July 2013 Newsletter

Click here to access our July 2013 newsletter of recent church growth developments and new resources added to cumorah.com.

Stakes Likely to Split in the United States

Below is a list of stakes in the United States that appear likely to split within the near future.  The previous list was posted in 2009.

• Wasilla Alaksa (13 wards, 1 branch)
• Taylor Arizona (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Thatcher Arizona (11 wards)
• Gilbert Arizona Higley (12 wards)
• Mesa Arizona Desert Ridge (13 wards)
• Phoenix Arizona (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Queen Creek Arizona North (13 wards)
• Queen Creek Arizona South (12 wards
• North Little Rock Arkansas (9 wards, 7 branches)
• Rogers Arkansas (11 wards, 4 branches)
• Los Angeles California Stake (12 wards)
• Menifee California (14 wards, 1 branch)
• Arapahoe Colorado (14 wards)
• Denver Colorado North (12 wards)
• Colorado Springs North (14 wards)
• Greeley Colorado (11 wards, 3 branches)
• Loveland Colorado (11 wards)
• Meeker Colorado (11 wards, 4 branches)
• Springfield Missouri South (11 wards, 2 branches)
• Billings Montana (11 wards, 4 branches)
• Henderson Nevada Black Mountain (12 wards)
• Las Veas Nevada South (13 wards)
• North Las Vegas Nevada (14 wards)
• Sparks Nevada (12 wards, 1 branch)
• New York New York (13 wards,1 branch)
• Apex North Carolina (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Keizer Oregon (12 wards, 4 branches)
• Providence Rhode Island (10 wards, 4 branches)
• Allen Texas (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Austin Texas (11 wards)
• Colleyville Texas (14 wards)
• Cypress Texas (12 wards)
• Dallas Texas (11 wards, 3 branches)
• Dallas Texas East (11 wards)
• Denton Texas (12 wards)
• Frisco Texas (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Round Rock Texas (12 wards)
• San Antonio Texas East (11 wards, 2 branches)
• San Antonio Texas West (13 wards)
• Spring Texas (11 wards)
• Alpine Utah North (14 wards)
• Bluffdale Utah (13 wards)
• Eagle Mountain Utah (12 wards)
• Herriman Utah Rose Canyon (12 wards)
• Herriman Utah South (12 wards)
• Highland Utah (13 wards)
• Highland Utah West (12 wards)
• Hooper Utah (13 wards)
• Huntsville Utah (12 wards)
• Kaysville Utah West (12 wards) 
• La Verkin Utah (12 wards)
• Lehi Utah Gateway (12 wards)
• Mapleton Utah (12 wards)
• Pleasant View Utah (12 wards)
• Saratoga Springs Utah South (13 wards)
• St George Utah Bloomington Hills (12 wards)
• St George Utah Little Valley (14 wards)
• Tooele Utah North (12 wards)
• Ashburn Virginia (12 wards)
• Fredericksburg Virginia (13 wards, 2 branches)
• Mount Vernon Virginia (13 wards)
• Bellevue Washington (11 wards, 1 branch)
• Maple Valley Washington (12 wards)
• Tacoma Washington (12 wards)
• Vancouver Washington East (11 wards)
• Laramie Wyoming (12 wards, 1 branch)
• Gillette Wyoming (10 wards, 5 branches)

Rapid LDS Growth in Gagnoa, Cote d'Ivoire

Within the last month, the Church organized three new branches within the city of Gagnoa, Cote d'Ivoire.  No wards or branches previously functioned in the city prior to the creation of the Babre, Garahio, and Ouragahio Branches, suggesting that the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan Mission established multiple member groups in Gagnoa either through mission leaders traveling to visit isolated members and investigators in the city or through assigning full-time missionaries and starting multiple member groups.  Due to limited member and missionary reports from Cote d'Ivoire, I cannot confirm how the Church has established an initial presence in this large city.  However it appears that the Church has become more aggressive in its outreach expansion efforts in the Africa West Area as demonstrated by the recently opening of two additional major cities in Ghana (Tamale and Techiman) and significant congregational growth in Benin and Togo.  Two additional cities in Cote d'Ivoire have had the first LDS units organized recently included Bonoua and Bouafle.

