Dominican Republic
Last Sunday, a new stake was created in the Dominican Republic. The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Independencia Stake was organized from a division of the San Cristobal Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Central, and Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Las Caobas, and Santo Domingo Dominican Republic San Geronimo Stakes and includes the following five wards and one branch: the Haina 1st, Haina 2nd, Herrera 1st, Independencia, and Mirador Wards, and the Altagracia Branch. There are now 13 stakes in the Santo Domingo metropolitan area and 20 stakes and nine districts in the entire country.
Ecuador
Last Sunday, the Church organized a new stake in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The Guayaquil Ecuador Juan Montalvo Stake was organized from a division of the Guayaquil Ecuador Pascuales Stake and includes the follow six wards: the Alegria, Colinas del Sol, Elvira, Fortin, Sinai, and Union Civica Wards. There are now 15 stakes in the Guayaquil metropolitan area and 36 stakes and nine districts nationwide.
Nigeria
Last Sunday, the Church organized a new stake in Nigeria. The Umuahia Nigeria Stake was organized from the Umuahia Nigeria District. No details are currently available regarding whether all 13 original branches are within the new stake and which branches became wards. There are now 23 stakes and 21 districts in Nigeria.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Last Sunday, the Church organized a new district in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mwene-Ditu Democratic Republic of the Congo District was organized from four mission branches within the city. The Church organized two of these mission branches in late 2013. The first branch in Mwene-Ditu began operating in 2008. There are now 12 stakes and four districts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Poland
Last Sunday, the Church created its third district in Poland. The Bydgoszcz Poland District was organized from a portion of the Warsaw Poland District and the Poland Warsaw Mission and includes the following four branches: the Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Poznan, and Szczecin Branches. The Church has two additional districts that operate in Warsaw (1979) and Katowice (2004).
15 comments:
The Umuahia Nigeria Stake contains 5 wards and 7 branches in the stake:
Apumiri Ubakala Ward
Ndoro-Oboro Ward
Nsirimo Ward
Old Umuahia Ward
Umuahia 3rd Ward
Akanu Branch
Amuma Branch
Asaga Ohafia Branch
Ebem Branch
Umuahia 1st Branch
Umuahia 2nd Branch
Umunwanwa Branch
Matt and David, today I listened to your presentation on Dialogue. Very interesting.
Matt, was the new Poland district organised due to growth in the branches? Thats interesting if it does mean that, Europe is make some movements in membership that we have not see for some time, France, Spain, Italy, Albainia and others. Keep up the good work, I love the blog. I have heard from numerous individuals that there will be the creation of another 3-4 units in the brisbane multi stake area over the next 4-5 months.
Let’s do a “Sister Rogers” on the missionary program. Here is my suggestion.
Missionary keys to the local Bishops and Branch presidents.
We need to be “one”, - today we are not – there is a different approach missionary (short), member (long). We need to get away from the short sightedness that we experience in our missionary work – one way of doing this is to transfer the responsibility of interviewing potential converts to the local priesthood leaders and give the local members the main responsibility for missionary work.They are more interested in long term growth than a quick fix – That’s why I believe, if you are not truly converted, you should wait with your baptism. As long as we are not following D&C 20:37 – I believe we will not receive the blessings. If we focus on true conversions, we will develop local leadership that can expand church planting.
Missionary Presidents (Missionary Father & Mother) instead of Mission Presidents.
The focus should be on the growth of the missionaries (spiritual, maturity, leadership, service, safety) which we love. They should also support the local members with their missionary responsibilities. I think we are too focused on the “rite of passage” for the missionary and less on the lasting fruits of their labours. I also think that it would take away the pressure on the mission presidents and their missionaries to focus on short term numbers. I think this will create a more healthy and wholesome missionary experience for all.
Missionary method
Develop “best practice” methods, where we measure the results. Contacting by door, street, ads, social media, open house, ect.)
We should work hard and God will give the growth.
Thanks for drawing attention to the podcast on the Dialogue site. It was fantastic – I truly hope someone in the Church leadership contacts David & Matt to develop the missionary program.
Dialogue Podcast #15 w/David Stewart & Matt Martinich
The creation of a stake in Fogo, Cape Verde is imminent.
http://elderdorffincapeverde.blogspot.com/2014/05/letter-dated-19-may-2014-z-baptism-and.html
The Asaga Ohafia Nigeria District, Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission, was created on 18 May. There are 4 branches in the district:
Akanu Branch
Amuma Branch
Asaga Ohafia Branch
Ebem Branch
The Cacaloxuchitl Branch, Atlixco México Stake, was created on 18 May. There are now 9 wards and 1 branch in the stake:
Alta Vista Ward
Cabrera Ward
Independencia Ward
Madero Ward
Metepec Ward
Obrero Ward
Revolución Ward
Tulipanes Ward
Vista Hermosa Ward
Cacaloxuchitl Branch
The Calamba 3rd Branch, Cabuyao Philippines Stake, was created on 18 May. There are now 8 wards and 1 branch in the stake:
Cabuyao 1st Ward
Cabuyao 2nd Ward
Calamba 1st Ward
Calamba 2nd Ward
Canlubang Ward
Los Baños Ward
Santa Rosa 1st Ward
Santa Rosa 2nd Ward
Calamba 3rd Branch
The Chota Branch, Perú Chiclayo Mission, was created on 11 May. There are now 2 independent branches in the mission:
Guadalupe Perú La Libertad District
Lambayeque Perú District
Chachapoyas Branch
Chota Branch
Great news about Fogo. I have been waiting for that for a while, checking Fogo every week or so.
