@Eduardeo A lot of the converts in Spain are Latin Americans. But a lot of the growth in Spain has also to do with imigration form Latin America (imigration of members).
Around Madrid and Barcelona, there are some wards where probably 90% of the active members are Latin American. My impression is that in other more rural parts of Spain, you have a higher percentage of native members, but quite a big percentage are generally still going to be immigrants almost wherever you go.
Does the Ukraine data reflect the population of Crimea that has now been co-opted, or overtaken by Russia? Much of that area was more ethnically Russian. I think of Ukraine as having 50 million people, so maybe these numbers represent the new normal, that I do not anticipate changing. Also, what to make of Transnitria? Is South Ossetia considered part of Georgia still? Any news on temple sites in Russia?
"Lex L. Puffer, 64, and Sharon Puffer, three children, Clinton 1st Ward, Clinton Utah Stake: California Santa Rosa Mission, succeeding President Jeffrey D. Meservy and Sister Lorinda Meservy. "
President Jeffrey D. Meservy was last serving in California Santa Rosa Mission instead and will be replaced in July 2020 by President Lex Puffer.
So still unknown who is currently presiding over the Chile Santiago Mission, and replacement.
Any prospective place for a potential branch in Luxembourg? It looks like they have had some recent encouraging growth, perhaps their numbers suggest another unit.
Chris, AFAIK, the Church has not customarily shared a new biography for only one new mission leadership couple. That to me suggests that COVID-19 may necessitate an early release for some non-native mission presidents in affected areas. If that becomes part of the response to COVID-19, it makes sense that non-native young elder and sister missionaries were the more urgent priority. Some of the mission leadership couples are of an age that may make them more susceptible and vulnerable to it. So perhaps any forthcoming changes in that respect may be noted alongside whomever may replace the Meservys. It is also possible that that couple might continue to serve for the time being, whether they are replaced later this year or not until next year. Just some additional musings from me, FWIW.
Eduardo, I fully and firmly believe that Luxembourg is one of many European nations in which the Church has barely scratched the surface. I for one am looking forward to watching such developments unfold.
A Sister from the Luxemburg Ward was serving in my ward a while ago. She said that meetings were quite well-attended, with some 200 people or so at sacrament meetings. Quite a few of those people come from southern Belgium, including that Sister, and I'm thinking we could see a branch in Bastogne before a second ward in Luxemburg.
Any word on post Covid-19 reopenings anywhere. I know some European countries and the US state of Georgia have began rolling back restrictions.
Yesterday in Michigan our reported deaths fell to 41 from 189 just the day before. There is a fear that there may be some lower reporting because of the weekend. New cases are now down below 600. They used to be at 1300 regularly and on April 2rd peaked at 1800. I am hoping for a return to some normalcy.
My branch has only done 1 devotional since shut down. Since the stay home order was issued March 23rd almost half my branch has had no access to the sacrament. Well we did do an Elders quorum devotional yesterday but nothing for the sisters.
I'm friends with a family from Luxembourg that was in my ward in Florida. Great people. Between all of them there are probably 5 or more languages. The mother is Haitian originally so they are now part of the haitian ward. Two of the sons went on missions
Any rebuttals to the article today at "Religion Unplugged" by Emma Penrod? https://religionunplugged.com/news/2020/4/15/growth-in-the-lds-church-is-slowingbut-not-for-reasons-you-might-suspect
"Growth in the LDS Church is slowing — but not for reasons you might suspect"
I think I read some different comments on that article that could be considered rebuttals, if you will. Luxembourg has a lot more people than smaller European nations with more than one Church unit, or is that false? Maybe not. I guess Iceland may have more people... Have to check. Iceland must have more heterogeneity, which may be advantageous to ward/branch cohesion. Cultural and linguistic differences may cause problems in growth, but that recent 10 percent growth looks pretty good.
@Eduardo Yes Luxembourg has a lot more members than other European nations. But geographicly Luxembourg is a small country and traveling is easy. The Luxembourg Ward covers also a large area in France and some part of Belgium. It would be possible that a branch could be created in one of this far off areas if here is a reasonable number of active members there. But i think it more likly that the ward would split into a second ward if membership furhter increases. In recent years the church in Europe preffered to have lager wards and closed a lot of smaller branches, even tough this increased traveling time a lot for members. A lot of members in Luxenbourg are expirates that moved there for work. This reason might delay the creation of a second ward.