See below for a map displaying the locations of wards and branches in Cote d'Ivoire.



View Wards and Branches in Cote d'Ivoire in a larger map

LDS Membership and Percentage LDS Map for the United States

As part of completing a project for cumorah.com, I have recently created a map of the United States displaying LDS membership and the percentage LDS by state.  See below to view the map.  Refer to the LDS International Atlas on cumorah.com for maps of other countries displaying estimated LDS membership and the percentage of members by administrative division.



View LDS Membership and Percentage of LDS members by Administrative Division in the United States in a larger map

Potential Mission Districts

I have provided an updated list of mission districts which I think are likely to be organized in the next couple years.  Mission districts are analogous to stakes as they administer multiple branches (usually three to ten) but they have less independence in church administration and leadership than stakes.  The creation of mission districts signals progress in church growth as it is an important step for the Church to establish a "center of strength" in a new location from a handful of mission branches into a more organized entity which has potential to become a stake.  The creation of a district from branches that were previously assigned to no stake or district but reported directly to the mission or area president suggests maturation in local leadership which can provide sufficient manpower and quality leaders to staff both branch and district callings.  Potential new districts listed below were identified based on recent congregational growth trends, missionary reports on the number of convert baptisms and activity rates, and distance and location from other nearby stakes and districts.  Previous lists are available for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Like other administrative and congregational units, the creation of districts is approved by the First Presidency.  Information used to compile this list does not contain any unauthorized information and I take full responsibility for this work.

AFRICA

• Atta Nigeria (5) [Atta, Amaimo, Amakohia, Orlu, and Umundugba Branches - all currently administered by the Owerri Nigeria Stake]
• Awasa Ethiopia (2) [Awasa and Wendo Genet Branches; Dilla, Negele, and Shashemene Groups - all currently administered by the Addis Ababa Ethiopia District]
• Axim Ghana (3) [Agona Nkwanta, Axim, and Nkroful Branches - all currently administered by the Ghana Cape Coast Mission]
• Bujumbura Burundi (3) [Bujumbura 1st, Bujumbura 2nd, and Uvira Branches - all currently administered by the DR Congo Lubumbashi Mission]
• Francistown Botswana (1) [Francistown Branch and the Gerald and Monarch - all currently administered by the Botswana Gaborone Mission]
• Gulu Uganda (2) [Bar Dege and Gulu Branches and the Kitgum Group - all currently administered by the Uganda Kampala Mission]
• Ho Ghana (3) [Ho 1st, Ho 2nd, and Tsito Branches - all currently administered by the Kpong Ghana District]
• Kilungu Hills Kenya (4) [Ilima, Kilili, Kyambeke, and Matini Branches and the Matua Group - all currently administered by the Kenya Nairobi Mission]
• Kitale Kenya (5) [Kitale, Mautuma, Misikhu, Naitiri, and Sikhendu Branches - all currently administered by the Eldoret Kenya District] 
• Lilongwe Malawi (3) [Kauma 1st, Kauma 2nd, and Lilongwe Branches - all currently administered by the Zambia Lusaka Mission]
• Lira Uganda (2) [Adyel and Lira Branches - both administered by the Uganda Kampala Mission]
• Mombasa Kenya (3) [Bamburi, Changamwe, and Mombasa Branches - all currently administered by the Kenya Nairobi Mission]
• Pointe-Noire Republic of Congo (3) [Aeroporto, Mpaka, and Pointe-Noire Branches - all currently administered by the DR Congo Kinshasa Mission] 
• Rwanda Kigali (3) [Kigali 1st, Kigali 2nd, and Kigali 3rd Branches - all currently administered by the Uganda Kampala Mission]
• Sal Cape Verde (2) [Sal 1st and Sal 2nd Branches (missionaries report a third branch will be organized) - both branches pertain to the Mindelo Cape Verde Stake]
• Queenstown South Africa (4) [Queenstown and Sada Wards; Ilinge and Umata Branches - all currently administered by the East London South Africa Stake] 
• San Pedro Cote d'Ivoire (4) [Meagui, San Pedro, Seweke 1st, and Seweke 2nd Branches - all currently administered by the Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan Mission] 
• Yenagoa Nigeria (4) [Iboghene, Onopa-Ovum, Opolo, and Yenezuepie Branches - all currently administered by the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission]

