Friday, April 29, 2016

Africa West Area Projects 16 New Stakes in 2016

Senior missionaries serving in Ghana recently reported that Africa West Area leadership predicts a total of 16 new stakes to be organized in the Africa West Area during 2016. The Africa West Area includes seven countries with an official LDS presence including Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo, and Sierra Leone. Thus far, there have been two stakes organized in the Africa West Area in 2016: the Mpintsin Ghana Stake and the Cotonou Benin Stake. Therefore, it appears that as many as 14 new stakes will be created by the end of the year in the Africa West Area.

Below is a list of 38 stakes and districts in the Africa West Area that appear likely locations for the formation of new stakes.
  • Cote d'Ivoire
    • Abobo Cote d'Ivoire East Stake (12 wards)
    • Cocody Cote d'Ivoire Stake (11 wards)
    • Daloa Cote d'Ivoire District (8 branches)
    • Port-Bouet Cote d'Ivoire Stake (12 wards)
    • San Pedro Cote d'Ivoire District (7 branches)
  • Ghana
    • Abomosu Ghana District (7 branches)
    • Accra Ghana Adenta Stake (9 wards, 4 branches)
    • Ashaiman Ghana Stake (9 wards, 3 branches)
    • Assin Foso Ghana Stake (9 wards, 4 branches)
    • Cape Coast Ghana Stake (13 wards, 1 branch)
    • Koforidua Ghana District (9 branches)
    • Kumasi Ghana Bantama Stake (11 wards, 6 branches)
    • Kumasi Ghana Dichemso Stake (10 wards, 8 branches)
    • Twifu Praso Ghana District (7 branches)
  • Liberia
    • Monrovia Liberia Bushrod Island District (9 branches)
    • Monrovia Liberia District (6 branches)
    • Paynesville Liberia District (6 branches)
  • Nigeria
    • Aba Nigeria Ogbor Hill Stake (10 wards, 5 branches)
    • Abeokuta Nigeria Stake (10 wards, 1 branch)
    • Abuja Nigeria Stake (14 wards, 1 branch)
    • Asaba Nigeria District (7 branches)
    • Eket Nigeria Stake (11 wards, 3 branches)
    • Ekpoma Nigeria District (10 branches)
    • Ijebu-Ode Nigeria District (8 branches)
    • Ikot Ekpene Nigeria District (7 branches)
    • Ile-Ife Nigeria District (11 branches)
    • Nsit Ubium Nigeria Stake (10 wards, 4 branches)
    • Ogwashi-Nsukwa Nigeria District (7 branches)
    • Onitsha Nigeria District (11 branches)
    • Port Harcourt Nigeria East Stake (14 wards)
    • Port Harcourt Nigeria West Stake (11 wards, 2 branches)
    • Yenagoa Nigeria District (8 branches)
  • Sierra Leone
    • Bo Sierra Leone East District (7 branches)
    • Bo Sierra Leone West District (8 branches)
    • Freetown Sierra Leone Stake (10 wards) 
    • Kenema Sierra Leone (7 branches)
    • Kissy Sierra Leone District (9 branches)
  • Togo
    • Lome Togo Stake (9 wards, 7 branches)

20 comments:

  1. In the most recent batch of 16 new mission presidents, 2 are from Peru sent to Peru, 1 from Chile sent to Argentina, 1 from Brazil sent to Angola and 1 from South Africa sent to Kenya.

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  3. I know the one from Virginia. He has a son serving in Arizona.
    The other evening I spoke to a parrish priedt with the elder; he said Catholic growth is fastest in Africa. Possibly many faiths are growing dynamically there, good to see. Father Ferrell (maybe 30ish in age ) said northern Sterling covered about 1400 families, the diocise covers hundreds of thousands in only northern VA, w/ possibly over 150,000 undocumented immigrants.

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  4. Some parts of Africa have made a very fast transition from Animist beliefs to Christianity in the last half century. Ivory Coast is one such country, although Muslims still seem to outnumber Christians there. That is also a country where the LDS Church is growing by leaps and bounds.

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  5. Years ago I would read articles in magazines and newspapers, notably Christianity Today or NY Times, LA Times, etc.that talked about the resurgence of African preachers and ministers helping US churches to grow our flocks. I am excited to see the restored priesthood bolster and buoy themselves and the rest of the world. The last will be first has special resonance with this vast continent of chosen peoples.
    Millions will know brother Joseph again!

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  8. Another stake created in Sydney today. Prairiewood stake

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  9. I apologize for the double feeds of the comments. I believe the time stamps and the syntax (order) of the correspondence in these strings is vital to the original and subsequent messages and their intents. Often the ambiguity of the double feeds can lead to unwanted implied or inferred communications.
    Perhaps this phenomena can be fixed?
    Once I see my second post has unintentionally posted I try to erase the first post to imply that I did not write anything that I regretted or thought better of. But that leads to inaccurate time stamps and interaction exchanges. Oh well.
    Back to Africa, I have 7 immediate or extended family members who served in Africa and the peoples' development is near and dear to my heart. I have even had a boss who did peacekeeping in Sierra Leone and the temple sealer who married my wife and I was mission president in Freetown, where my parents were married before joining the LDS faith.
    I have resented Matt Parker's and Tre Stone's famous musical but in its own way I hope that the overall long term effect will somehow help both Africans and the Church by showing that despite the crude mockeries and seemingly bigotted charicatures presented, Africa will continue to grow and improve as a huge part of what we know as Zion.