What precisely is wrong with the article? It's not flattering but the only blatant factual error I noticed was the claim that the new hymnbook won't be standardized across the world (when in fact, it will be *more* standardized than the current one in which the hymn selection and page numbers vary in different languages).
To my knowledge, less than a third of the youth I grew up with have stayed in the Church. But the others clearly had no desire to be there in the first place and it came as no surprise that they stopped going as soon as their parents stopped making them.
I took an Anthropology of Religion class from a non-LDS professor a few years ago who cited our church's high demands as a reason for its success. This was even a question on the final exam. He said it makes it harder for members to be freeloaders who enjoy the benefits of membership without contributing anything.
This comment was far more offensive and embarrassing than anything in the article: "IMO Church membership is decreasing in the US because the Church has left it's [sic] American roots and is becoming a more progressive globalist organization. The Church has all but disconnected itself from it's [sic] politically conservative past and stood idly by while an elected President get's [sic] maligned and the US Constitution is under full assault by leftist and progressive forces."
The new hymnbook will consist of a full hymnbook 'core collection' in print which will be standardized across all languages, and an electronic only collection of hymns specific to a given region or culture. The current hymnbook will also remain available in digital form.
On the paragraph quoted, extreme evangelicals, including one who is the descendant of a well known anti in the 1980s who was outed in a book for fraud concerning claims of a degree, etc., are floating all kinds of off-the-mark things about President Trump, leftists, and others, often mingling all that with known extreme-right conspiracy theories, most of which we have all heard. Many of these same people are also Islamophobic and extreme about some other groups they like to malign as well.
Christopher, thank you for correcting Emma Penrod's grammar errors. It seems to me that just about everyone mistakes the possessive. I drilled the rules into my children's minds (and even created a grammar Nazi out of one of them). And then the apostrophe used with "gets" is exasperating. It's as if the average person believes that the apostrophe on just about any verb or plural noun is proper. In fairness, when we text or use writing programs, the wrong usage is often automatic, and it's then our duty to proofread carefully.
On another note, there have been 6 wards and 6 branches added to the total Church congregational count since the cessation of weekly meetings. It makes me wonder if there are units created and not reported on for some time. Most of the new units are language-specific branches in the US, as well as wards and branches in the Philippines and the Africa West Areas.
I just read the article and it was interesting. Not unlike many other critical pieces I've read in the past. The one comment I would like to make is that the author didn't properly frame the reason for why we do the things we do (whether it is fulfilling Church callings, having personal and family scripture study, or trying to reach out to the less active among us, etc). The reason we do these things is that we believe that the path to returning to and being worthy to live eternally with our Heavenly Parents is to make and keep sacred covenants. It is the vehicle in which we are able to become what our Heavenly Parents want us to become. We focus on missionary work not because it increases numbers but because it allows more of God's children to receive sacred ordinances that are vital to exaltation. The article, as most secular articles do, did not even mention these things. It just focused on the secular, worldly view of the Church. When I read articles like this it makes me even more thankful for my testimony and for my knowledge that God is at the helm.
I've been thinking about when the Church will begin loosening its abolition of all meetings and closure of temples in areas where the situation with the pandemic is less severe. There are areas with a strong Church presence (especially in the Pacific) where there are very few cases, or even none at all. I believe meetings in these locations would resume first. Then second, probably some of East Asia, especially South Korea. And then, probably parts of Europe.
Most German states will be legalizing religious meetings with up to 50 participants starting May 4. That puts us into a range where a lot of congregations would be able to legally hold sacrament meetings again. Larger congregations may split in 2 or 3 to meet at different times or in alternating weeks. I also believe temples could probably safely operate with pre-screening, reduced capacity, masks and gloves, and on an appointment-only basis. And while I'm not suggesting this to happen today or tomorrow, I do admit that I was hurrying to go to the temple one last time before closure on a day when Germany reported 900-something new cases - just like it reported 900-something new cases yesterday. Probably with 10 times the testing capacity.
Of course, the Church needs to be a good citizen, but looking at just how important the Church's missions are, I believe there should be at least a timeline on when and under what circumstances activity can carefully resume in currently less-affected areas.
Hello again, everyone! In his comment earlier today, Chris shared the article announcing the groundbreaking arrangements for the Feather River California Temple. That ceremony will take place in mid-July, marking the first time since the Hinckley-era building boom of the late 1990s-early 2000s that a temple groundbreaking has been held during the typical annual July recess for the General Authorities of the Church. That also opens up the prospect that other smaller temples (Moses Lake Washington, McAllen Texas, Bentonville Arkansas, etc.) could have a groundbreaking for which the timing is similarly unexpected.
