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LDS CHURCH CREATES FIRST STAKE IN ARMENIA
KSL.com, Utah
July 3 2013
By Lindsay Maxfield
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created the first
stake in the Republic of Armenia, according to Mormon Newsroom. It's
the latest stop on the long road to official recognition and acceptance
of the church in that country.
On June 16, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the church's Quorum of the
Twelve was joined by Elder Per G. Malm and Elder Araik Minasyan of
the Seventy to form the stake.
"We have good [Church] leadership here, strong people in the gospel,"
Elder Nelson said at the meeting, according to Mormon Newsroom.
It's been a hard-fought battle to establish the church in Armenia,
a battle that officially began in the mid-1980s when the country
was part of the Soviet Union. The first efforts, however, began 100
years before. According to statistics provided by Mormon Newsroom,
"The gospel has been preached among Armenians living outside of their
homeland since the 1880s," but continued violence and persecution
over the years drove early church members to flee their homes.
It was a natural disaster that finally paved the way for the LDS
Church's acceptance in Armenia. On Dec. 7, 1988, the country was
devastated by an earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and
made half a million people homeless. It was Elder Nelson who visited
the Armenian ambassador on behalf of the church and presented a check
for humanitarian aid.
But the church's efforts didn't stop there. "Utah industrialist and
Church leader Jon M. Huntsman, working with American philanthropist
Armand Hammer, established a concrete plant in Yerevan in late 1991,"
according to Mormon Newsroom. "It produced reinforced concrete plank
used to build homes and apartment buildings. The plant was staffed
with Latter-day Saint humanitarian service couples who had expertise
in seismic engineering and plant operations." Other humanitarian
efforts included managing shipments of food and supplies.
Meanwhile, in 1990, the Republic of Armenia declared independence
from the Soviet Union, perhaps the final barrier keeping the LDS
Church from the people. In 1992, Mikhail Oskar Belousaov and Nara
Sarkissian became the first people to be baptized in Armenia.
Since then, the church has continued to grow in the region. "This is
a Christian nation," Elder Nelson told Mormon Newsroom. "The spirit
of Christianity has been in Armenia a long time. Our relationship
with the government is outstanding."
In 2003 there were 1,537 members in Armenia. Today, there are more
than 3,000 members of the church, as well as 11 congregations and
three family history centers. This newly-formed stake brings the
church-wide total to 3,025.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=25847498&nid=1016
KSL.com, Utah
July 3 2013
By Lindsay Maxfield
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created the first
stake in the Republic of Armenia, according to Mormon Newsroom. It's
the latest stop on the long road to official recognition and acceptance
of the church in that country.
On June 16, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the church's Quorum of the
Twelve was joined by Elder Per G. Malm and Elder Araik Minasyan of
the Seventy to form the stake.
"We have good [Church] leadership here, strong people in the gospel,"
Elder Nelson said at the meeting, according to Mormon Newsroom.
It's been a hard-fought battle to establish the church in Armenia,
a battle that officially began in the mid-1980s when the country
was part of the Soviet Union. The first efforts, however, began 100
years before. According to statistics provided by Mormon Newsroom,
"The gospel has been preached among Armenians living outside of their
homeland since the 1880s," but continued violence and persecution
over the years drove early church members to flee their homes.
It was a natural disaster that finally paved the way for the LDS
Church's acceptance in Armenia. On Dec. 7, 1988, the country was
devastated by an earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and
made half a million people homeless. It was Elder Nelson who visited
the Armenian ambassador on behalf of the church and presented a check
for humanitarian aid.
But the church's efforts didn't stop there. "Utah industrialist and
Church leader Jon M. Huntsman, working with American philanthropist
Armand Hammer, established a concrete plant in Yerevan in late 1991,"
according to Mormon Newsroom. "It produced reinforced concrete plank
used to build homes and apartment buildings. The plant was staffed
with Latter-day Saint humanitarian service couples who had expertise
in seismic engineering and plant operations." Other humanitarian
efforts included managing shipments of food and supplies.
Meanwhile, in 1990, the Republic of Armenia declared independence
from the Soviet Union, perhaps the final barrier keeping the LDS
Church from the people. In 1992, Mikhail Oskar Belousaov and Nara
Sarkissian became the first people to be baptized in Armenia.
Since then, the church has continued to grow in the region. "This is
a Christian nation," Elder Nelson told Mormon Newsroom. "The spirit
of Christianity has been in Armenia a long time. Our relationship
with the government is outstanding."
In 2003 there were 1,537 members in Armenia. Today, there are more
than 3,000 members of the church, as well as 11 congregations and
three family history centers. This newly-formed stake brings the
church-wide total to 3,025.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=25847498&nid=1016