Brazil
On November 16th, the Church created a new stake in Brazil. The São José do Rio Preto Brazil South was organized from a division of the São José do Rio Preto Brazil Stake. The new stake included the following five wards and one branch: the Anchieta, Barretos, Catanduva, Parque Celeste, and Quinta das Paineiras Wards, and the José Bonifácio Branch. There are now 78 stakes and seven stakes in São Paulo State and 253 stakes and 39 districts in Brazil.
Mexico
On November 23rd, the Church created a new stake in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The Ciudad Juárez México Las Torres Stake was organized from the Ciudad Juárez México East Stake and includes the following four wards at the moment: the Aeropuerto, Ampliación, Granjero, and
Hacienda de Las Torres Wards. It is like that additional wards will be assigned to the new stake as the Ciudad Juárez México East Stake currently has nine wards. There are now 228 stakes and 37 districts in Mexico.
Taiwan
On November 30th, the Church created a new stake in Taiwan. The Taipei Taiwan South Stske was organized from the Taipei Taiwan West Stake and includes the following six wards: the Ankang, Ching Hsin, Hsin Tien, Mu Cha Ward, Shuang Ho 1st, and Shuang Ho 2nd Wards. There are now 12 stakes and two districts in Taiwan.
6 comments:
Good stuff. Has anyone else read about China converting to Christianity in possible huge waves? I find this interesting and don't know all the legs for it.
Great to see this progress in Taiwan.
And pf course our other more Ephraim-based places...
Taiwan had been very quiet for a while now until a month ago or so when they started (quite suddenly) to create new units on a weekly basis, and now a stake. That`s been great to see. I still remember their goal to reach 20 stakes in the country by 2020, and if this is the beginning of a more robust period of congregational growth, it can still happen.
Either way, one day Taiwan (as well as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia) will probably be major influences of the Church reaching out more in China. This along with the tens (possibly hundreds) of thousands of Chinese-origin converts who have joined the Church throughout the world will make the opening of China quite a smooth process, once it`s allowed to happen. That is my guess at least. I just pray that the Church will not sleep through the window of opportunity when it opens, like it has so many times elsewhere.
Our church is a very human organization, at times painfully slow or, seemingly inefficient. It reminds me of the original Church of Christ, when the night/morning of the Atonement, there is one of the twelve selling out the Savior for silver, then the other loyal 11 are sleeping, which seems natural, but then one strikes the Roman soldier and Jesus restores his ear. It took 400 years for Christianity to get as big as the LDS faith, the proclaimed restoration of the priesthood and organization, to get where it is.
There are many faults and snags, yes. And yet, I think it still works. It is easy to be frustrated with apparent missed opportunities. My bible instructor, a scholar named Monty Nyman, always quoted the OT when Jehovah would say: "How I would gather you up as a hen gathers her chicks..."
Also, Mexico and Brazil might have more Manasseh tribesmen than Ephraim; did not mean to slight the lineage of Lehi over Ishmael...
November growth in Church units:
Nov. + 38; + 63 W - 25 br + 10 stakes - 3 dist
US + 14; + 21 W - 7 br + 3 st
Utah + 9; + 9 W + 0 br + 0 st
Outside US + 24; + 42 W -18 br + 7 st - 3 dist
YTD + 333; + 388 W - 55 br (at least 99 branches raised to ward status when districts were elevated to stakes); + 63 stakes - 8 dist + 3 temples
YTD countries and areas of greatest growth:
US + 144; + 154 W - 10 br + 25 stakes
(Ut + 51 W&Br + 8 st; Tx + 15, Ca + 14, Id + 14)
Africa +143; + 90 W + 53 br + 11 st + 7 dist
Nigeria + 35, Ghana + 32, Cote d'Ivoire + 22,
Dem Rep Congo + 15, Sierra Leone + 8
Philippines +31
Brazil +22
Mexico + 13
There are four Sundays in December 2014. Two of those Sundays are close to Christmas. Looking at some historical data, I think new stakes may only be created on the first two Sundays of December because the Church may not want to have stakes being created so close to Christmas. Thinking about it, celebrating the birth of Christ as a family is important. The administration of creating a new stake could be a very big distraction during the week of Christmas for those involved.
The result may be that only 4-6 stakes are created in December. This could also lead to a big January 2015.
Good day! I missed your posts about potential stakes and districts to be divided. Do you think you could do that again? ;)
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