The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arkansas
As of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 25,296 members, 5 stakes,[1] 56 Congregations (32 wards[2] and 24 branches,[2]), and 1 mission in Arkansas.[3]
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[edit] History
Elders Wilford Woodruff and Henry Brown arrived as missionaries in Bentonville on January 28, 1835. They held their first meeting four days later and preached to an attentive congregation. Later they were confronted by an apostate member, Alexander Akeman.[4] Akeman was a man who earlier endured severe persecution in Missouri, but later turned bitterly against the Church. However, this man died suddenly and Elder Woodruff preached his funeral sermon. This event, along with Woodruff's teachings led to the baptism of a Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hubbel, the first converts in Arkansas, on 22 February 1835.
In 1838, Elder Abraham O. Smoot was called to a five-month mission to Arkansas where he preached frequently with varied results.
The year 1857 marked a tragic era in Church history in Arkansas. Elder Parley P. Pratt was murdered in on May 13, 1857 near Alma, Arkansas.He had just been acquitted by a court in Van Buren of charges pressed by Hector H. McLean, the former husband of Pratt's wife Eleanor. At the trial she testified that her former husband frequently physically abused her. Disappointed with the verdict, the McLean followed and assassinated the apostle.[5] (On April 2, 2008, Crawford County Circuit Judge Gary Cottrell gave the Pratt family permission to move Parley Pratt's remains to Utah.)[6]
Later that same year (1857), a party of Arkansas immigrants heading for California were killed by a group of Latter-day Saints and Indians in southern Utah at Mountain Meadows. This is also known as the Mountain Meadows massacre.[7]
Negative feelings, and later the U.S. Civil War, kept the Church from the area for the next two decades.
After the War, the church again sent missionaries to Arkansas in 1876. In 1877, Elders Henry G. Boyle and J.D.H. McAllister visited a member in Des Arc. By 1877, 27 families totaling 125 converts emigrated west. Through the 1880s, converts continued to join the main body of the saints in Utah.[8]
Permanent presence of the church was established on May 30, 1890 when the fist Latter-day Saint meetinghouse was built in White County. Benjamin Franklin Baker, an early influential convert, helped establish the Barney Branch (about 5 miles north of Enola) in 1914 with over 100 members. By 1930, three branches had been organized in Arkansas (Barney, El Dorado, and Little Rock) with a total membership of 944.
The first Arkansas stake was created on June 1, 1969 in Little Rock. This was known at the time as the Arkansas stake and later renamed to the Little Rock Arkansas Stake.[9]
The first institute building, adjacent to the University of Arkansas, was dedicated in the fall of 1999.[10]
On July 20–22, 2006, over 1,000 Latter-day Saint teens from all 5 of the Arkansas Stakes gathered for a 3-day multi-stake youth conference. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve and former associate dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas spoke to the youth and encouraged them to live high moral standards.[11]
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, several thousand Latter-day Saint volunteers, from a 7 state area (including Arkansas), 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 regardless of faith.[12][13]
Arkansas "Mormons" volunteered relief in their own area on several occasions including the April 2, 2006 Tornado Outbreak,[14] and the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak.[15] In September 2008, Arkansas Latter-day Saints went to the Baton Rouge area to aid clean up efforts following Hurricane Gustav.[16]
[edit] Arkansas Membership History
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1930 | 944 |
| 1974 | 5,355 |
| 1980 | 9,878 |
| 1990 | 13,753 |
| 1999 | 20,077 |
| 2008 | 25,878 |
[edit] Stakes
Arkansas is currently part of 11 stakes. 5 of those stakes have their stake center within the state. Since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have no paid clergy, stake presidents, bishops, etc. have their own occupation.
[edit] Arkansas Stakes
| Stake | Organized | Wards/ Branches in Arkansas | Stake President | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith Arkansas | April 30, 1978 | 5 | Glenn Richard Titsworth[17] | realtor for American Equity Realty |
| Little Rock Arkansas | June 1, 1969 | 11 | Michael V. Beheshti | interventional radiologist at UAMS |
| North Little Rock Arkansas | June 19, 1983 | 15 | Bruce Kevin Berkheimer[18] | podiatrist |
| Rogers Arkansas Stake | August 11, 1991 | 7 | David Owen Stout[19] | senior buyer for Wal-Mart |
| Springdale Arkansas Stake | June 4, 2006 | 10 | Thomas Hal Bradford[20] | physician |
- The Arkansas Stake was renamed to the Little Rock Arkansas Stake.
- The Jacksonville Arkansas Stake was renamed the North Little Rock Arkansas stake when the stake center was moved to North Little Rock.
[edit] Other Stakes with congregations in Arkansas
| Stake | Organized | Number of Wards/ Branches in Arkansas | Stake President | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilmer Texas | January 16, 1983 | 1 | Tedd Barton Austin[21] | service manager at H.M. Dodd Motor Co |
| Memphis Tennessee | April 18, 1965 | 1 | Steven Moyle Dorius[22] | tax attorney at International Paper |
| Memphis Tennessee North | Sept. 14, 1980 | 5 | C.E. Zobell[23] | general counsel for Peabody Hotel Group |
| Monroe Louisiana | August 18, 1985 | 1 | Aristotels Pena M.[24] | physician |
| Shreveport Louisiana | January 26, 1958 | 1 | Henry John Platt[25] | physician, partner/owner of Urgent Care Center |
| Springfield Missouri South | May 21, 1995 | 3 | Brian Kay Chandler[26] | clinical psychologist |
[edit] Missions
Arkansas formed part of several church missions. Originally a conference of the Southern States Mission, it later became part of the Indian Territory Mission. Southwestern States Mission, Central States Mission, Texas-Louisiana Mission, Gulf States Mission, and ultimately the Arkansas Little Rock Mission formed in 1975 with Richard M. Richards as president.
