
Jamaica Kingston Mission Branch
Other branches:
Grand Bahama Branch
New Providence Branch
Grand Cayman Branch
Providenciales Branch
Is there a reason there is a Dongguan 2nd Branch (English) before a 1st? Is it under a different district for some reason? Or maybe unreported?
The Dongguan 1st Branch is a sensitive unit that services Chinese citizens.
The Carribean is a tough environment for jobs and church standards.I hope it continues to grow stronger. How many LDS speak Papamiento.
? Spanish, English.French, Dutch...Surinamtongo? Top languages of the Church in region?
Latest Church Almanac stats I have are:
Cayman Isl. 198, 1 Branch
Curacao 568, 1 Branch
Dominica 141, 1 Branch
Dom.Rep. 122,024, 200 Wards/Branches
Grenada 227, 1 branch
Guadeloupe 439, 3 Branches
Haiti 17,407 37 Wards/Branches
Jamaica 5,449 20 Wards/Branches
Martinique 195, 1 Branch
Puerto Rico 20,940 41 Ws/Bs
St. Kitts-Nevis 206, 1 Branch
Sta Lucia 249, 2 Branches
St. Maarten 213, 1 Branch
St. Vin/Gren.508, 2 Branches
Trin.&Tob.2,979 11 Ws/Bs
Turks/Caicos 82, 1 Branch
I knew a young missionary in the 90s who served mostly in Jamaica and claimed he knew all members on the island. Should be different now, with 20 units. He also baptized a few new converts at the Caymans when it first opened.
I knew a couple (from WA State) that opened the Couva Branch in Trinidad in the late 90s; I think it may have been the island's 5th at the time.
As recently as 2012-2013 a couple here in VA served as financial administrator missionaries for about 9-12 Caribbean countries, including Suriname and Guyana (maybe French Guinea). The work does increase.
I think that with the populations of of Guadeloupe and Martinique there is a lot of potential there. Hopefully French speaking Africa and Pacific will add to them. Cuba awaits...
I just learned today from a former mission president in Italy that the Florence Stake will be created May 18 from the Florence District.
Yes, the Florence stake will be organized from the Florence and the Rimini districts the 10 and 11 of may. I'm living in the Rimini district and until now we do not know yet who will come to preside at the conference. I'll let you know!
Xavier,
Thanks for the correction! There have been several new stakes in Italy in recent years.
Thanks for the updates. My son serving in Negril, Jamaica right now and this is so exciting!
The Florence district already has nine branches, and the Rimini district has five. Fourteen congregations is rather a lot for a stake. I really hope this doesn't mean the stake creation will involve consolidating some of them. Maybe it will just take one or two branches from the Rimini district, like those that are qualified to become wards but can't unless they're in a stake.
But that would leave the rest of Rimini district somewhat marooned. It is anyway - there is no rail connection between the current Florence and Rimini districts. Also, Ancona Branch's president lives about equidistant between Ancona and Pescara, but is in Pescara Ward (Rome East stake's) boundaries.
That is, no direct rail connection. It is possible to get between them by cutting through Venice or Rome East stakes.
I left out the Bahamas in my list of Caribbean nations...
2 Branches only, is it? That needs to improve.
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