Saturday, September 8, 2018

Updated Country Profile - Bahrain

Click here to access our updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Bahrain - a small island nation in the Persian Gulf with 1.4 million inhabitants. The Church has more than 200 members in Bahrain and has operated a branch in the country since 1971. Membership has nearly doubled since 2009. Bahrain experiences significantly better religious freedom conditions than most countries in the Middle East. As a result, the Church headquarters the Manama Bahrain Stake in the country to service membership in nearby Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Church is officially registered with the government. There are good opportunities for member-missionary efforts among the non-Muslim population in Bahrain, which numbers approximately 200,000. Furthermore, with increasing numbers of members, it is likely that the Bahrain Branch will advance into a ward in the near future.

24 comments:

Eduardo said...

It is interesting to see the Lord's gathering of Israel while millions of people from every land have relocated across the world, so that religious groups of all backgrounds can be found, for example, in places like the Persian Gulf. Of all the third country nationals abroad, perhaps Philipinos are the best to evangelize in Arab lands. Sub-Saharan Africans and Latinos are probably other peoples to be found in numbers there.

L. Chris Jones said...

The Ammon/Idaho Falls area is supposed to create it's first YSA sake next sunday in a meeting to be held at a building on Dunbar Dr. Until now there are about five or so YSA wards each placed in a different traditional stake. Nearby Shelley has two stakes each with a YSA branch and I think the Ucon stake has one YSA Ward. I am not sure if they will be part of the new stake.

Unknown said...

Next Sunday in Idaho falls a new YSA stake will be organized it be taking from most if not all of the stacks in the city

John Pack Lambert said...

I was talking with a missionary from Idaho Falls today and he mentioned having gone to a YSA ward there and having felt out of place since at least in his view all the males there were at least 23 and returned missionaries. Idaho Falls is one of the big current gaps in YSA stakes.

I also would not be surprised if we see YSA stakes in Las Vegas and Los Angeles areas in the next year.

L. Chris Jones said...

A year ago the local technical college became a full fledge community college. I suspect that may contribute to more YSA's sticking around Idaho Falls for at least their first two years of college before transferring to other institutions. In some cases they may even be able to finish the Bachelor's degree in town through growing partnerships with other Idaho universities.

Cory said...

I am from Idaho Falls and I've attended the Bonneville YSA Ward during the summers between semesters. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, I heard rumblings of a YSA stake. The wards occasionally do activities with each other and they all go the IF institute. A Stake will help better coordinate these activities.
The enrollment in the new college nearly doubled this Fall. With many also attending BYUI, the wards are rather fluid. Some have Fall, Winter or Spring off, so they move homes at times other than the summer. There are also a good amount of interns and older, non college students as well. I wonder if there are enough interested members that could form a SA ward. Each YSA Ward in Idaho falls covers 3 to 5 stakes. The Ward in Ucon contains 4 other stakes in the Idaho Falls area besides the Ucon stake, so it be definitely be included. Perhaps the two Shelly branches could combine to form a Ward. Then there is the branch in Firth that could either be folded into Shelly, or just included in the stake. So at minimum, the 5 IF area wards will be the stake and perhaps one from Shelly. Rigby, Ririe and Robers also have YSA wards, so they could also be reassigned. Making it a maximum of 9 wards in this YSA stake.

Johnathan Reese Whiting said...

Huzzahs! I was in the Idaho Falls YSA scene for 5 years while I was working there. Dunbar was actually my last singles ward. A few of us predicted this new YSA Stake happening on this blog a few months ago, when my old Ammon West YSA Branch finally upgraded to a ward.

L. Chris Jones said...

The YSA Ward in Rigby are assinged to Rexburg YSA stakes, I'd figure the same for Roberts. I'm not sure about Ririe, but I know that Ririe stakes are assinged to the Rexburg temple.

Unknown said...

Tori’s is in a Rexburg ysa stack I would think Rexburg would see some new stacks soon. Down in close to Rire and Rigby to my understanding they should be a new stack in the next year or two.

Chris D. said...

Matt, Thank you for allowing to post opinions and new church news on this Growth Blog site. And I apologize, before hand, for being such a "Grammar police", but the new "Vineland Utah Grove Park" stake you listed today on the list of 2018 new stakes, is in reality the "Vineyard Utah Grove Park" stake listed on the Classic LDS Maps site. Once again, Thank you for posting all the new church growth statistics here, while Rick's Church of Jesus Christ Temples.org site is down.

J S A said...

