| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Area | Asia |
| Members | 1,662 (2022) [1] |
| Districts | 1 |
| Branches | 5 |
| Family History Centers | 3 [2] |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sri Lanka refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Sri Lanka. The first branch was organized in 1978 and has since grown to 5 congregations. [3] Between 2015 and 2019 membership increased by roughly 20%.
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 65 |
| 1990 | 135 |
| 1995* | 200 |
| 2000 | 313 |
| 2005 | 963 |
| 2010 | 1,294 |
| 2015 | 1,367 |
| 2019 | 1,631 |
| 2022 | 1,662 |
| *Membership was published as an estimated or rounded number. Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Sri Lanka [1] | |
Two Mormon missionaries, Chauncey W. West and Benjamin F. Dewey, arrived in Ceylon in May 1853. They briefly labored in Galle and Colombo but could find neither a hall in which to preach nor a person to listen to their message, thanks largely to the influence of anti-Mormon tracts and newspaper articles. They remained in the country only a short time before returning to India.
The LDS Church's next official contact with Sri Lanka was in August 1975, when two missionaries en route home from the church's Singapore Mission were assigned to stop in Sri Lanka to explore the prospects for initiating missionary work. They reported favorably.
In 1976, Clarence Long, a Latter-day Saint from Texas, visited Colombo on business and became acquainted with Reginald and Easvary Rasiah and presented them with a copy of the Book of Mormon. Their son, Rosignald Rasiah traveled to the United States to work for Long and was baptized in Texas in June 1977. Reginald and Easvary Rasiah were baptized in August 1977, and a few of their family members and others were baptized in ensuing months.
The Sri Lanka Branch of the church was organized in March 1978 with Reginald Rasiah as president. The church was officially registered in March 1979.
In 1979, the church's Genealogical Society of Utah started microfilming Sri Lanka's vital records. The LDS Church and the Rotary Club in Columbo worked together to start a program to teach English as a second language in February 1982.
Several senior couples served in Sri Lanka beginning in the late 1970s. They did not actively proselytize, but taught those who requested more information about the church. Missionaries were removed from the country at different times due to civil war. Sri Lanka had one branch and 135 members in 1990. Limited numbers of young foreign missionaries were allowed to serve there beginning about the late 1990s. This led to accelerated church growth.
The first chapel in Sri Lanka was dedicated in December 2001. In 2003, membership reached 783. [4]
After the 2004 Asian tsunami, the LDS Church brought aid and other assistance to the tsunami devastated countries, including Sri Lanka. [5] Relief supplies, including food, hygiene, and educational kits, were given to those affected by the tsunami. [6] [7] [8] [9] The church assisted in building villages. [10] Among other aids and services, the church built more than 650 boats and gave micro-credit loans to hundreds of women to support each other in various livelihood efforts. [11]
Thousands of hygiene kits were distributed. [12]
In addition to giving humanitarian aid, youth in Long Beach California wrote letters of comfort, friendship and encouragement which were hand-delivered to children in Sri Lanka. [13]
Members of the Geneva Switzerland Stake made and provided hygiene kits and collected several tons clothing and bedding for tsunami devastated countries, including Sri Lanka. [14]
Some Latter-day Saints in Virginia traveled to Sri Lanka at their own expense and formed a group called "Sri Lankan Help". When they arrived in Sri Lanka this group saw people were receiving basic needs like food and water, but many psychological needs were not being addressed. They addressed this need by performing various acts of kindness. [15]
Merrill Osmond, a member of the LDS Church, performed at a Tsunami Relief Fund-raiser hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. [16]
The Colombo Sri Lanka District encompasses the country of Sri Lanka. As of February 2023, there were five branches in Sri Lanka, [3] namely:
All congregations in a district are considered a branch regardless of size and participation.
The country was within the boundaries of the church's Singapore Mission until 1 November 2007, at which time it came under the direction of the India Bangalore Mission at the same time the India New Delhi Mission was formed.