Additionally, with Elder Scott D. Whiting set to preside over that ceremony, he becomes the first Assistant Executive Director of the Temple Department to preside at a temple groundbreaking. The last time a Temple Department representative did so wwas in December 2016, when Executive Director Elder Larry Y. Wilson presided at the gorundbreaking for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. And that will also be the first time in a long time that a counselor in an area presidency broke ground for a temple, rather than the area president or a member of the Presidency of the Seventy or any of the apostles.
As for the release of interior renderings for the Tooele Valley Utah Temple, as anticipated, the designs, styles, and motifs draw inspiration from local architectural and natural features. And although the announcement of groundbreaking arrangements for the Feather River Califronia Temple does mean that other smaller temples could have a groundbreaking, I anticipate that, barring any other surprise announcements, the next four temples to have a groundbreaking scheduled will be the Tooele Valley, Washington County, Orem, and Taylrosville Utah Temples. It will be interesting to see what happens in terms of temple-related nanouncements over the next month or two.
Unknown, as to your question about American Samoa resuming Church services, COVID-19 experts have said that the pandemic is slowly spreading to previously-unimpacted areas. The First Presidency announced the postponement of the open house and dedication arrangements for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple well before that partciular Brazilian region reached its' peak. Consequently, I believe that regular Church servies, when they resume, will resume on a Church-wide basis to enable everyone to be on the same cirruculum schedule at that time. With the home-centered, Church-supported approach to gospel study, it could feasibly work to continue to have just the home worship unless and until COVID-19 has sufficiently cleared on a global basis. But if and when such services resume, that information will be officially confirmed through an announcement from the First Presidency, so I'd add a caution here to all of us to not believe any unofficial information released in that respect unless and until it is officially confirmed.
Thinking about Luxembourg and its numbers, I still would like to think they should get a second unit, and depending on the activity of their 500 plus members maybe they could. Perhaps they need a total of 600 or 700, which could be achievable in a few years if they grow like 2018. Liechtenstein, some 6 hours away, is a much smaller country with likely under 100 members (see nothing in Cumorah so I see the 2013 Church Atlas) but membership there attends two different branches in Austria and Switzerland. Apparently the mountainous topography of Liechtenstein would make travel slower while Luxembourg is bigger and flatter, thus easier to negotiate. Like Iceland opening up a new branch pretty far from its capital, I think it would be tremendous to start up a second one in Luxembourg. The giant nations and their wards or branches around it suck up some of its membership, like Bastogne, but I would love to see Luxembourg for the Luxembourgers. And there appears to be some critical momentum. 50 converts/new members in one year is pretty good.
Emma Penrod is my ex-sister-in-law. I am not sure I want to even try to read the article. Having dealt with her and her heavy negativity I just do not expect her to have any good insights.
What do you expect from someone who values covenants made in the house of the Lird sp little she is willing to disregard them and end a marriage entered into in the temple?
People like Emma Penrod may have gone through the outer motions of The Church but they never let the inner feelings of the Church capture them.
My brother is a truly good man. I am very bitter about how Penrod treated him and demeaned him for choosing to be a high school teacher.
I think waiting to resume Church all at once would be uncalled for. We shut down Church meetings in several places before the shut down en masse.
We already have discontent in my branch because so many have gone so ling without getting the sacrament. The fact that virtually all the African-American sisters in my branch do not have active member husbands, while virtually all the white sisters are married to active member husbands, I am tempted to say my African-American wife is the lone exception and with the only other exception being a couple where the husband is in the hospital most of the time I am functionally right, and with there also being a socio-economic divide between Deteout and Grosse Pointe, this whole not having Church meetings is very hard on us.
@Eduardo Yes Louxembourg can have soon a second unit. Pascal Friedmann said active membership in the ward is around 200. A friend of mine working for the church in Frankfurt told me the Europe Area's policiy is to split wards then attendance reaches 230. If a Bishop wants to split its ward earlier then that might happen too. But you need to understand that of the 500 plus member reported for Luxembourg, some of them live in France and Beligum. Because the numbers reported are all the members of the Luxembourg Ward and the ward covers large areas of France and some part of Belgium. The church reports it's member in the country where the attend there congregation. All members of Lichtenstein are counted in the membership of Switzerland because thats where they go to church.
