Senior couple missionaries serving in the DR Congo Lubumbashi Mission report that the first official branch has been created in the country of Burundi. LDS services have previously operated as a group. A branch once operated in Burundi in the 1990s, but was discontinued as members left the country as a result of war. Dozens of converts have been baptized since full-time missionaries were assigned last September. Prospects appear to be materializing for mission outreach to expand outside of Bujumbura in the coming months and years.
New stakes to be created
Full-time missionaries serving around the world report that new stakes will soon be created in the following locations:
- Donetsk, Ukraine
- Kananga, DR Congo
- Quetzaltenango, Guatemala area
- Granada, Nicaragua
Nepal Update
Although not recognized by the government and operating unofficially, the LDS Church in Nepal was reported by the Church to have 133 members in the sole branch headquartered in Kathmandu. No active proselytism occurs in Nepal and Nepalese youth have begun to serve full-time missions in increasing numbers in recent years.
City in Kazakhstan opening for missionary work
Full-time missionaries serving in Kazakhstan report that for the first time in LDS Church history, a second city will have full-time missionaries assigned. Only Almaty has LDS missionaries at present, but next month the capital city of Astana should also have full-time missionaries assigned. There have been plans for years to eventually open Astana for full-time missionary work and it is unclear whether current plans will materialize as past plans never came to fruition.
City in Uganda opens for missionary work; first branch to be created at the end of January
The city of Lira, Uganda has had full-time missionaries recently assigned and the Uganda Kampala Mission President will create the first branch in the city later this month. Full-time missionaries report that sacrament attendance has increased to over 50 and that there are now five priesthood holders.
New missions in 2011 rumors
Although no official plans have been announced, there has been discussion on new missions which may open in July 2011. I announced a couple months ago concerning plans to open a new mission in Lusaka, Zambia. Potential new missions which may be created this year are listed below. These potential new missions have been cited by full-time missionaries serving in the field.
- Ethiopia Addis Ababa
- Angola Luanda/Mozambique Beira
- Togo/Benin
Full-time missionaries serving in Little Rock, Arkansas report that mission and stake leadership have experimented with church planting approaches recently. A group operates in the Little Rock area with a full-time missionary companionship assigned that has grown to 25 some members attending weekly - all of which are recent converts. Missionaries report that they started the congregation from scratch and are hoping to organize an independent branch from the group in the near future as local priesthood leadership develops. This church planting example illustrates the need for such missionary approaches worldwide for the LDS Church in order to improve convert retention, member self-sufficiency, and long-term church growth.
4 comments:
A great start to church growth in 2011 I have to say.
I hope this year for even better outreach, higher baptism rates, lots of new congregations and stakes a good few temple announcements and a greater focus on member missionary work and reaching out to inactive members.
It appears that through 2009 and 2010 the foundations were laid for even greater growth.
A second stake in Ukraine! Sounds good! I've been wondering when the districts in Ukraine would mature into stakes. The dedicatory prayer promised that eventually hundreds of thousands would join the Church in Ukraine. With some 11,000 members currently, I hope the recent dedication of the Ukraine temple and the maturing of districts into stakes will help move that prophecy into fulfillment.
I'm so glad to hear about the growth in Nepal! I've just returned from that beautiful country with a strong desire to live and work there in the future.
The only thing I felt that would make me hesitate was if there was no church. As a recent convert to the church myself, I have a great appreciation for what it's like not to have the church in your life. This has been the best news I've googled in ages, thank you.
Toncontin Honduras Stake will split on May 2011. Right now it has 11 wards, one branch, and a group which will be changed to a branch soon.
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