Sri Lanka was part of the Hong Kong China Temple district until the completion of the Bangkok Thailand Temple in 2023. It is anticipated that it will be encompassed within the Bengaluru India Temple district once that temple is completed.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in Japan in 1901 when the church's first missionaries arrived on August 12. Among them was Heber J. Grant, who was then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and later became the church's 7th president. Horace S. Ensign, Louis A. Kelsch, and Alma O. Taylor accompanied Grant. The LDS Church's first baptism in Japan was on March 8, 1902, when Grant baptized Hajime Nakazawa, a former Kannushi. The Book of Mormon was translated three times. The first translation, which took over six years, was completed by Taylor in 1909. It was then recommended that the Book of Mormon be translated into bunshō, a more elegant literary style, which was done by Chōkō Ikuta in 1909, shortly before it was published and distributed. The third translation in 1957 was done by Tatsui Sato. In 1995, the Book of Mormon was translated again into a more colloquial style.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines refers to the organization and its members in the Philippines.
Three missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started proselyting to white English-speaking people in Cape Town in 1853. Most converts from this time emigrated to the United States. The mission was closed in 1865, but reopened in 1903.The South African government limited the amount of missionaries allowed to enter the country in 1921 and in 1955. Starting around 1930, a man had to trace his genealogy out of Africa to be eligible for the priesthood, since black people were not permitted to be ordained. In 1954 when church president David O. McKay visited South Africa, he removed the requirement for genealogical research for a man to be ordained, stipulating only that "there is no evidence of his having Negro blood in his veins".
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had its first presence in French Polynesia in 1843 when the first missionaries arrived in the country. It was also the location of the first foreign-language mission of the church which was created that same year. It existed until 1852 when it was closed due to restrictions by the French government, and the missionaries left the territory. In 1892, the mission resumed with the return of the missionaries after general religious tolerance was established.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nicaragua refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Nicaragua. The first convert was baptized in 1954 and the first Nicaraguan mission opened in 1989. As of December 31, 2022, there were 101,361 members in 109 congregations in Nicaragua.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Caledonia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in New Caledonia. At year-end 1983, there were about 100 members in New Caledonia. In 2022, there were 2,494 members in 9 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Uganda refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Uganda. A branch was created in Kampala in 1991, and by year-end 1991, there were 99 members in Uganda. In 2022, there were 20,693 members in 38 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Czech Republic refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Czech Republic. At year-end 1989, there were less than 100 members in the Czech Republic. In 2022, there were 2,643 members in 12 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Iceland refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Iceland. Missionary efforts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began in 1851 with the baptisms of two native Icelanders visiting Denmark. They returned to Iceland to share the gospel. Missionary work has continued since then, although there were no permanent missionaries in Iceland from 1914 to 1974. As of December 31, 2022, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 382 members in Iceland, divided into three congregations. There is also one Family History Center. On January 22, 2023, a Spanish language branch was created in Reykjavík bringing the number of congregation to four.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Federated States of Micronesia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The church's first known missionaries arrived on July 5, 1978. As of December 31, 2022, there were 5,966 members in 23 congregations in FSM. The LDS Church has congregations in every state in the FSM.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Poland refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Poland. At year-end 1989, there were fewer than 100 members in Poland. In 2022, there were 2,184 members in 11 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been present in Albania since at least the early 1990s. In 1993, there were approximately 100 members in the country. In 2022, there were 3,314 members in 14 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Turkey refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Turkey. As of May 29, 2024, the Church has 708 members and 9 branches in several cities in Turkey. The Church has branches in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana (English), Gaziantep (Turkish), Isparta (Persian), and Antalya (Turkish).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Lesser Antilles refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Lesser Antilles. The Lesser Antilles is part of the Caribbean Area and is part of three missions. As of 2022, the LDS Church reported 9,959 members in 34 congregations in the Lesser Antilles.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Guianas refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Guianas, primarily French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. This is part of the Caribbean Area which is more similar culturally and linguistically than the rest of South America.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cameroon refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Cameroon. The first branch was organized in Yaoundé in 1992. In 2022, there were 2,721 members in 15 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belize refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Belize. The first branch was organized in Belize City in 1980. In 2022, there were 5,534 members in 12 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Caucasus refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. When the Church was registered in Armenia in 1995, there were approximately 200 members in that country. In Georgia, converts were not allowed to be baptized until 2003. In 2022, there were 3,546 members in 5 congregations in Armenia, and 252 members in 2 congregations in Georgia. It's unclear how many members are in Azerbaijan as the LDS Church doesn't publish these numbers, but there was a branch of 37 members as of 2011.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bulgaria refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Bulgaria. The first convert baptisms were performed in November 1990. In 2022, there were 2,398 members in 7 congregations.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Croatia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Croatia. The first missionaries arrived in Croatia in 1974. In 2022, there were 633 members in 6 congregations.
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