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  10. Last Sunday I went to Lansing for the ordination of my nephew Tlazohtlalia to the priesthood. While there I met a sister in the Williamston Ward who is originally from Benin City, Nigeria. She was very suprised when I told her there were 7 stakes in that city. She left in 1988 and never encountered the Church there.

    We have had missionaries serve in the Detroit mission from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We also have had missionaries from Zambia and Liberia, but those two had moved to the US before their mission, in the case of the one from Zambia he didn't join the Church until he came to the US.

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  11. I noticed that there is no longer a differentiation between the 1st and 2nd quorums of the Seventy on the General Authority chart in the Ensign magazine. Both groups have been combined in the GA chart and are labeled "General Authority Seventy." I must have missed something. Does anyone recall the change and what the explanation was/is?

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  12. This is new. Until this year, new Seventies have always been sustained as members of the First or Second Quorums of the Seventy. However, they have been introduced as "of the Seventy" for quite a long time. Evidently, it seems that members of the second quorum will now serve until age 70 and then receive emeritus status. If this is true, there is no longer a need to distinguish between the two, as the two Quorums have equal authority. But I was quite surprised by the change.

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  13. ^ I believe they quietly announced the change after the October Conference. I'm unaware of any statement on the reasoning behind the change.

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  14. Last October some members of the second quorum of the 70 were given emeritus status which had previosly been done only with the 1st quorum. However that seems more a culmination of a process than the start. For the first 10 years from the first less than lifetime calls to general authorities in 1985 until 1995 or so the Church kept to 5 years for the 2nd quorum. However with the creatio ln of area seventy things begin to change. If you analyze how long men were actually serving you will find that they were serving well over 5 years in the 2nd quorum. Also 70 is only a general goal. Gene R Cook was a few years shy of 70 when emeritized while Elder Samuelson was at least 71. It seems that it has only been since last October that Church publications have used the term General Authority Seventy but it makes a lot of sense.

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  15. There have been other changes that more happened than were announced. One is the decision to stop having all general authorities speak at each general conference. It was about 1983 when this was done. Onecan see this from reviewing the conference report but I do not think there was ever an announcement of intent on the matter.

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  16. I really hope we see a stake in Daloa this year. I hope to live to see the day there is a temple in Daloa.

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  17. I really hope we see a stake in Daloa this year. I hope to live to see the day there is a temple in Daloa.

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  18. Unit Update
    6 Mar
    Belém Ward, Belém Brazil Stake (W:9)

    12 Apr (sat)
    Ranchview Branch (Correctional Facility), Queen Creek Arizona North Stake(B:1, W:12)

    16 Apr (Sat)
    Akenfa Branch, Yenagoa Nigeria District (B:8)
    Amassoma Branch, Yenagoa Nigeria District (B:8)
    Azikoro Branch, Yenagoa Nigeria District (B:8)
    Kpansia Branch, Yenagoa Nigeria District (B:8)

    17 Apr
    Abobote 2nd Ward, Cocody Cote d'Ivoire Stake (W:11)

    Apr 24
    Alakuko Ward, Lagos Nigeria Agege Stake (B:2, W:6)
    Campo Verde Ward, Gilbert Arizona Williams Field Stake (W:7)
    Gaithersburg YSA Branch, Seneca Maryland Stake (B:1, W:8)
    Ha'ateiho 6th Ward, Nuku'alofa Tonga South Stake (W:7)
    Kwale Branch, Ogwashi-Nsukwa Nigeria District (W:7)
    Moamoa Ward, Apia Samoa Central Stake (W:9)
    Nsukka 2nd Branch, Nigeria Enugu Mission (B:6, D:3, S:2)
    Oquirrh Mountain SA Ward, West Jordan Utah Oquirrh Stake (W:8)
    Overlake 6th Ward, Tooele Utah West Stake (W:7)
    Washburn Ward, Las Vegas Nevada Lone Mountain Stake (W:7)


    YTD 238(14/week*17) +18 - Total 34,354(+4) (Net 152 64%)
    Africa 70, 29.4% (+8) - Total 1839 (+8)
    Asia 5, 2.1% (0) - Total 936 (0)
    America Central 18, 7.6% (+1) - Total 3935 (+1)
    America North 81, 34.0% (+4) - Total 9372 (-8) (Washington YSA Stake Discontinued)
    America South 13, 5.5% (+1) - Total 6337 (0)
    Europe 6, 2.5% (0) - Total 1713 (-1)
    Pacific 16, 6.7% (+2) - Total 2748 (+2)
    Utah & Idaho 29(23), 12.2(9.7)% (+2) - Total 6932(5719)(+2)

    Totals no-sensitive (Net +4)
    Areas Temples Miss Stakes Dist Wards Branch Totals
    Global 25 150 419 3,198 548 22,688 7,351 34,379
    Us/Can 10 82 131 1,612 10 12,632 2,049 16,526
    US n/a 74 124 1,564 7 12,294 1,900 15,963
    Utah n/a 16 10 578 1 4,721 326 5,652
    Canada n/a 8 7 48 3 338 149 553
    Out 15 68 288 1,586 538 10,056 5,302 17,853

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  19. Apparently the Dakar Branch in Senegal just opened officially.

    https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153977004000239&id=716995238&set=o.163551880457745&source=48

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  20. Very exciting news about a branch in Senegal.

    I am thinking that in the past things that today only are designated as groups would have been designated as branches.

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