Currently, the Fogo District has the following branches:
Congresso Branch
Cova Figueira 1st Branch
Cova Figueira 2nd Branch
Mosteiros Branch
Nova Sintra Branch
Relva Branch
São Filipe 1st Branch
São Filipe 2nd Branch
I agree with Rolf's assessment. It's not a new idea, but it seems hard to get that attitude adopted across the institution.
My mission preident told us that when he got his call to be a mission president, President Faust told him and his wife that their success as a Mission President (and wife) would not be measured by how many baptisms they had, but by where their missionaries were in 20 years.
I don't know if this was a unique instruction from President Faust, but apparantly my mission president wasn't the only one to recieve this instruction from him.
See http://www.morumon.org/returnedmissionariesconangonfaust.htm
It has been stated repeatedly by our mission president, our stake president, bishops, etc., that the keys to missionary work don't reside with the mission president, but rather with the stake presidents in the mission. At least in the Richmond Virginia Mission, baptisms don't occur except with the permission of the bishop and it has been made very clear that the stake presidents have the keys of missionary work inside their stakes.
@MLewis82-Faust told that to my mission president right before he passed away as well. I served in Mexico City.
Hi Mike Johnson
This is from Handbook 2:
The Work of Salvation in the Ward and Stake,5.1.6
Members and Full-Time Missionaries Working Together
The mission president holds the keys for baptizing and confirming converts. Under his direction, full-time missionaries have the primary responsibility for teaching investigators. Full-time missionaries also conduct baptism and confirmation interviews for each candidate and authorize the ordinances to take place.
Yes, I am familiar with the handbooks.
It is possible that the Virginia Richmond Mission is part of a pilot program looking at an adjustment. Our mission president has said that he holds the keys for the allocation of mission resources, but the stakes have the keys for their employment inside the stake. BTW, this division of responsibilities is in Handbook 1, although it doesn't mention keys like I have heard repeatedly stated from mission and stake leaders now.
Your post prompted me to point out that at least here in the Virginia Richmond Mission, things are moving in the direction you mentioned.
I made a list of some of the people that I baptized with my 3 Chilean companions in my first area of my mission in 1990, in Mulchen, Concepcion Mission. One I misnamed, which was Sandra Riquelme. I still hope they find their names someday through Google or some other search engine. Many seem to have been lost to our faith. Some have passed on.
Thus is Chile and the world.
In Mulchen, we were far enough from the stake and missionary zone leaders in Los Angeles (of Chile) that our bishop did all the worthiness interviews for baptism. A very Chilean guy who I later saw in Angol in 2005. I mentioned him by name before.
In the city of Concepcion, the young elders conducted most of the interviews, as I was able to do for a few as district leader in Pedro del Rio and Chiguayante, north and south of my Pedro de Valdivia (future neighborhood of the newest temple) area.
Later in 1991 President Allsop seemed to conduct more baptismal interviews; I don't know if that was a result of his Spanish having improved to the point he thought he was more capable (he knew Spanish from Mexico in the 1950s, but linguistic muscles are not automatic), or perhaps because of the declining numbers of baptisms in our mission.
Not sure. We took a sister to be interviewed by the stake president in Concepcion in 1990 because of a higher nature confession (one of four more grave sins, which you probably know that elders pass on up), and she left that interview very upset, whether due to the attitude of the local priesthood authority or her own strong-willed nature. I perceived that our mission president was either more lenient or more compassionate, and that he or the church leadership felt that he was at times more suitable to help the people change and convert and yes, be baptized.
Was it all numbers? No, I for one really felt like we were helping individuals be freed of sin, and that Chile, as I have said before, was changing into a more Zion society.
But as intelligently analyzed by others lately, like how Japan went through a boom convert cycle and then slowed, perhaps most places go through similar processes. And maybe Africa (many countries there) and places like it will do the same.
Hi Mike Johnson, it’s very interesting that in your area the mission president works this way – please keep us posted on the progress.
Hi Ed Clinch, in our ward we have been truly blessed with some wonderful members from the city of Concepcion, Chile. They came here in the last 1980’s, 3 brothers with their families (Montanares) along with other from Chile. They are wonderful people.
Good to hear. Many believe chilenos have blood from both Ephraim and Manassah. Doubly blessed inheritance.
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