Córdoba Argentina Chacabuco Stake (2117541) created Sept 2 2018
Los Boulevares Branch (183083) Rama Los Boulevares
Parque Liceo Branch (235148) Rama Parque Liceo
Alta Córdoba Ward (60631) Barrio Alta Córdoba
Córdoba Chacabuco Ward (131954) Barrio Córdoba Chacabuco
Jesús María Ward (322725) Barrio Jesús María
Nueve de Julio Ward (131962) Barrio Nueve de Julio

Les Palmes Haiti Stake (2118920) created Sept 9 2018
Jacmel Branch (284122) Paroisse de Jacmel
Meyer Branch (426962) Paroisse de Meyer
Tenier Branch (544841) Branche de Tenier
Leogâne 2nd Ward (1967657) Paroisse de Leogâne 2
Petit-Goâve 1st Ward (289078) Paroisse de Petit-Goâve 1
Petit-Goâve 2nd Ward (2035952) Parroise de Petit-Goave 2

Michael said...

So it looks like Jacmel and Meyer branches were the ones upgraded to wards!

Gnesileah said...

Hong Kong China District (English)
- Island 2nd Branch (English) discontinued
- Peninsula 3rd Branch (English) discontinued
- Island 1st Branch (English) renamed Island Branch (English)
- Peninsula 2nd Branch (English) renamed Peninsula Branch (English)

Upolu Samoa Saleilua Stake
- Vaovai Ward renamed Vaovai 1st Ward
- Vaovai 2nd Ward created

Córdoba Argentina Chacabuco Stake created
- Alta Córdoba, Córdoba Chacabuco, Jesús María Wards and Parque Liceo Branch transferred from Córdoba Argentina North Stake
- Nueve de Julio Ward transferred from the Córdoba Argentina West Stake
- Los Boulevares Branch transferred from the Córdoba Argentina Sierras Stake

Córdoba Argentina North Stake renamed Córdoba Argentina Patricios Stake

Campos Brazil Stake
- Quissama Ward downgraded to Branch

Guarujá Brazil Stake
- Centro Ward created

San Fernando Chile District
- San Fernando 2nd Branch renamed San Fernando Branch
- Centinela Branch discontinued
- Guadalupe Branch discontinued

Colombia Bogota North Mission
- Los Pinos Branch transferred to Bucaramanga Colombia Terrazas Stake and renamed Barrancabermeja Branch

Croix-des-Missions Haiti Stake
- Lascahobas Branch transferred from Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission

Les Palmes Haiti Stake created
- Leogâne 2nd, Petit Goâve 1st, Petit Goâve 2nd Wards transferred from Carrefour Haiti Stake
- Jacmel, Meyer, Tenier Branches transferred from Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission

Lima Perú Wiesse Stake
- El Valle Ward created

Centennial Arizona Stake
- Centennial 7th Ward created

Memphis Tennessee Stake
- Olive Branch (MS) Ward created

Eagle Mountain Utah Cedar Pass Stake
- Foothill Ward created

Kaysville Utah West Stake
- Angel Street Ward created

Provo Utah YSA 15th Stake
- Provo YSA 210th Ward created

St George Utah Little Valley Stake
- Little Valley 1st Ward renamed Fieldstone Ward
- Little Valley 2nd Ward renamed Little Valley Ward

Gnesileah said...

Assin Foso Ghana Stake
- Kenkuase and Nuamakrom Branches transferred from Twifu Praso Ghana District
- Assin Kwameatta Branch discontinued

Assin Foso Ghana South Stake created
- Assin Achiasi, Assin Foso 1st, Assin Foso 2nd, Paramu Wards and Assin Akrofuom, Assin Anyabrem, Assin Darmang, Assin Edubiase Branches transferred from Assin Foso Ghana Stake
- Abakrampa Ward and Abura Dunkwam, Asebu Branches transferred from Yamoransa Ghana Stake

Nigeria Benin City Mission
- Egba Branch created

Christopher Nicholson said...

Logan, Utah is getting a new YSA stake as well, but I realize that's far less exciting news. We've already got a couple of those.

On a tangent, I was wondering why some parts of the U.S., I can't remember which off the top of my head, still have "University" wards that haven't been renamed to "YSA" wards despite the renaming thing starting at least eight years ago. It doesn't seem like it would be a super complicated process.

Eduardo said...

In my hometown of Bloomington, Indiana my home ward is called the University Ward, and it is a family ward. They share the building with a YSA Branch. I guess it is called the Bloomington YSA Branch?
The Bloomington Ward split into 1st and 2nd Wards back around 1977. Then the YSA Branch was created around 1995. All three units shared the former stake center, pretty close to the IU campus, until a new stake center was built on the west side of town in the early 2000s. Then they created two new wards over there called Highland and Clear Creek Wards, and the east side of town (and the county and some neighboring counties) was covered by the University Ward. YSA Branch was separate and I don't think ever became a ward, due to size. Even though I have seen YSA "Wards" in Virginia that did not seem to merit that designation because of less than 100 in attendance...
Anyway, that is one case of a naming convention in the Midwest.

