Monday, August 31, 2015

August 2015 Newsletter

Click here to access our August 2015 newsletter for cumorah.com.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Research Assistant

I am looking for an LDS-growth savvy research assistant to help out with my work for The Cumorah Foundation. This would be a paid, part-time contractor position that you can do from home. Please email me at Matt.Martinich@gmail.com if you are interested.

New Stakes in Colorado and Utah

Colorado
A new stake was created in Colorado last Sunday. The Windsor Colorado Stake was organized from a division of the Greeley Colorado and Loveland Colorado Stakes. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Bison Ridge, Carlson Farm, Johnstown, Milliken, Peak View, Severance, and Windsor Wards. There are now 34 stakes in Colorado

Utah
A new stake was created in Tooele, Utah two Sundays ago. The Tooele Utah West Stake was organized from a division of the Tooele Utah North Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Overlake 1st, Overlake 4th, Overlake 5th, Tooele 7th, Tooele 18th, and Tooele 26th Wards. There are now 11 stakes and 1 district in Tooele County. There are now 577 stakes and 1 district in Utah.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Second Stake in India to be Organized in November

I just received word that the Church has approved the organization of a second stake in India. The new stake will be organized from the Bangalore India District on November 15th. Missionaries report that the Rajahmundry India District has almost reached the minimum criteria to become a stake. With multiple stakes in the country, prospects appear more likely for the Church to announce a temple for India within the foreseeable future as the closest operating temple is located in Hong Kong.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Three New Stakes Created in Costa Rica; New Stake Created in the Philippines; Districts Created in Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, and Russia; District Discontinued in Ukraine

Costa Rica
The Church in Costa Rica organized three new stakes in July.

The Liberia Costa Rica Stake was organized from the Liberia Costa Rica District. The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Cañas, La Victoria, Liberia, San Roque, and Santa Cruz Wards and the Nicoya Branch.

The Cartago Costa Rica Stake was organized from a division of the San Jose Costa Rica La Paz and San Jose Costa Rica Los Yoses Stakes and the Costa Rica San Jose East Mission. The new stake includes the following five wards and two branches: the Cartago, Paraíso, San Diego, Tres Ríos, and Turrialba Wards and the Los Santos and San Isidro del General Branches.

The Guapiles Costa Rica Stake appeared to be organized from a division of the San Jose Costa Rica Los Yoses Stake. No information is currently available on which wards and branches have been assigned to the new stake.

There are now nine stakes and three districts in Costa Rica.

Philippines
The Church organized its first stake on Bohol Island on July 26th. The Tagbilaran Philippines Stake was organized from the Tagbilaran Philippines District. The new stake includes the following five wards and four branches: the Cortes, Dauis, Tagbilaran 1st, Tagbilaran 2nd, and Valencia Bohol Wards and the Baclayon, Duero, Jagna, and Pilar Branches.

There are now 94 stakes and 78 districts in the Philippines. 

Nigeria
The Church organized a new district in Ondo State, Nigeria on July 26th. The new district includes three branches that previously pertained to the Nigeria Benin City Mission, namely the Adeyemi College Road, Ondo, and Yaba Branches. The Church organized two of these three branches in September 2014. The organization of the new district signals a significant milestone in establishing the Church in many of the minimally-reached administrative states native to the Yoruba people. The Church previously operated a district in the nearby city of Akure that administered two branches in Ondo (one of which was later discontinued in the 2000s). The reassignment of Ondo State from the Nigeria Lagos Mission to the Nigeria Benin City Mission in 2013 appears to have been a significant catalyst in recent progress reversing stagnant or declining LDS growth in the area. A second branch was also reestablished in the city in Akure.

The Republic of the Congo
The Church organized a new district in Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. The Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo District includes four branches that previously reported directly to the Republic of Congo Brazzaville Mission, namely the Aeroport, Loandjili, Mpaka, and Pointe-Noire Branches. The new district is the first district to operate outside the capital city of Brazzaville.

There are now two stakes and one district in the Republic of the Congo.

Russia
The Church organized a new district in the Moscow area on July 19th. The Moscow Russia South District was organized from five mission branches in the Russia Moscow Mission, namely the Kaluga, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Tula, and Voronezh Branches.

There are now two stakes and six districts in Russia

Ukraine
The Church discontinued the Odessa Ukraine Tsentralny within the past month or two. None of the branches appeared to be discontinued and all now directly report to the Ukraine Kyiv Mission. The decision to discontinue the district in unclear, but is likely due to no foreseeable prospects for the district to become a stake within the foreseeable future.

There is now one stake and two districts in Ukraine

Saturday, August 1, 2015

July Monthly Newsletter

Please click here to access our July issue of the monthly newsletter for cumorah.com.