Arizona
The Church organized a new stake in Arizona on September 13th. The Queen Creek Arizona Heritage Stake was organized from a division of the Gilbert Arizona Gateway Stake, the Queen Creek Arizona North Stake, and the Queen Creek Arizona West Stake. The new stake includes the following seven wards: the Desert Mountain, Gateway Married Student, Hawes, Quail Creek, Queen Creek Station, Queens Park, and Remington Heights Wards. There are now nine stakes in Queen Creek, Arizona, and there are two additional stakes in San Tan Valley.
There are now 116 stakes in Arizona.
Canada
The Church organized a new stake in Alberta on October 11th. The Edmonton Alberta YSA Stake was organized from the Edmonton Alberta Bonnie Doon Stake, the Edmonton Alberta Gateway Stake, the Edmonton Alberta North Stake, and the Edmonton Alberta Riverbend Stake. The new stake includes the following five wards: the Gateway YSA, Kingsway YSA, Mill Creek YSA, Mount Pleasant YSA, and Whitemund Creek YSA Wards. The new stake is the Church's third YSA (young single adult) stake in Alberta following the creation of the Lethbridge Elberta YSA Stake in 2017 and the Calgary Alberta YSA Stake in 2019.
There are now 27 stakes in Alberta and 52 stakes in Canada.
Ghana
The Church organized a new stake in Ghana on September 13th, 2020. The new stake is the Church's first stake to be organized outside of the United States since the Church temporarily suspended its Sunday worship services for wards, branches, and member groups in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kumasi Ghana Suame Stake was organized from the Agona Ghana District and portions of the Kumasi Ghana Dichemso Stake. Information on which wards and branches are assigned to the new stake remains unavailable. A significant restructuring of the boundaries of stakes and districts in the region occurred as part of the new stake creation. Also, the Nkawkaw Ghana District was expanded to include congregations in the Konongo area, and the district was renamed the Kumasi Ghana Konongo District. There are now four stakes in Kumasi.
There are now 26 stakes and 10 districts in Ghana.
Idaho
The Church organized a new stake in Idaho on October 11th. The Rigby Idaho Holbrooke Stake was organized from the Rigby Idaho East Stake and possibility one or two additional stakes in Rigby. Currently, the Church reports only four wards in the new stake (Rigby 8th, Rigby 10th, Rigby 16th, Rigby 19th). As new stakes almost always have a minimum of five wards, it appears additional wards have not been assigned to the new stake yet per the Church's meetinghouse website or the creation of one or more new wards is imminent. The new stake is the Church's fourth stake in Rigby.
There are now 134 stakes in Idaho.
The Republic of the Congo
Today, the Church organized a new stake in the Republic of the Congo. The Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo Stake was organized from the Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo District which was originally created in 2015. Most of the eight branches in the district likely became wards although information on which branches have become wards is currently unavailable. The Church has maintained a long-term presence in Pointe-Noire with the first branch organized in 1997 albeit slow growth occurred in the city for the first 10-15 years.
There are now three stakes in the Republic of the Congo. Member reports indicate a fourth stake in the country, the Diata Republic of the Congo Stake, will be organized on October 25th, 2020.
Texas
The Church organized a new stake in Texas on September 13th. The San Antonio Texas Pecan Valley Stake was organized from a division of the San Antonio Texas East Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards and one branch: the Buena Vista (Spanish), Mission Creek, Pleasant 1st, San Antonio 1st, San Antonio 10th, and Woodlake Wards, and the Fort Sam Houston Military Branch. There are now eight stakes in San Antonio.
There are now 78 stakes and two districts in Texas.
Utah
The Church organized a new stake in Utah. The Layton Utah Shoreline Stake was organized from a division of the Layton Utah Legacy Stake and the Layton Utah South Stake. The new stake includes the following six wards: the Evergreen, Harmony Place, Layton 2nd, Pinehurst, Swan Lakes, and Weaver Lane Wards. There are now 14 stakes in Layton.
There are now 609 stakes and one district in Utah.
Poland
The Church discontinued a district in Poland. The Katowice Poland District, organized in 2004, included five branches and two member groups prior to its discontinuation. All branches in the former district were reassigned to the Warsaw Poland District. Moreover, the Warsaw Poland District was enlarged to include the entire country of Poland and the Church's 13 branches. This decision was likely made to consolidate limited leadership to staff both district and branch callings. Prospects for a stake in Poland appear highly unlikely for many more years even though there are over 2,000 members on Church records as none of the 12 non-administrative branches appear close to meeting the minimum criteria to become wards with perhaps only one or two exceptions.