The northwest part of the state is in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission. The far South and Southwest part of the state is in the Mississippi Jackson Mission, and the Texas Dallas Mission Respectively.
[edit] Significant members that lived in Arkansas
- Elder David A. Bednar is a former associate dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. While at the University of Arkansas, he served as stake president for the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake and then for the Rogers Stake. He later became the president for Ricks College in Idaho and ultimately was sustained member of the Quorum of the twelve Apostles in 2004.[27]
- H. Wallace Goddard, Ph.D., is a Professor and Family Life Specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. He has created numerous family programs and a PBS television series and has served on national committees for parenting and marriage.[28] He is also a CES Institute faculty member for the Little Rock Institute.[29]
- Amy Daniel of the Benton Ward, Little Rock Arkansas Stake, is a former president of the Arkansas School Boards Association.[30]
- Dottie Zimmerman, then 24, of the Ash Flat Branch, North Little Rock Arkansas Stake, received three bronze medals in powerlifting at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland, June 16–29, 2003. Dottie had been trained in the bench press, deadlift and combination-bench and deadlift. Her team spent four days in Belfast before traveling to Dublin for the opening of the games. Dottie competed earlier that year in the Arkansas Special Olympics in Searcy, Arkansas, at which she received three gold medals.[31]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Arkansas Stakes, Stake and Ward Web Sites, lds.org
- ^ a b LDS Meetinghouse Locator
- ^ "Country Profiles: USA-Arkansas (Statistical Information)". LDS Newsroom. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/contact-us/usa-arkansas.
- ^ Alexander, Thomas G. Things in Heaven and Earth: The Life and Times of Wilford Woodruff, a Mormon Prophet. Signature Books, Incorporated. Salt Lake City, Utah, reprint 1993. ISBN 1-56085-045-0 (Excerpts)
- ^ Pratt, Steven (1975). "Eleanor McLean and the Murder of Parley P. Pratt" (PDF). BYU Studies 15 (2): 225–56. http://byustudies.byu.edu/shop/pdfSRC/15.2Pratt.pdf.
- ^ Smith, Robert J. (4 April 2008). "Relatives get OK to disinter, move Parley P. Pratt". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. (reprint by LDS Church News)
- ^ Richard E. Turley Jr., "The Mountain Meadows Massacre," Ensign, September 2007, p. 14–21
- ^ "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, Central Arkansas Library System
- ^ 2008 Deseret News Church Almanac, Salt Lake City: Deseret News.
- ^ Gauldin, C. Alan (13 November 1999). "Arkansas institute building dedicated". LDS Church News. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/36780/Arkansas-institute-building-dedicated.html.
- ^ Keogh, Rochelle (29 July 2006). "Display integrity, apostle tells youth". LDS Church News. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/49241/Display-integrity-apostle-tells-youth.html.
- ^ "Latter-day Saints to Mobilize Another 4,000 Volunteers in Chainsaw Brigade’s Second Wave" (Press release). LDS Newsroom,. 16 September 2005. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/latter-day-saints-to-mobilize-another-4-000-volunteers-in-chainsaw-brigade-s-second-wave.
- ^ "Joining Hands as Neighbors and Now Friends" (Press release). LDS Newsroom. 13 September 2005. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joining-hands-as-neighbors-and-now-friends.
- ^ Bendall, Carolyn (29 April 2006). "Church members help with clean-up, roof repair". LDS Church News. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/48893/Church-members-help-with-clean-up-roof-repair.html.
- ^ Helping Hands at angells.com
- ^ "'Dream' relief provided in Louisiana". LDS Church News. 18 October 2008. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/55388/Dream-relief-provided-in-Louisiana.html.
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 2 August 2003[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 28 July 2007[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 16 October 2004[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 24 June 2006[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 19 February 2005[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 22 March 2008[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents". LDS Church News. 3 January 2009. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56377/New-stake-presidents.html.
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 22 October 2005[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 15 March 2008[dead link]
- ^ "New stake presidents," LDS Church News, 21 January 2006[dead link]
- ^ "Leader Biographies: Elder David A. Bednar". LDS Newsroom. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/background-information/leader-biographies/elder-david-a-bednar.
- ^ About Dr. Wally Goddard, drwally.org
- ^ Little Rock AR Faculty Directory, Church Educational System
- ^ "Leading school board associations". LDS Church News. 3 March 2007. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/50197/Leading-school-board-associations.html.
- ^ "Powerlifter earns 3 Special Olympics medals". LDS Church News. 16 Aug 2003. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/44191/Powerlifter-earns-3-Special-Olympics-medals.html.
[edit] External links
- LDS Newsroom (Arkansas)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Last Updated 1/30/2008.
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