The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Liberia
Family History Centers | 10[3] |
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Liberia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Liberia. At year-end 1986, there were fewer than 100 members in Liberia. In 2022, there were 20,335 members in 67 congregations.
History
Year | Membership |
---|---|
1986* | <100 |
1993* | 1,400 |
1995* | 1,600 |
1999 | 2,694 |
2004 | 4,218 |
2009 | 5,039 |
2014 | 8,081 |
2019 | 14,538 |
2022 | 20,335 |
*Membership was published as a rounded number. |
The LDS Church gained a formal presence in Liberia on 3 July 1987 with the arrival of J. Duffy Palmer and his wife, Jocelyn, as the church's first full-time
The origins of the LDS Church in Liberia go back about two years farther. Joe C. Jarwhel received the address of a missionary at
Jarwhel's associate, John Tarsnoh, also learned of the Book of Mormon and created an organization called the Temple of Christ's Church, which began teaching the doctrines found in the book. Sometime in 1986, Thomas Peihopa, a
Due to the preparation for preaching that was laid by Jarwhel, Tarsnoh and Peihopa, the Palmers were able to quickly establish the LDS Church and were followed by the arrival of Philander and Juanita Smartt on 21 August as full-time missionaries. Tarsnoh was baptized on 22 August 1987 along with 46 others, mainly fellow members of his Temple of Christ's Church. The following day, two units of the church were organized, the New Krutown Unit presided over by Peihopa and the Congotown Unit presided over by Steven Wolf, an American citizen in Monrovia on a military assignment with the U.S. Coast Guard. Wolf's counselors were Mike Endecott, an American citizen working at the U.S. Embassy and new Liberian member Joseph Forkpah. The country was formally dedicated for the preaching of the gospel on 2 September 1987 by
in England and Africa. The dedicatory service was conducted in the backyard garden of the home of the Wolf's along with the Palmers, the Smartts, Peihopa and Biz Kajunju.By October 1987, church membership had increased to over 100 members. On 21 February 1988, Forkpah became the first Liberian citizen to serve as a
As
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Africa10.jpg/220px-Africa10.jpg)
In June 2000, the Monrovia Liberia
2,200 converts were baptized in 2021, the most since the mission was established in 2013.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Africa9.jpg/220px-Africa9.jpg)
Stakes and district
As of February 2023, Liberia had the following stakes and district:[6]
Stake/District | Organized |
---|---|
Caldwell Liberia Stake | 27 Nov 2016 |
Gardnersville Liberia Stake | 16 Jun 2019 |
Kakata Liberia District | 10 Jun 2018 |
Monrovia Liberia Bushrod Island Stake | 4 Dec 1994 |
Monrovia Liberia Stake | 12 Feb 1989 |
Paynesville Liberia Stake | 8 Jun 2014 |
Virginia Liberia Stake | 13 Mar 2022 |
Congregations not part of a stake or district include the following:
- Barclay Farm Branch (Harbel)
- Buchanan 1st Branch
- Buchanan 2nd Branch
- Cotton Tree Branch (Harbel)
- Dolo's Town Branch (Harbel)
- Ganta Branch
- Gbarnga Branch
- Greenville Branch
- Harbel Branch (Harbel)
- Harper Branch
- Liberia Monrovia Mission Branch
- Pleebo Branch
- Totota 1st Branch
- Totota 2nd Branch
- Zwedru Branch
The Liberia Monrovia Mission Branch serves families and individuals in Madagascar that is not in proximity of a meetinghouse.
Mission
The Liberia Monrovia Mission was organized on March 1, 1988 but closed on February 12, 1991 due to civil war with work transferred to the Ghana Accra Mission.[7] The mission was recreated in July 2013.[8] Gary S. Price served as the mission president July 2019 to June 2022.[5]
2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak
After two church members died during the
Temples
On October 3, 2021, church president Russell M. Nelson announced plans in general conference to construct the Monrovia Liberia Temple.
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Location: Announced: |
Monrovia, Liberia 3 October 2021 by Russell M. Nelson[12][13] |
See also
- 2010 Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2009) pp. 518–519, 571.
- E. Dale LeBaron. "Liberia" in Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, ed., Encyclopedia of Church History (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 662.
References
- ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Liberia", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 10 June 2023
- ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
- ^ Liberia Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved 10 June 2023
- ^ Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Liberia
- ^ a b Price, Gary S., Price in Liberia: Liberia Monrovia Mission, retrieved March 8, 2022
- ^ "Accra Ghana Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved March 8, 2022
- ISBN 1573454915
- ^ Kessler, Mori (February 22, 2013), LDS Church announces 58 new missions to accommodate influx of applicants, St George News, retrieved January 29, 2023
- ^ a b "Official Statement: Missionaries Serving in Two African Nations are Reassigned". Church News. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ a b Stack, Peggy Fletcher (4 August 2014). "Mormon missionaries leaving Sierra Leone and Liberia". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ Walch, Tad (1 August 2014). "Ebola outbreak prompts evacuation of LDS missionaries from two African nations". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ "13 new temple locations announced by President Nelson as conference closes", Church News, Deseret News, 3 Oct 2021
- LDS Church, 3 Oct 2021
External links
- Deseret News 2010 Church Almanac (Liberia)
- LDS Newsroom: Country Profile: Liberia
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site
- ComeUntoChrist.org Visitors Site