L. Chris Jones said...

Is it called University Ward due to the name of the section of the city it is in?

Eduardo said...

Yep. The ward on second street is within 3 blocks of the Indiana University campus.
The stake center on the west side is probably 6-8 miles away. Those wards have generally cheaper housing and probably attract more young married Latter-day Saint students and their families. The University Ward tends to have higher family living costs and more tenured professors related to the school.
40,000 plus students, dominates the town. But there are other side businesses that do okay.

John Pack Lambert said...

I was wondering there are people who commute from IF to BYUIdaho. It would seem doable to me.

John Pack Lambert said...

In the cases here in Michigan I have no easy answers why they are so far behind the curve. The Kalamazoo University Branch has at times functioned to include married students as well as singles. I am not sure if they still do. East Lansing University Ward includes the only apartments on Wed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for housing students adjacent to a public university.

On the other side of the state in Ann Arbor and Bloomfield Hills we designate our ward and branch USA and in both cases have renamed to the general church convention. Bloomfield Hills used to be a 1nd ward but then incorporated YSA in its name. In Ann Arbor the ward was called Hill Street but renamed to Ann Arbor USA as part of a general trend to give these units more regionally recognizable names.

It may be because Kalamazoo and East Lansing still see their main goal as serving the needs of students and have not rethought outreach to the many YSAs they have who are not, including the many who don't go to college on graduating high school in far flung branches. Alternately it might be because there is a primary focus on meeting the needs of students. I think the large areas covered by some of these stakes make repurposing the university branch in say Bowling Green Ohio to being a YSA branch for the whole Toledo Stake totally impractical.

Unknown said...

I commute from IF to BYUI it’s only about 20 minuets to get from one to the other. A lot of married students live in Idaho Falls because of he cost of apartments

David Todd said...

I never served in the Kalamazoo University Branch (KUB) on my mission, but I had heard that about having married students as well. Im not sure if it is still the case. It definitely functions as a YSA branch though because when I was in that stake there were members of the ward attending it and one of our recent converts decided to start going to the KUB instead.

Eduardo said...

The UCLA Ward that I attended in the early 2000s was half single and half married students. I am not sure how it may exist now. In the same building on the LA Temple compound were at least one, maybe two YSA wards. Mark Madsen, marginally famous NBA player, attended maybe the older one? He was in his mid to late 20s back then.
He played about 6-7 years later in Minneapolis; I imagine he attended a YSA unit there as he did not marry until after his 10 year pro career was over.
Now he helps coach the Lakers in L.A.

John Pack Lambert said...

Madsen once showed up at my YSA branch in Metro Detroit, so I am sure he went to one in Minnesota. I am not sure if he was in town for a game or some other reason. When he was at Stanford he dated my cousin for a short time.

I think both KUB and ELUW funtion as YSA units. However both stakes are fairly large, so I do not know how much attendance on Sunday there is from some of the very outlying units. On the other hand the furthest unit from Lansing in that stake is Jonesville Branch which covers Hillsdale where Hillsdale College is. I would guess any active members there would go to the East Lansing University Ward. I am not sure if they ever do institute classes in Hillsdale, but I would be surprised if they don't. When I was at Eastern Michigan University we had an institute class on campus, I also most of my time there made it to an institute class, the Friday forum and cookie and game night at the Institute Building adjacent to (and partly subrented by) the University of Michigan. I think it was about a 40 minute bus ride from one to the other, only at most 15 minutes by car. Hillsdale is probably 2 hours drive from Lansing, and forget about a bus.

The only married students I ever personally knew in KUB were ones who had been in the unit as singles, got married, and stayed there. In one case the wife had also been baptized in that branch.

ELUW on the other hand is very much a single student unit. MSU married student housing used to be in the Williamston Ward, back when my older brother was living there in 2003. However since then one ward in the Lansing metro area has been discontinued, and then maybe 4 or 5 years later a new ward was formed, very much in a different area. Besides the university ward there are 4 wards in Metro Lansing, that all have at least some married students. Most also have at least some families where one or even both the parents are faculty or staff of MSu. Although my brother works for IBM, and with Lansing being the state capitol there are many government employees there, including for a time the State Tresurer who was recruited from Utah by the current governor, although he a few years later decided to move elsewhere.

The last I was really aware the KUB president was a classics professor at Western Michigan University. That univeristy has a fairly extensive medieval studies department. It also bought a private law school, so it actually has a branch campus in Florida.

There are also three branches in Lansing Stake that some of what they cover would be considered metro Lansing. The remaining two wards and one branch are clearly beyound the limits of metro Lansing.