Portugal
The Church discontinued a district in Portugal. The Santarém Portugal District, organized in 1991, was discontinued and the six branches that pertained to the former district were reassigned to the Lisbon Portugal Stake or the Oeiras Portugal Stake. This decision was likely made to conserve leadership and also to permit neighboring stakes to support these branches instead of the mission presidency. Only the Santarém Branch appears likely to become a ward in the near future among branches in the former district.
There are now six stakes and three districts in Portugal.
Spain
The Church discontinued a district in Spain. The La Mancha Spain District, organized in 1991, was discontinued and the three branches in the former district were reassigned to the Madrid Spain Central Stake. Branches in the district have been known to have very few active members for decades. This decision was likely made to conserve limited leadership in these branches and to have Spanish leadership in the Madrid Spain Central Stake to provide mentoring and support to the branches instead of the mission presidency.
There are now 15 stakes and one district in Spain.
32 comments:
I have to admit I do not see a reason to have married student wards. I think the brethren largely agree with me because they have eliminated many of them.
Over the last 10 or so years there seems to have been a push to increase the reach of stakes in Europe even when this did not mean increasing the overall number of stakes. I see many advantages to this. The US has also seen a significant drop in the number of districts over the last 15 years.
Poland is a tough nut to crack. Great country, good people. I had an incredible polyglot roomate Joseph serve his mission there. I have met others who served missions in Poland and it has not been easy. It seems many more Polish work abroad than foreigners going there. Sometimes foreigners in any land find more solidarity in joining the Church of Jesus Christ.
Eduardo - were you in R Hall in Deseret Towers? I think I know who you're talking about.
Confirmed today on Classic Maps, reorganization of the Pointe-Noir Republic of the Congo District, as new "Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo Stake - 2052164".
https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=-4.570949,12.758844&z=9&m=google.hybrid&layers=stakecenter&find=stake:2052164
Matt, thanks for this report. It is nice to see new stakes created after the lengthy period of time this year when that wasn't happening. I hope that trend will continue throughout the rest of this year and early next year. With regular Stake Conferences set to resume after November 1, it will be interesting to see how much of an increase in new stakes the Church might have within that time.
For any of you who may be interested to know, I took a look at the data Matt used on the latest list of the top ten nations with the strongest Church presence without a temple in any phase. With temples having been announced in Tarawa Kiribati and Port Vila Vanuatu during General Conference earlier this month, that took the first and eighth nations off of that list. According to my research (assuming the data is not in error), the new list of the top ten nations looks to be as follows:
1. Uganda
2. Mozambique
3. Liberia
4. Madagascar
5. Mongolia
6. Malaysia
7. Republic of the Congo
8. Indonesia
9. Marshall Islands
10. Jamaica
Of course, until that is confirmed by Matt, that's no more and no less than what my research on the data has shown. My thanks once again to you all.
Pretty good news overall. Also, talking of Europe. The missionaries were over for dinner, and they shared that the city of Trier in southwestern Germany is officially getting a branch by the end of the year. They started out as a group with a handful members a little over a year ago, and now they have 40 to 50 people joining for sacrament meetings (which is close to the legal maximum).
"Farmington Utah Farmington Bay Stake - 2163616" organized.
Assigned Wards :
Farmington 6th Ward
Farmington 7th Ward
Farmington 16th Ward
Farmington Ranches 1st Ward
Farmington Ranches 3rd Ward
Farmington Ranches 4th Ward
Farmington Ranches 5th Ward
Meadows Ward
The comments on this blog are augmenting as fast as the Church in Poland.
Lehi Utah Jordan River YSA Stake (2169371)
25 Oct 2020
Crossroads YSA Ward (2144050)
Eagle Mountain YSA Ward (2082276)
Holbrook Farms YSA Ward (2158248)
Jordan River YSA Ward (2082292)
Lehi YSA 1st Ward (472034)
Lehi YSA 2nd Ward (482846)
Saratoga Springs YSA Ward (559547)
The Ranches YSA Ward (545023)
Rigby 20th Ward (2152525) Active Utah, United States Ward
Rigby 21st Ward (2152541) Active Utah, United States Ward
new wards for the Rigby Idaho Holbrooke Stake (2152495) that previously had only 4 units
Classic Maps now has 2 Temples (Under Construction) markers posted on the site. Each with a total of 1 nearby stake assigned to the nearly completed Temples.