ASIA

• Guimaras Philippines (3) [Buenavista, Jordan, and Valencia Branches; also at least two groups in Comian and Sibunag - all units currently assigned to the Ililio Philippines Stake]
• Tagudin Philippines (4) [Balaoan, Bangar, Luna, and Tagudin Branches - branches currently assigned to either the Candon Phillipines or San Fernando Philippines Stakes]

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

• Barreiras Brazil (3) [Barreiras 1st, Barreiras 2nd, and Luis Eduardo Magalhaes Branches - all branches currently assigned to the Brazil Salvador South Mission]
• Cruzeiro do Sul Brazil (3) [Cruzeiro do Sul, Formoso, and Remanso Branches - all branches currently assigned to the Brazil Manaus Mission]

OCEANIA

• Aoba Vanuatu (6) [Apopo, Lobori, Lolotinge, Lovutialao, Navuti, and Redcliff Branches - all currently assigned to the Luganville Vanuatu District]
• Kiritimati Kiribati (3) [Banana, Christmas Island, and Fanning Island Branches - all currently assigned to the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission]
• Tanna Vanuatu (5) [Greenhill, Greenpoint, Saetsiwi, White Sands, and Whitegrass Branches - all currently assigned to the Port Vila Vanuatu District]

New Stake in Nigeria

A new stake was organized in Nigeria.

The Warri Nigeria Stake was organized from the Warri Nigeria District.  Information on which of the eight branches in the district were upgraded to wards is currently unavailable.  The new stake becomes the Church's first stake in the Nigerian state of Delta where only one other member district functions in Asaba.  In 1993, only one branch operated in Warri under the jurisdiction of a stake in Benin City.  In 1999, there were a sufficient number of branches in the city to organize a member district.  The district previously pertained to the Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission but as of July 1st the entire state of Delta now pertains to the newly created Nigeria Benin City Mission.

There are a large number of member districts in Nigeria that appear likely to become stakes within the next couple years - perhaps more than ever before in the Church's history in Nigeria.  Provided with the current number of branches in parentheses, districts that appear most likely to become stakes in the near future include the Abak Nigeria District (7), the Abeokuta Nigeria District (8), the Akamkpa Nigeria District (7), the Asaba Nigeria District (12), the Ekpoma Nigeria District (9), the Enugu Nigeria District (10), the Ibadan Nigeria District (7), the Ikot Ekpene Nigeria District (7), the Ile-Ife Nigeria District (8), Okpuala Ngwa Nigeria District (8), the Onitsha Nigeria District (10), and the Umuahia Nigeria District (11).  Most of these districts have had multiple new branches organized within the past couple years and have experienced rapid growth within the past decade.

There are now 22 stakes and 19 districts in Nigeria.

June 2013 Newsletter

Click here to read our June 2013 monthly newsletter from cumorah.com regarding church growth developments and recently posted resources on our website.

New Stakes Created in Brazil and Peru

Brazil
Two new stakes were created in Brazil from districts.  The Pirassununga Brazil Stake was organized from the Pirassununga Brazil District and includes the following five wards: The Leme, Mococa, Pirassununga 1st, Pirassununga 2nd, and Porto Ferreira Wards.  The Santo Ângelo Brazil Stake was organized from the Santo Ângelo Brazil District and the Brazil Santa Maria Mission and includes the following five wards and one branch: The Hortencia, Santa Rosa, Santiago, Santo Ângelo, and Sao Luiz Gonzaga Wards and the Santa Rosa Cruzeiro Branches.  With the creation of the two new stakes there are now 249 stakes and 39 districts in Brazil.

Peru
The Church organized its 100th stake in Peru last Sunday.  The Lima Perú Santa Patricia Stake was organized from the Lima Perú La Molina and Lima Perú Sucro Stakes and includes the following seven wards: The Chacarilla, La Molina Vieja, Mayorazgo, Monterrico, San Borja, Santa Felicia, and Santa Patricia Wards.  The new stake becomes the 42nd stake in Lima.