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

As of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 129,238 members in 25 stakes, 183 wards, 57 branches, 5 missions

Mission (LDS Church)

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...

, and 1 temple

Temple (LDS Church)

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...

in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

History

In April 1843, Joseph Smith called William Brown and Daniel Cathcart to serve a mission to Pensacola

Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...

, but no record exists of them fulfilling the calling.
Between April and June 1854, Phineas Young

Phineas Young

Phineas Howe Young was a prominent early convert in the Latter Day Saint movement and was later a Mormon pioneer and a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

visited the Indian chiefs in Florida and distributed copies of the Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...

.

Missionaries began preaching in Pensacola in January 1895 and started a number of Sunday Schools

Sunday School (LDS Church)

Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...

soon afterwards. The first was in Coe Mills in May 1895. The first branch, known as the Hassell Branch, was created in Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Florida

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 12,902. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,490 . Its county seat is Monticello, Florida....

on May 9, 1897. In September 1897, the Sanderson branch was organized. George P. Canova, a well-to-do landowner an chairman of the Baker County Commission, became the Sanderson branch president in January 1898. Five months later, following threats of violence, Canova was killed as he returned home from a Church meeting.

In 1906, Charles A. Callis

Charles A. Callis

Charles Albert Callis was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle by Church President Heber J...

became president of the Florida Conference. That same year, a meetinghouse was dedicated in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

. Another meetinghouse was completed in Oak Grove in 1907.

In 1909, missionaries began working in Miami

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

during the winter months. Five years later, Julius C. Neubeck of Miami was called on a seven-month mission by Charles A. Callis and became the first missionary from that city. He then became presiding elder of the Church in Miami following his mission.

By 1925, branches or Sunday Schools existed in Jacksonville, Sanderson

Sanderson, Florida

Sanderson is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Florida, United States.-Geography:Sanderson is located at .-External links:*...

, Tampa

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

, Miami and in other places throughout the state. In February and March 1925, President Heber J. Grant

Heber J. Grant

Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...

visited Jacksonville and held public meetings. Ten years later the Florida District

District (LDS Church)

A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...

had 22 branches, and the West Florida District had another 13 branches.

The first stake in Florida and in the South was created in Jacksonville on January 19, 1947, by Charles A. Callis of the Quorum of the Twelve. Alvin C. Chace, a grandson of early leader George P. Canova was called as the first president.

In 1950, more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²) was purchased by the church which is now known as the Deseret Ranch

Deseret Ranch

Deseret Ranches refers to the ranching operations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Central Florida. The Ranches include several organizations including Deseret Ranches of Florida, Deseret Cattle and Citrus, Taylor Creek Management, East Central Florida Services, Agreserves, and...

. The initial purchase grew into a 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) ranch in Central Florida. As of 2003, Deseret Ranch had the largest cow-calf

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

operation in the United States with 44,000 head of cattle. It also includes various cattle enterprises, orchards and other agribusiness projects.

Due to the influx of immigrants Florida received over the past few decades from the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

and other countries, branches and wards were created to accommodate foreign speaking individuals in Florida. The first Spanish-speaking stake in the southeastern United States was organized in Miami. This was followed the creation of a second Spanish-speaking stake in Hialeah Gardens

Hialeah Gardens, Florida

Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,297 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S...

in 1998.

On October 9, 1994, President Howard W. Hunter

Howard W. Hunter

Howard William Hunter was the fourteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1994 to 1995. His nine month presidential tenure is the shortest in the history of the Church...

dedicated the Orlando Florida Temple

Orlando Florida Temple

The Orlando Florida Temple is the 48th constructed and 46th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located near Windermere, it was built with a modern single-spire design. It is the second largest LDS temple in the Eastern United States, after the Washington D.C...

. On January 19, 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...

addressed more than 5,000 members at a conference Jacksonville commemorating the stake’s 50th anniversary.

The church has assisted in recovery from several natural disasters Florida’s received. The magnitude of the church’s involvement in recovery has increased over time. This is much due to the increase of the church’s presence and membership in Florida.

Membership History

Year	LDS Membership
1904	1,230
1930	3,164
1977	30,000
1980	54,674
1990	82,413
1999	108,955
2008	131,621

Missions

On March 1, 1894 Florida became part of the Southern States Mission. The Florida Mission was then organized from the Southern States Mission on November 1, 1960. From the Florida Mission the Florida Tallahassee Mission and the Florida South Mission were formed on July 1, 1971. On June 20, 1974 the Florida South Mission changed its name to the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission. Three additional missions has been created in Florida since then.

Mission	Organized
Florida Orlando Mission	July 1, 1998
Florida Jacksonville Mission	July 1, 1987
Florida Tampa Mission	July 1, 1976

Temples

On October 9, 1994 the Orlando Florida Temple was dedicated by President Howard W. Hunter

Howard W. Hunter

. On October 3, 2009 the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple was announced by President Thomas S. Monson

Thomas S. Monson

Thomas Spencer Monson is an American religious leader and author, and the 16th and current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . As president, Monson is considered by adherents of the religion to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" of God's will on earth...

.
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External links

LDS Newsroom (Colorado)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Membership History

Missions

Temples

See also

External links