Hmm, so reporting members in the country where they attend artifically bboosts the percentage of members for Luxembourg.
One fact to keep in mind is that there are gains to having larger units. Larger units make it easier to staff temples without burning people out. Larger units give people a bigger community.
In the case of the Luxembourg Ward, it might not be a straight split but instead realignment with another unit in eother France or Belgium.
John Pack Lambert, I agree with you in that I do not think the Church will try to do temple ordinances with gloves on. That doesn't seem right to me. I think they'll wait until gloves aren't necessary. The Mount Timpanogos Temple has hand sanitizer dispensers located throughout it and I presume that all of the other temples do as well.
My intended point, JPL, was that the Church is going to get things back to normal in a logical way, and that there does not need to be any rush to get things back to the status quo. Getting things back-to-normal has got to be done with the same kind of logical common-sense approach whereby things were shut down. That's all I intended to convey. Sorry if my previous comment did not address that part of this matter sufficiently enough.
Oddly enough, Johnathan whiting, I spent around 6-7 years living in Payson Utah, and where we were living, our neighbors to one side was a family by the name of Whiting. So that is yet another indication of just how small the oorld really is.
It's not too odd once you consider that that is the area my ancestors settled. Edwin Whiting, the common ancestor of most Whitings in Utah, was a horticulturalist who was called to settle first Manti, and then Springville/Mapleton area. His old homestead was on the property where the Springville Art Museum now stands. There's a Whiting Park near Mapleton. A lot of my distant (and close) cousins still live in that area.
38 comments:
@Eduardeo A lot of the converts in Spain are Latin Americans. But a lot of the growth in Spain has also to do with imigration form Latin America (imigration of members).
Around Madrid and Barcelona, there are some wards where probably 90% of the active members are Latin American. My impression is that in other more rural parts of Spain, you have a higher percentage of native members, but quite a big percentage are generally still going to be immigrants almost wherever you go.
Does the Ukraine data reflect the population of Crimea that has now been co-opted, or overtaken by Russia? Much of that area was more ethnically Russian. I think of Ukraine as having 50 million people, so maybe these numbers represent the new normal, that I do not anticipate changing.
Also, what to make of Transnitria?
Is South Ossetia considered part of Georgia still?
Any news on temple sites in Russia?
Read about these 4 new mission presidents and companions
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-04-26/new-mission-presidents-california-north-carolina-maryland-181729
Now only 1 New Mission President biography to report. The unknown replacement for Pres. Meservy in Chile Santiago North Mission.
This is only information I could find on Lifey.com.
"SANTIAGO NORTH MISSION PRESIDENTS
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Santiago North LDS Mission.
2017-2020, Jeffrey D. Meservy..."
No information about replacement Mission President, unless Pres. Meservy will continue a 4th year.
According to this April 2020 Mission President Biography :
https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-04-06/lds-new-mission-leaders-2020-178587
"Lex L. Puffer, 64, and Sharon Puffer, three children, Clinton 1st Ward, Clinton Utah Stake: California Santa Rosa Mission, succeeding President Jeffrey D. Meservy and Sister Lorinda Meservy. "
President Jeffrey D. Meservy was last serving in California Santa Rosa Mission instead and will be replaced in July 2020 by President Lex Puffer.
So still unknown who is currently presiding over the Chile Santiago Mission, and replacement.
Any prospective place for a potential branch in Luxembourg? It looks like they have had some recent encouraging growth, perhaps their numbers suggest another unit.
Chris, AFAIK, the Church has not customarily shared a new biography for only one new mission leadership couple. That to me suggests that COVID-19 may necessitate an early release for some non-native mission presidents in affected areas. If that becomes part of the response to COVID-19, it makes sense that non-native young elder and sister missionaries were the more urgent priority. Some of the mission leadership couples are of an age that may make them more susceptible and vulnerable to it. So perhaps any forthcoming changes in that respect may be noted alongside whomever may replace the Meservys. It is also possible that that couple might continue to serve for the time being, whether they are replaced later this year or not until next year. Just some additional musings from me, FWIW.
Eduardo, I fully and firmly believe that Luxembourg is one of many European nations in which the Church has barely scratched the surface. I for one am looking forward to watching such developments unfold.
A Sister from the Luxemburg Ward was serving in my ward a while ago. She said that meetings were quite well-attended, with some 200 people or so at sacrament meetings. Quite a few of those people come from southern Belgium, including that Sister, and I'm thinking we could see a branch in Bastogne before a second ward in Luxemburg.