1) Winnipeg Manitoba Temple - 1642170
https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=49.800916,-97.194759&z=18&m=google.hybrid&layers=temple.construction&q=1642170&find=temple.construction:1642170
Winnipeg Manitoba Stake - 511439 is assigned.
2) Yigo Guam Temple - 2129884
https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=13.431455,144.687696&z=10&m=google.hybrid&layers=temple.construction&q=2129884&find=temple.construction:2129884
Barrigada Guam Stake - 1233785 is assigned.
Not sure why they haven't placed the marker for the previously completed Temple (Under Construction) : Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple - 1994069.
https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=-23.000994,-43.400077&z=18&m=google.hybrid&layers=temple.construction&q=Rio%20de%20Janeiro&find=stake:506494
In addition to the Farmington Utah Farmington Bay Stake - 2163616, the Lehi Utah Jordan River YSA Stake - 2169371, were both organized this week.
https://classic.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/#ll=40.369703,-111.86743&z=18&m=google.hybrid&layers=stakecenter&q=2169371&find=stake:2169371
I don't think Republic of Congo will get a temple for quite a while because Brazzaville, the capital city where three of its four stakes are located, is practically the same city as Kinshasa. The temple in Kinshasa is even way in the north, almost as close as it can get to Brazzaville.
Also, is anyone else having to spend two minutes clicking on pictures before Google accepts that they're not a robot and lets them comment here or elsewhere? It's extremely annoying.
Farmington Utah Farmington Bay Stake (2163616)
25 Oct 2020
Farmington 6th Ward (488976)
Farmington 7th Ward (1025260)
Farmington 16th Ward (2003988)
Farmington Ranches 1st Ward (433632)
Farmington Ranches 3rd Ward (482293)
Farmington Ranches 4th Ward (537705)
Farmington Ranches 5th Ward (2053691)
Meadows Ward (1667378)
The matter of future temples for the Kinshasa metro, including Brazzaville across the river: Elder Andersen said that at some point, Kinshasa will have 'multiple temples', no timetable given but obviously that could come later than sooner, after Brazzaville gets a couple more stakes and after Kinshasa more than double's its stakes and that can count nearby growth.
Hi
It is sad to see that there is a decrease in some areas, especially due to effort, dedication and unpaid work so that there are better results.
When this decrease began in my country, Chile, it was sad, devastating, to see that so many stakes and neighborhoods disappeared, the lists of less active is impressive and it is impossible to recover them, even more so with the pandemic.
For the Church to find strength and take root will continue to be a headache.
Although few brothers who comply with God and the church, more temples should be built in Chile and the world.
@James,
Looking at your list of countries w/o temples. The most isolated or not close to a temple are (so the most likely to get a temple):
3. Liberia
4. Madagascar
5. Mongolia
In my mind, the church is too young in Uganda and Mozambique (the temples are 5-10 years away) or in Uganda's case, a nearby temple is planned.
I have wondered why Mongolia has not been announced and whether the two stakes in Ulaan Baatar are just treading water with local leadership OR there have been problems with permits with the government. Same comments for Antananarivo, Madagascar. Another reason might be a problem of translation with Mongolian and Malagasy.
@Historia Familiar Valenzuela Escobar
Seria interesante ver lo que pasa con el crecimiento de la iglesia en Chile en los próximos anos.
Lo siento por la inactividad y la consolidación de las estacas y barrios ahi. :(
Ojalá que se anuncien más templos en el país, para los que quedan firmes y activos en la fe y para los qué ya viven lejos de un templo. Y ojalá que otros regresen un día a participar. :)
John,
I cannot recall if I was in R Hall, summer '93, by that name. I had a Mexican roommate learning English. We were the building directly south of the swimming pool.
I was roomies of Joseph later in Arabic House at the Language Housing.
I met Joseph, of northern Georgia, before becoming his roommate.
I have met Mongolians that have fallen away, even some who contributed to translating the Book of Mormon. It seems to me (and God is the judge, I only observe and opine) that some are satisfied in getting their US citizenship and then do not care for the Lord's programs... Many have served missions, but how do they do after returning? Not to be too critical, but I know a large percentage served full time missions. Also, some may leave and stay active, but the homeland misses them regardless.
This is a small sample, but real...
I pray that they return in full force.
