Saturday, November 30, 2013
Gabon Dedicated for Missionary Work
On November 5th, LDS apostle Elder David A. Bednar dedicated the Central African country of Gabon for missionary work. Approximately 80 members, investigators, and visitors attended a special fireside held after the historic event. The Church assigned its first senior missionary couple earlier this year to Gabon and missionaries report that the first young proselytizing missionaries will arrive any day to begin formal proselytism efforts. The Church organized the Libreville Branch approximately a year ago. Gabon is assigned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa Mission and has a population of 1.6 million people. Prospects appear highly favorable for the Church to divide the mission in 2014 and create a separate mission headquartered in Cameroon to service Cameroon and Gabon.
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4 comments:
I was wondering if Central African Republic would be likely to be put in the new Cameroon Mission as well. Although, I guess with that country in the midst of a civil war, the church is not likely to start efforts there soon, although much of the church's growth in Guatemala occurred when it was in the midst of a civil war, so war and the church growing are not mutually exclusive.
With France sending forces into the Central African Republic, I wonder what the chance is that the church will end up creating a military group there for French Servicemen who are church members.
Since the Church always builds from points of strength, I've always felt the next division of the DR Congo Kinshasa Mission would be across the river at Republic of Congo Brazzaville. It share the same currency as Gabon, Cameroon, and Central African Republic.
My guess is that the Kinshasa Mission will split into two missions based in Kinshasa, with one covering Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, and part of Kinshasa and the other most of Kinshasa and the interior of the western half of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There are currently 7 stakes with 53 wards and 1 branch in the Kinshasa area, 1 stake with 10 wards and 3 branches (Brazzaville area) and 3 independent branches (Pointe-Noire) in the Republic of the Congo, 1 district of 4 branches (Yaounde area) and 2 independent branches (Douala area) in the Cameroon, the Bangui Branch in the Central African Republic, the Libreville Branch in Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mission Branch, which covers most of western DRC, and most of the other four countries. That is 80 congregations covered by the Mission.
Given the above, I think they Church will likely go to 2 missions in Kinshasa
My guess is that because there are advantages to dealing with less governments, if they split the mission, they will not split Kinshasa itself, at least if it is just a two way split. With the Boise Mission having seen a three-way split last year, I could almost imagine a three way split for the Kinshasa mission though.
I guess I also think we may right now have more than the optimal number of missionaries per mission, and slightly fewer missionaries per mission would be better.
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