Any word on post Covid-19 reopenings anywhere. I know some European countries and the US state of Georgia have began rolling back restrictions.
Yesterday in Michigan our reported deaths fell to 41 from 189 just the day before. There is a fear that there may be some lower reporting because of the weekend. New cases are now down below 600. They used to be at 1300 regularly and on April 2rd peaked at 1800. I am hoping for a return to some normalcy.
My branch has only done 1 devotional since shut down. Since the stay home order was issued March 23rd almost half my branch has had no access to the sacrament. Well we did do an Elders quorum devotional yesterday but nothing for the sisters.
I'm friends with a family from Luxembourg that was in my ward in Florida. Great people. Between all of them there are probably 5 or more languages. The mother is Haitian originally so they are now part of the haitian ward. Two of the sons went on missions
Any rebuttals to the article today at "Religion Unplugged" by Emma Penrod? https://religionunplugged.com/news/2020/4/15/growth-in-the-lds-church-is-slowingbut-not-for-reasons-you-might-suspect
"Growth in the LDS Church is slowing — but not for reasons you might suspect"
I think I read some different comments on that article that could be considered rebuttals, if you will.
Luxembourg has a lot more people than smaller European nations with more than one Church unit, or is that false? Maybe not. I guess Iceland may have more people... Have to check. Iceland must have more heterogeneity, which may be advantageous to ward/branch cohesion.
Cultural and linguistic differences may cause problems in growth, but that recent 10 percent growth looks pretty good.
@Eduardo
Yes Luxembourg has a lot more members than other European nations. But geographicly Luxembourg is a small country and traveling is easy. The Luxembourg Ward covers also a large area in France and some part of Belgium. It would be possible that a branch could be created in one of this far off areas if here is a reasonable number of active members there.
But i think it more likly that the ward would split into a second ward if membership furhter increases. In recent years the church in Europe preffered to have lager wards and closed a lot of smaller branches, even tough this increased traveling time a lot for members.
A lot of members in Luxenbourg are expirates that moved there for work. This reason might delay the creation of a second ward.
Interior Renderings Released for Tooele Valley Utah Temple
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/interior-renderings-tooele-valley-utah-temple
What precisely is wrong with the article? It's not flattering but the only blatant factual error I noticed was the claim that the new hymnbook won't be standardized across the world (when in fact, it will be *more* standardized than the current one in which the hymn selection and page numbers vary in different languages).
To my knowledge, less than a third of the youth I grew up with have stayed in the Church. But the others clearly had no desire to be there in the first place and it came as no surprise that they stopped going as soon as their parents stopped making them.
I took an Anthropology of Religion class from a non-LDS professor a few years ago who cited our church's high demands as a reason for its success. This was even a question on the final exam. He said it makes it harder for members to be freeloaders who enjoy the benefits of membership without contributing anything.
This comment was far more offensive and embarrassing than anything in the article: "IMO Church membership is decreasing in the US because the Church has left it's [sic] American roots and is becoming a more progressive globalist organization. The Church has all but disconnected itself from it's [sic] politically conservative past and stood idly by while an elected President get's [sic] maligned and the US Constitution is under full assault by leftist and progressive forces."
The new hymnbook will consist of a full hymnbook 'core collection' in print which will be standardized across all languages, and an electronic only collection of hymns specific to a given region or culture. The current hymnbook will also remain available in digital form.
On the paragraph quoted, extreme evangelicals, including one who is the descendant of a well known anti in the 1980s who was outed in a book for fraud concerning claims of a degree, etc., are floating all kinds of off-the-mark things about President Trump, leftists, and others, often mingling all that with known extreme-right conspiracy theories, most of which we have all heard. Many of these same people are also Islamophobic and extreme about some other groups they like to malign as well.
Christopher, thank you for correcting Emma Penrod's grammar errors. It seems to me that just about everyone mistakes the possessive. I drilled the rules into my children's minds (and even created a grammar Nazi out of one of them). And then the apostrophe used with "gets" is exasperating. It's as if the average person believes that the apostrophe on just about any verb or plural noun is proper. In fairness, when we text or use writing programs, the wrong usage is often automatic, and it's then our duty to proofread carefully.
