The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alabama

The Birmingham Alabama LDS Temple

As of December 31, 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 34,725 members, six stakes, 75 Congregations (42 wards,[1] 33 branches[1]), one mission, and one temple in Alabama.[2]

History

Concerted missionary efforts in Alabama started around 1842-1843 in Alabama with the work of Elders James Brown and John U. Eldridge. Before August 24, 1842, branches in Tuscaloosa (the Cybry Branch) and Perry (Bogue-Chitto Branch) counties were organized by Elder Brown. Elder Eldridge baptized his brother, wife, and mother-in-law earlier that year.

Elder John Brown, was among the early missionaries baptized a number a people in Tuscaloosa and Perry Counties including some of the first African-Americans to join the church. Hagar and Jack, two African-American men, joined the Church on October 24, 1843. Many of the early missionaries frequently passed between Alabama and Mississippi in their work.

Most early members immigrated west to join the body of the saint and to avoid persecution. Some of these Alabama members were among the group of "Mississippi Saints" that emigrated under the leadership of John Brown and William Crosby in 1846.[3]

In 1876, missionary work resumed with the creation of the Southern States Mission. Opposition was widespread in the 1880s with some even asking Alabama's governor to force the missionaries from the state. This subsided somewhat by 1894.

A new branch was established in Magnolia, Alabama during the late 1890s. Despite the tarring and feathering of some missionaries to the branch and the attempted arson of an early meeting place, a wood-frame Magnolia Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was completed in 1913. Two elders from Utah assisted in the construction, Elder Sellers from Vernal and Elder Joseph E. Ward from Parowan. Although the branch completed a new brick chapel adjacent to the old one in 1972, the historic chapel continues to be used for social occasions. It is the oldest surviving LDS chapel in the state. The Magnolia Branch is currently a member of the Montgomery Stake.[4][5]

A Sunday School was organized in Montgomery on August 22, 1911. Many of these early converts were baptized in the Alabama River.

By the mid-1930s Sunday School groups existed in Birmingham, Elkmont, Gadsen, McCalla, and Montgomery. In 1937, the Alabama District split in half to create the Alabama and North Alabama Districts. In 1940, the Montgomery Branch staged a pioneer parade that attracted thousands.

The LDS Church began to grow more rapidly in Alabama following World War II. Alabama's first stake was created in Huntsville in 1968.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, several thousand Latter-day Saint volunteers, from a 7 state area (including Alabama), went to Louisiana and Mississippi. Many of them taking time out of their jobs or came down on the weekends to help anyone needing assistance.[6][7][8]

In September 2008, Latter-day Saints across Alabama went to the Baton Rouge area to aid cleanup efforts following Hurricane Gustav, as well as other disaster cleanup efforts in following years.

Alabama LDS membership history

Membership History

Year LDS Membership
1844 193
1930 2,516
1974 7,800
1980 14,000
1989 20,000
1999 27,680
2008 33,968
2011 35,167

Temples

On September 3, 2000 the Birmingham Alabama Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

98. Birmingham Alabama

Location:
Announcement:
Dedication:
Coordinates:
 Size:
Style:

Gardendale, Alabama, US
11 September 1998
3 September 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley
33°40′27.93359″N 86°49′16.84920″W / 33.6744259972°N 86.8213470000°W / 33.6744259972; -86.8213470000 (Birmingham Alabama Temple)
10,700 sq ft (990 m2) and 71 ft (22 m) high on a 5.6 acre (2.3 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Robert Waldrip and Church A&E Services
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See also

External links

References

  1. 1 2 LDS Meetinghouse Locator.Nearby Congregations (Wards and Branches).
  2. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: USA-Alabama", Newsroom, LDS Church, December 31, 2011
  3. Leonard J. Arrington, "Mississippi Mormons", Ensign, June 1977.
  4. Marengo County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Marengo County, Alabama, page 34. Clanton, Alabama: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2000. ISBN 1-891647-58-X
  5. Lynn Tilton (August 1977). "Magnolia Heritage". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Intellectual Reserve, Inc. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  6. Latter-day Saints to Mobilize Another 4,000 Volunteers in Chainsaw Brigade's Second Wave
  7. Latter-day Saints Mobilize 4000 Volunteers in Chainsaw Brigades First Wave. PR Web. September 17, 2005
  8. Joining Hands as Neighbors and Now Friends
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