Helping Hands (formerly known as MormonHelping Hands) is a community service volunteer program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [1]
The logos were used in 1992 in South Florida after Hurricane Andrew ravaged the city of Homestead and other parts of Miami-Dade County, Florida. [2] The church officially established the program in 1998 [3] in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile to identify service being done by members of the LDS Church. That same year it was implemented on a large scale in Brazil as part of a country-wide day of service organized by the church. It has since been used in many countries. [4]
The activities carried out by Helping Hands are diverse and include cleaning, maintenance, and repair projects for public spaces, collecting and distributing donations, [5] job market guidance, [6] health campaigns, and support for victims of natural disasters. [7]
Helping Hands both responds to disasters such as hurricanes [8] and gives aid aimed at improving conditions caused by long-standing problems such as deterioration of parks that lack proper upkeep. [9] In 2017, Mormon Helping Hands was asked to assist local communities in cleaning up from Hurricane Harvey and were featured on the news.
The program is open to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation. People can register through local congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or via the program's official website, where information about upcoming projects and specific needs is shared. [10]
"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which defined the official position of the church on family, marriage, gender roles, and human sexuality. It was first announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, most often simply referred to as the sacrament, is the ordinance in which participants eat bread and drink water in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Normally, the sacrament is provided every Sunday as part of the sacrament meeting, the primary weekly worship service, in each LDS Church congregation.
Latter-day Saint Charities is a branch of the welfare department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The organization's stated mission is to relieve suffering, to foster self-reliance for people of all nationalities and religions, and to provide opportunities for service.
The self-reported membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as of December 31, 2023, was 17,255,394.
Symbolism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the process whereby objects or actions have been invested with an inner meaning expressing church ideas. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its membership have adopted a number of symbols that differ from those typically used in Christianity.
The John Johnson farm is a historic home and listing on the National Register of Historic Places in Hiram Township, just west of the village of Hiram, Ohio, United States. The home, built in 1828, is a significant location in the history of the Latter Day Saint movement as the home of Joseph Smith and his family from September 1831 to March 1832. While Smith lived at the home, it served as the headquarters of the Church of Christ and was the site of several revelations to Smith and other Church leaders. The Johnson Farm is also significant as the site of the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in March 1832.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arkansas refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Arkansas. The first branch in Arkansas was organized in 1890. It has since grown to 35,405 members in 73 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mississippi refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Mississippi. The first small branch was established in 1842. It has since grown to 22,189 members in 49 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Texas. Official church membership as a percentage of general population was 1.13% in 2007 and 1.21% in 2014. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey in both years, roughly 1% of Texans self-identify themselves most closely with the LDS Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alabama refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Alabama. The first small branch was established in 1842. It has since grown to 39,832 members in 76 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in California. California has the 2nd most members of the LDS Church in the United States, behind Utah. The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in California, behind the Roman Catholic Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Georgia. The first branch in Georgia was organized in 1876. It has since grown to 89,285 members in 164 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Carolina refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in South Carolina. The first small branch was established in 1882. It has since grown to more than 44,000 members in 79 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Utah. Utah has more church members than any other U.S. state or country. The LDS Church is also the largest denomination in Utah.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As of 2021, the LDS Church reported 102,862 members in 269 congregations in the DRC, making it the third largest body of LDS Church members in Africa, behind Nigeria and Ghana. Currently, the DRC ranks as having the 16th highest LDS growth rate among countries of the world, with an annual growth rate of 13 percent.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United Kingdom refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the United Kingdom. In 2019, the United Kingdom had the second highest number of LDS Church members per capita among countries in Europe, behind Portugal.
Philanthropies, formerly LDS Philanthropies, is a department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is responsible for facilitating donations to humanitarian and educational initiatives. The department works under the direction of the church's Presiding Bishop. The most widely known educational projects are the operation of church-owned schools, such as Brigham Young University (BYU). Humanitarian funds are given to Latter-day Saint Charities which sponsors and organizes relief efforts. In 2019, the church reported over 3,000 community-based projects with an excess of 2,000 partners, in locations around the world. A 2020 statistic reported a total of $2.3 billion that had been donated over Philanthropies' existence.