I remember reading an article while the Kinshasa Temple was under construction that it was extremely difficult for citizens of the Republic of Congo to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to visa problems. Even though Brazzaville and Kinshasa are basically on opposite sides of the Congo River, the French-speaking Saints in Brazzaville said they were actually looking more forward to the new temple in French-speaking Abidjan, as it would be easier for them to get there than Kinshasa. Not sure if this is still the case, but if it is true, I would not be surprised to see a temple in Brazzaville sooner rather than later.
I can see temples being announced soon for the first five countries on James's list: Uganda, Mozambique, Liberia, Madagascar, and Mongolia. Plus Indonesia. The rest not too far behind at the rate we are going.
This may be because area staff have varried priorities. It is also a lot easier to place with just one stake.
How close is the Yigo Guam Temple to completion?
The question iszare there any problems in cfc crossing the border. Also with over 10 stakes in Kinshasa this may still be enough stakes to justify a 2nd temple. Although I do not think the Tepublic of the Congo is on the top of any needed temple lists, but I did not think temples would be built in Syracuse, Lindon, Feather River or Moses Lake so I am clearly not a good temple prognosticator. Of the 6 temples announced this last conference only Santa Cruz had I really predicted.
I am guessing Mabuji-Mabaye or however you spell that place will get a temple first. Elder Andersen did predict a temple for that city, and the Kasai region is a large one without a temple.
I am actually surprised Liberia is not at the top of the list.
Liberal iui a is not all that far from Sierra Leone (they touch) which has a temple planned. If the next 5 years see anything near the growth of the last 5 in those two counties, then I expect Monrovia and maybe Bo to have temples announced by at least 2030 if not well before.
Mongolia and Madagascar both only have 2 stakes. However so does Papua New Guinea, so I could see both those countries getting a temple.
I figure in Cambodia can get a temple so can Uganda.
I'm just guessing, but my thoughts when I heard that they were consolidating the districts in Poland was that they were preparing for a stake. Time will tell. If their mission facebook page is any indication they are having a lot of baptisms compared to historical numbers and even with a limited number of missionaries.
Eduardo - it's definitely the same Joseph. R Hall in 1994 became a returned missionary/older student building and I was there for two and a half years.
A socio-political comment about Nagorno-Karabakh in regards to Church growth.
The enclave within Azerbaijan has had about 150,000 ethnic Armenians, mostly Christian, but they, as far as I know and please enlighten me if I am wrong, have not had much exposure to full time missionaries or members of our faith. Azerbaijan has little Church outreach, it is majority Shia Muslim and there is not much proselytism there.
From what I can tell the Azeris are claiming to take back more than a dozen villages within the enclave, which would lead me to believe these Armenians would likely relocate to Armenia proper or elsewhere. Being displaced, perhaps these new immigrants would have more chances of being expose to the missionaries or the Church.
Also, according to the LDS locator, the southeast part of the country that borders Iran and cuts off the Azeri exclave Nakchivan has no branches or perhaps no groups. Maybe this area will be a place of re-location for the displaced Nagorno-Karabakhers, but regardless, it would be great to see missionaries head that way. Then again, since the pandemic quarantines, everything is harder to do...
Here's hoping 2021 is better.
If it is difficult to go from the Republic of the Congo to DR Congo I clearly can see Brazaville getting a temple.
I really expect Kampala to get a temple announced next year, same with Liberia. Madagascar and Mongolia would not surprise me.
I still expect both Beira and Maputo in Mozambique to have temples announced next year.
Kumasi, Abuja, Ikot Eyo, Mabaji-Mabaya (spelling?) and Cape Town are all on my likely list.
Bo and Daloa remain on my crazy list. I at least hope Ivory Coast beats the DR Congo record and they announce temple 2 before temple 1 is conpleted.
Cape Coast, Ghana and Port Harcourt, Nigeria and Bulawshayo, Zimbabwe remain on my wanted temple list. Yes I know Port Harcourt is only 35 miles from Aba. Yes I know this almost makes Campinas look far from Sao Paulo and I think it may exceed the distance from the Tiajuana Temple to the San Diego Temple, but I really think Southeast Nigeria can support 3 temples. See my listing of Ikot Eyo as a potential temple site above.
I am always sad when people leave the fold of the Lord. I always hope for their return and have seen enough stumble and later return to not loose hope.
On the other side I am not as quick to lament those who move to a new area as some are. The Lord builds his kingdom in his way. I do not question that any move can advance the work of the Lord.
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