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

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

As of January 1, 2012, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 1,693 members in six congregations (two wards[1] and four branches[1]) in Botswana.[2][3] Currently, the Gaborone, Botswana stake of Zion has about 3,104 members including those from the Mafikeng branch.

History

The first branch of the LDS Church in Botswana was organized in 1983. LDS missionaries were not sent to Botswana until 1990 and the church did not receive official recognition until 1991. Among the early converts in Botswana was Kwasi Agyare Dwomoh, a Ghanaian architect employed by the government of Botswana. Dwomoh and his family joined the Church in September 1990. He became the first branch president in August 1991, and the first district president in March 1992. He and his wife were the first couple to travel from Botswana to be sealed in the temple.[4]

In 1995 all LDS Church units were included in the newly formed Roodeport South Africa Stake. The first Motswana to serve a full-time mission for the LDS Church, Yakale Million Moroka, began serving as a missionary in 1999 in the South Africa Cape Town Mission.

In the early 2000s the Church formed its first branch in Francistown in the north of Botswana. In 2009 missionaries were regularly sent there for the first time. In 2010 brnaches were formed in two additional cities. In 2012 a new stake was organized in Gaborone with Clement Mosiame Matswagothata as its president, and in 2013 Botswana was given its own mission.

A brief history can be found at LDS Newsroom (Botswana) or Deseret News 2010 Church Almanac (Country Information: Botswana)

Membership history

Year Membership[5]
1995 300a
1999 700b
2004 1,194b
2009 1,305c
2012 1,693c
  • a Estimated membership for December 31 of the respective year
  • b Actual Membership for December 31 of the respective year
  • c Actual Membership for January 1 of the respective year

Stake

The Gaborone Botswana Stake was created on November 4, 2012.[6]

Missions

The Botswana Namibia Mission (to be created July 2013)[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 LDS Meetinghouse Locator.Nearby Congregations (Wards and Branches).
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ E. Dale LeBaron, "Botswana" in Arnold K. Garr, et. al, ed., Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000), p. 124-125
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Botswana stake first for the country
  7. ↑ New mission presidents by area for 2013

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Botswana&oldid=685011864"