Monday, June 25, 2018

History of the Church in West Africa Video

Click here to watch a 46-minute video regarding the establishment of the Church in each country in West Africa. This video was created to commemorate three milestones: the 40th anniversary of the the 1978 Revelation regarding Blacks and the Priesthood, the 30th anniversary of the creation of the first stake in West Africa, and the creation of the 100th stake in West Africa. Furthermore, the video provides membership information for several countries where no LDS membership information is provided on www.mormonnewsroom.org. This data appears current as of April 2018 as this was the last time membership, congregation, and organization data were provided on the Africa West Area website. These countries include:
  • Senegal - 74 members 
  • Guinea - 56 members
  • Mali - 42 members

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

New Stakes Created in Nigeria (2) and Brazil; New Districts Created in Ghana and Liberia

Nigeria
Two new stakes have been created in Nigeria.

The Asaba Nigeria Stake was organized from the Nigeria Asaba District on June 10th. The Asaba Nigeria District was originally created in 2006. Information on which seven branches became wards in the new stake remains unavailable. The Asaba Nigeria Stake is the Church's fourth new stake organized within the boundaries of the Nigeria Benin City Mission since January 2018. There are now two stakes in Delta State.

The Aba Nigeria Umuola Stake was organized on June 10th. Information on which congregations are assigned to the new stake remains unavailable. However, it appears that the stake was organized from a division of the Aba Nigeria Ogbor Hill Stake which had 10 wards and 5 branches prior to the creation of the new stake. There are now four stakes in Aba where the Church's sole Nigerian temple operates. There are now six stakes and one districts in Abia State.

There are now 50 stakes and 15 districts in Nigeria. The Church in Nigeria now ties with Canada as the country with the eighth most stakes worldwide. Members report that the 100th stake in West Africa will be organized this Sunday in Nigeria in the Ukat Aran area. Several additional stakes will likely be organized in Nigeria before the end of 2018 or in 2019 such as in Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Warri, Aba, and Port Harcourt. See below for a map of stakes, districts, and missions in Nigeria.


Brazil
A new stake was created in Ceará State, Brazil. The Fortaleza Brazil Dunas Stake was created from a division of the Fortaleza Brazil Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Guararapes, Jardim das Oliveiras, Mucuripe, Nova Aldeota, and Tancredo Neves Wards. There are now 16 stakes in the Fortaleza metropolitan area - the second most stakes in a metropolitan area in Brazil.

There are now 271 stakes and 38 districts in Brazil.

Ghana
A new district was created in the Ghana Kumasi Mission. The Bibiani Ghana District was organized from the following three former mission branches: the Bibiani Estates, Gyedi, and Sefwi Bekwai Branches. The Church first established a presence in Bibani in 2012. The original Bibiani Branch reported that essentially all of its members were active a couple years ago. Two of the branches function in Bibiani, whereas one of the branches meets in Bekwai.

There are now 23 stakes and 10 districts in Ghana.

Liberia
The Church organized its first district outside of Monrovia on June 10th. The Kakata Liberia District was organized from two former mission branches with nearly 500 people in attendance. The new district includes the following three branches: Kakata 1st, Kakata 2nd, and Kakata 3rd Branches. The Kakata 3rd Branch was organized on the same day as the new district.

There are now four stakes and one district in Liberia.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

New Stakes Created in Brazil, Georgia, Guatemala, and the Philippines; New District in Armenia; Stake Discontinued in Germany; Districts Discontinued in Brazil, Germany, and Ukraine

Brazil
A new stake was organized in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil on May 20th. The Santa Cruz do Sul Brazil Stake was organized from the Rio Grande do Sul Brazil District (originally organized in 1994) and Cachoeira do Sul Brazil District, and portions of the São Leopoldo Brazil Stake. Information on which congregations are assigned to the new stake is currently unavailable although it may be as many as 10 congregations. The Cachoeira do Sul Brazil District was organized in 1986 and included four branches before it was consolidated with the newly organized Santa Cruz do Sul Brazil Stake.

There are now 25 stakes and 6 districts in Rio Grande do Sul State, and 270 stakes and 38 districts in Brazil.

Georgia
A new stake was organized in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Coal Mountain Georgia Stake was organized from the Sugar Hill Georgia Stake and the Roswell Georgia Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and two branches: the Coal Mountain, Dahlonega, Fowler Park, Laurel Springs, Pilgrim Mill, and Sharon Springs Wards, and the Blairsville and Murphy Branches. There are now 10 stakes in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

There are now 17 stakes in Georgia.

Guatemala
A new stake was organized in western Guatemala. The Sololá Guatemala Stake was organized from the Sololá Guatemala District. Most of the seven branches in the former district, which was organized in 1979, appear to have become wards although information on which branches became wards remains unavailable. The new stake is located within the homelands of the Kaqchikel people. There are now four stakes located within the Kaqchikel homelands.

There are now 49 stakes and 14 districts in Guatemala.

Philippines
A new stake was organized in Mindanao, Philippines. The San Francisco Philippines Stake was organized from the Trento Philippines District (organized in 1999). The new stake includes the following five wards and one branch: the Prosperidad, San Francisco, Santa Josefa, Trento, and Veruela Wards, and the Rosario Branch. The new stake marks the first time in over two decades since a district has become a stake in Mindanao. There are now 12 stakes and 17 districts in Mindanao.

There are now 102 stakes and 73 districts in the Philippines.

Armenia
A new district was organized in northern Armenia on April 15th. The Vanadzor Armenia District was organized from a division of the Yerevan Armenia District. The new district includes three branches: Alaverdi (member group recently organized as a branch), Gyumri, and Vanadzor. Additionally, a member group may also continue to operate in Margahovit. The decision to divide the Yerevan Armenia District, which used to be stake from 2013-2016, suggests that the mission may be exploring opportunities for leadership development and outreach expansion in northern Armenia, and/or there are no realistic prospects for the Yerevan Armenia District to become a stake again in the foreseeable future. There are now two districts in Armenia.

Germany
One stake and two districts were discontinued in northern Germany during May 2018. The Neumünster Germany Stake (organized in 1981) was discontinued and consolidated with the Hamburg Germany Stake, marking the first time in LDS history that the Church has ever discontinued a German-speaking stake. Additionally, the only two districts in Germany, the Oldenburg Germany District and the Neubrandenburg Germany District, were discontinued. Retained branches in the former Oldenburg Germany District were reassigned to the Hamburg Germany Stake and the Hannover Germany Stake, whereas retained branches in the Neubrandenburg Germany District were reassigned to the Berlin Germany Stake. Emphasis on reducing the amount of members needed to fill leadership positions in order to free resources and reduce member burnout appeared primarily responsible for the changes. For example, most of the branches involved in the changes reported less than 20 active members for two or three decades. More information on the changes can be found here (NOTE: article is in German).

There are now 14 stakes in Germany.

Ukraine
The Church discontinued the Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine District (originally organized in 1999, discontinued in 2011, reinstated in 2016) and reassigned its branches to the Kharkov Ukraine District. It appears that the change may have been made in preparation to create a second stake in Ukraine.

There are now four districts and one stake in Ukraine.

Updated Country Profile - Slovenia

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Slovenia.

Friday, June 1, 2018

May 2018 Newsletter

Click here to access our May 2018 monthly newsletter for cumorah.com.