On another note, there have been 6 wards and 6 branches added to the total Church congregational count since the cessation of weekly meetings. It makes me wonder if there are units created and not reported on for some time. Most of the new units are language-specific branches in the US, as well as wards and branches in the Philippines and the Africa West Areas.
I just read the article and it was interesting. Not unlike many other critical pieces I've read in the past. The one comment I would like to make is that the author didn't properly frame the reason for why we do the things we do (whether it is fulfilling Church callings, having personal and family scripture study, or trying to reach out to the less active among us, etc). The reason we do these things is that we believe that the path to returning to and being worthy to live eternally with our Heavenly Parents is to make and keep sacred covenants. It is the vehicle in which we are able to become what our Heavenly Parents want us to become. We focus on missionary work not because it increases numbers but because it allows more of God's children to receive sacred ordinances that are vital to exaltation. The article, as most secular articles do, did not even mention these things. It just focused on the secular, worldly view of the Church. When I read articles like this it makes me even more thankful for my testimony and for my knowledge that God is at the helm.
https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-04-28/groundbreaking-date-feather-river-california-temple-yuba-city-182332
I've been thinking about when the Church will begin loosening its abolition of all meetings and closure of temples in areas where the situation with the pandemic is less severe. There are areas with a strong Church presence (especially in the Pacific) where there are very few cases, or even none at all. I believe meetings in these locations would resume first. Then second, probably some of East Asia, especially South Korea. And then, probably parts of Europe.
Most German states will be legalizing religious meetings with up to 50 participants starting May 4. That puts us into a range where a lot of congregations would be able to legally hold sacrament meetings again. Larger congregations may split in 2 or 3 to meet at different times or in alternating weeks. I also believe temples could probably safely operate with pre-screening, reduced capacity, masks and gloves, and on an appointment-only basis. And while I'm not suggesting this to happen today or tomorrow, I do admit that I was hurrying to go to the temple one last time before closure on a day when Germany reported 900-something new cases - just like it reported 900-something new cases yesterday. Probably with 10 times the testing capacity.
Of course, the Church needs to be a good citizen, but looking at just how important the Church's missions are, I believe there should be at least a timeline on when and under what circumstances activity can carefully resume in currently less-affected areas.
As of this date - American Samoa has had ZERO cases reported of Covid-19. Can they start holding church services again?
Hello again, everyone! In his comment earlier today, Chris shared the article announcing the groundbreaking arrangements for the Feather River California Temple. That ceremony will take place in mid-July, marking the first time since the Hinckley-era building boom of the late 1990s-early 2000s that a temple groundbreaking has been held during the typical annual July recess for the General Authorities of the Church. That also opens up the prospect that other smaller temples (Moses Lake Washington, McAllen Texas, Bentonville Arkansas, etc.) could have a groundbreaking for which the timing is similarly unexpected.
Additionally, with Elder Scott D. Whiting set to preside over that ceremony, he becomes the first Assistant Executive Director of the Temple Department to preside at a temple groundbreaking. The last time a Temple Department representative did so wwas in December 2016, when Executive Director Elder Larry Y. Wilson presided at the gorundbreaking for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. And that will also be the first time in a long time that a counselor in an area presidency broke ground for a temple, rather than the area president or a member of the Presidency of the Seventy or any of the apostles.
As for the release of interior renderings for the Tooele Valley Utah Temple, as anticipated, the designs, styles, and motifs draw inspiration from local architectural and natural features. And although the announcement of groundbreaking arrangements for the Feather River Califronia Temple does mean that other smaller temples could have a groundbreaking, I anticipate that, barring any other surprise announcements, the next four temples to have a groundbreaking scheduled will be the Tooele Valley, Washington County, Orem, and Taylrosville Utah Temples. It will be interesting to see what happens in terms of temple-related nanouncements over the next month or two.
Unknown, as to your question about American Samoa resuming Church services, COVID-19 experts have said that the pandemic is slowly spreading to previously-unimpacted areas. The First Presidency announced the postponement of the open house and dedication arrangements for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple well before that partciular Brazilian region reached its' peak. Consequently, I believe that regular Church servies, when they resume, will resume on a Church-wide basis to enable everyone to be on the same cirruculum schedule at that time. With the home-centered, Church-supported approach to gospel study, it could feasibly work to continue to have just the home worship unless and until COVID-19 has sufficiently cleared on a global basis. But if and when such services resume, that information will be officially confirmed through an announcement from the First Presidency, so I'd add a caution here to all of us to not believe any unofficial information released in that respect unless and until it is officially confirmed.
