The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sierra Leone
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Area | Africa West |
| Members | 22,787 (2019)[1] |
| Stakes | 9 |
| Districts | 1 |
| Wards | 47 |
| Branches | 32 |
| Total Congregations | 79 |
| Missions | 1 |
| Temples | 1 Under Construction |
| Family History Centers | 8[2] |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sierra Leone refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Sierra Leone. At year-end 2009, there were 8,054 members in 17 branches in Sierra Leone. In 2019, there were 22,787 members in 79 congregations. In 2019, Sierra Leone ranked as having the second most LDS Church members per capita in Africa, behind Cape Verde.[3]
History[edit]
| Membership in Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|
| Year | Membership |
| 1988 | 12 |
| 1989* | 200 |
| 1993* | 1,900 |
| 1995* | 2,400 |
| 1999 | 3,564 |
| 2004 | 5,712 |
| 2009 | 8,054 |
| 2012 | 10,084 |
| 2014 | 13,078 |
| 2019 | 22,787 |
| *Membership was published as a rounded number. Source: Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Sierra Leone[1] | |
The first official meeting of the LDS Church in Sierra Leone was held in Goderich in January 1988, with the first LDS missionaries arriving in May of that year. They were under the Liberia Monrovia Mission. A district was organized in Freetown in 1990. At various times in the 1990s, missionaries were withdrawn due to the civil war in the country. In 1991, the Liberia Monrovia Mission was discontinued and Sierra Leone was placed under the Accra Ghana Mission. The first LDS-built meetinghouse in the country was completed in Bo in 2004. In 2007, the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission was created covering both Sierra Leone and Liberia.[4] In December 2012, Jeffrey R. Holland created the first LDS stake in Sierra Leone in Freetown. In 2013, Liberia was split off to be its own separate mission.
A brief history can be found at LDS Newsroom (Sierra Leone) or Deseret News 2010 Church Almanac (Country Information: Sierra Leone)
Stakes and districts[edit]
The Freetown Sierra Leone Stake was organized on December 2, 2012, making it the 3,000th stake in the LDS Church.[5][6] As of February 2022, Sierra Leone had the following stakes and district:[7]
Stakes and Districts
- Bo Sierra Leone East Stake
- Bo Sierra Leone North Stake
- Bo Sierra Leone West Stake
- Freetown Sierra Leone East Stake
- Freetown Sierra Leone Stake
- Kenema Sierra Leone Stake
- Kissy Sierra Leone Stake
- Kossoh Town Sierra Leone Stake
- Makeni Sierra Leone District
- Wellington Sierra Leone Stake
Missions[edit]
- Sierra Leone Freetown[8]
2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak[edit]
After two of its members died during the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the LDS Church required its missionaries to remain in their apartments as a precautionary measure.[9][10] Then on August 1, 2014 the LDS Church announced that it would transfer all of its 274 missionaries out of Sierra Leone and Liberia, thereby closing the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission for the duration of the outbreak.[9][10][11]
Temples[edit]
On October 5, 2019, the Freetown Sierra Leone Temple was announced by church president Russell M. Nelson.
|
edit | ||
| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Size: |
Freetown, Sierra Leone 5 October 2019 by Russell M. Nelson[12] 19 March 2022 by Hugo E. Martinez 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m2) on a 2.9-acre (1.2 ha) site | ||
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Sierra Leone", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 6 June 2021
- ↑ Category:Sierra Leone Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved 6 June 2021
- ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics
- ↑ Church News, 2010 Edition, p. 571
- ↑ Historic milestone: Sierra Leone stake marks LDS Church's 3,000th, Deseret News, December 2, 2012, retrieved 2012-12-03
- ↑ "Country information: Sierra Leone", Church News, Deseret News, December 2, 2012, retrieved 2012-12-03
- ↑ "Accra Ghana Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved February 21, 2022
- ↑ "New missions bring total to 347 missions", Church News, Deseret News, February 10, 2007, retrieved 2012-12-03
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Official Statement: Missionaries Serving in Two African Nations are Reassigned". Church News. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. a August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stack, Peggy Fletcher (a August 2014). "Mormon missionaries leaving Sierra Leone and Liberia". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 5 August 2014. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Walch, Tad (1 August 2014). "Ebola outbreak prompts evacuation of LDS missionaries from two African nations". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ↑ "President Nelson Announces Eight New Temples at October 2019 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 5 October 2019
External links[edit]
- LDS Newsroom (Sierra Leone)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site
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