Thinking about Luxembourg and its numbers, I still would like to think they should get a second unit, and depending on the activity of their 500 plus members maybe they could. Perhaps they need a total of 600 or 700, which could be achievable in a few years if they grow like 2018.
Liechtenstein, some 6 hours away, is a much smaller country with likely under 100 members (see nothing in Cumorah so I see the 2013 Church Atlas) but membership there attends two different branches in Austria and Switzerland.
Apparently the mountainous topography of Liechtenstein would make travel slower while Luxembourg is bigger and flatter, thus easier to negotiate. Like Iceland opening up a new branch pretty far from its capital, I think it would be tremendous to start up a second one in Luxembourg. The giant nations and their wards or branches around it suck up some of its membership, like Bastogne, but I would love to see Luxembourg for the Luxembourgers. And there appears to be some critical momentum. 50 converts/new members in one year is pretty good.
Emma Penrod is my ex-sister-in-law. I am not sure I want to even try to read the article. Having dealt with her and her heavy negativity I just do not expect her to have any good insights.
What do you expect from someone who values covenants made in the house of the Lird sp little she is willing to disregard them and end a marriage entered into in the temple?
People like Emma Penrod may have gone through the outer motions of The Church but they never let the inner feelings of the Church capture them.
My brother is a truly good man. I am very bitter about how Penrod treated him and demeaned him for choosing to be a high school teacher.
Can you operate the temple properly with gloves? I would think some things would be ruled not appropriate if done with gloves.
I think waiting to resume Church all at once would be uncalled for. We shut down Church meetings in several places before the shut down en masse.
We already have discontent in my branch because so many have gone so ling without getting the sacrament. The fact that virtually all the African-American sisters in my branch do not have active member husbands, while virtually all the white sisters are married to active member husbands, I am tempted to say my African-American wife is the lone exception and with the only other exception being a couple where the husband is in the hospital most of the time I am functionally right, and with there also being a socio-economic divide between Deteout and Grosse Pointe, this whole not having Church meetings is very hard on us.
@Eduardo
Yes Louxembourg can have soon a second unit. Pascal Friedmann said active membership in the ward is around 200. A friend of mine working for the church in Frankfurt told me the Europe Area's policiy is to split wards then attendance reaches 230. If a Bishop wants to split its ward earlier then that might happen too. But you need to understand that of the 500 plus member reported for Luxembourg, some of them live in France and Beligum. Because the numbers reported are all the members of the Luxembourg Ward and the ward covers large areas of France and some part of Belgium. The church reports it's member in the country where the attend there congregation. All members of Lichtenstein are counted in the membership of Switzerland because thats where they go to church.
Hmm, so reporting members in the country where they attend artifically bboosts the percentage of members for Luxembourg.
One fact to keep in mind is that there are gains to having larger units. Larger units make it easier to staff temples without burning people out. Larger units give people a bigger community.
In the case of the Luxembourg Ward, it might not be a straight split but instead realignment with another unit in eother France or Belgium.
John Pack Lambert, I agree with you in that I do not think the Church will try to do temple ordinances with gloves on. That doesn't seem right to me. I think they'll wait until gloves aren't necessary. The Mount Timpanogos Temple has hand sanitizer dispensers located throughout it and I presume that all of the other temples do as well.
My intended point, JPL, was that the Church is going to get things back to normal in a logical way, and that there does not need to be any rush to get things back to the status quo. Getting things back-to-normal has got to be done with the same kind of logical common-sense approach whereby things were shut down. That's all I intended to convey. Sorry if my previous comment did not address that part of this matter sufficiently enough.
@James
I'm pretty sure Elder Scott D. Whiting is a distant cousin of mine. Nice to see the Whiting clan represented! ;)
Oddly enough, Johnathan whiting, I spent around 6-7 years living in Payson Utah, and where we were living, our neighbors to one side was a family by the name of Whiting. So that is yet another indication of just how small the oorld really is.
@James
Nice that you had Whiting neighbors. :)
It's not too odd once you consider that that is the area my ancestors settled. Edwin Whiting, the common ancestor of most Whitings in Utah, was a horticulturalist who was called to settle first Manti, and then Springville/Mapleton area. His old homestead was on the property where the Springville Art Museum now stands. There's a Whiting Park near Mapleton. A lot of my distant (and close) cousins still live in that area.
By "that area" I mean the Southern half of Utah County.
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