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

As of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 27,119 members, 7 stakes, 49 Congregations (32 wards and 17 branches), 1 mission

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 Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

History

On January 4, 1841, The Prophet Joseph Smith received a letter from Elam Ludington and Eli G. Terrill of New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

who requested an elder to assist the members of the Church who were living there. "Send us Peter, or an Apostle to preach unto Jesus," they wrote, and enclosed $10 to help defray expenses. The group may have been among those from the sailing ship Isaac Newton, which arrived from London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

on December 21, 1840.

Harrison Sagers arrived at New Orleans on March 28, 1841. He preached to large crowds but was troubled by mobs, and was once protected from a mob by a group of courageous women who circled him in his defense. He baptized several people. Additional missionaries were sent from Nauvoo

Nauvoo, Illinois

Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...

to assist Sagers.

New Orleans became the principal port of arrival for Latter-day Saints from Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

by November 1841. Over the next few years, 17,463 individuals immigrated by way of this port city. From 1844 to 1855, the New Orleans and Lafayette

Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...

branch functioned in New Orleans, when New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

became the port of arrival for the church immigrants due to outbreaks of major epidemics.

No other known missionary efforts was done in Louisiana until February 16, 1896 when missionaries were assigned to the Louisiana Conference, which was part of the Southern States Mission. Joseph A. Cornwall arrived in Louisiana on September 10 of that year. By the end of 1897, he and his companions had baptized their first converts. On March 12, 1899, the Red Rock Branch was organized. John R. Jones, a sawmill owner, befriended the missionaries and protected them from opposition. Alexander Colman Wagley was baptized on September 4, 1898, and became the first president of the Red Rock Branch. David A Broadbent, president of the Louisiana District from 1898 to 1899, reported 110 people had been baptized by June 16, 1899.

In October 1899 a mob threatened a missionary under the medical care of Jane Holt Clark, a midwife. She confronted the mob with a shotgun and said, "I brought a good many of you into the world and I can take you out again just as easily." The mob dispersed.

A wagon train of members from Pride traveled to and settled at Corleyville in Sabine Parish

Sabine Parish, Louisiana

Sabine Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Many. In 2010, the parish's population was 24,233....

. They organized a branch on November 12, 1916. A meetinghouse was erected around 1920. The Many

Many, Louisiana

Many is a town in and the parish seat of Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,889 at the 2000 census. The town was named for John B. Many, the commander of nearby Fort Jesup.-History:...

Branch was organized by June 1935 with its meetinghouse built by December 6, 1941.

Howard and Marion Bennion arrived in New Orleans in the 1920s and organized a branch in their apartment in 1924. The branch struggled in the early 1930s, but due to an increased effort from the local members, the New Orleans branch began to grow. 100 people celebrated the New Orleans Branch centennial in 1944. Due to the influx of Latter-day Saint servicemen who came during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the branch had grown to 300 members in 1948. A meetinghouse was begun in January 1951, and then dedicated on November 16, 1952. That same year, meetinghouses were dedicated in Hammond

Hammond, Louisiana

Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...

, Willliamson, and Lake Charles

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...

. The New Orleans Stake, Louisiana's first, was organized on June 19, 1955 by Harold B. Lee

Harold B. Lee

Harold Bingham Lee was eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from July 1972 until his death.- Early life :...

and Mark E. Petersen

Mark E. Petersen

Mark Edward Petersen was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1944 until his death. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he filled the vacancy caused by the excommunication of Richard R. Lyman...

of the Quorum of the Twelve

Quorum of the Twelve

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve was one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., and patterned after the twelve apostles of Christ In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the...

.

On May 15, 1977, President Spencer W. Kimball

Spencer W. Kimball

Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...

visited Baton Rouge and spoke to a congregation of 12,000 from the area. On March 2, 2003, 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...

spoke to 5,000 members in the University of New Orleans

University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...

Lakefront Arena

The Senator Nat G. Kiefer University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena, in New Orleans, Louisiana and was built in 1983. It is named in honor of Nat G. Kiefer, the late state senator who aided UNO’s efforts to obtain state funding for the building...

as part of a two-day tour of members in the Southern states.

Following Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

in 2005, several thousand Latter-day Saint volunteers, from a 7 state area (including Louisiana), poured into the devastated area. Many of them taking time out of their jobs or came down on the weekends to help anyone needing assistance regardless of faith.

Louisiana Membership History

Year	Membership
1944	300
1980	16,000
1990	22,000
1999	24,143
2008	27,628

Stakes

Louisiana is currently has 6 stakes with 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.

Stake	Organized	Stake President	Occupation
Alexandria Louisiana	August 27, 1978	Dwigth J. L. Epperson	business owner
Denham Springs Louisiana	April 19, 1981	Raymond Vail Burkart Jr	safety manager/security at Kaiser Aluminum
Monroe Louisiana	August 18, 1985	Aristotels Pena M.	physician
Shreveport Louisiana	January 26, 1958	Henry John Platt	physician, partner/owner of Urgent Care Center
New Orleans Louisiana	June 19, 1955	Scott N. Conlin	information technology manager for Monsanto
Baton Rouge Louisiana	January 26, 1969	Val Dean Green Riggs	seminary and institute coordinator

Missions

Since World War II, Louisiana has been included in the Texas-Louisiana, Gulf States, and the Louisiana Shreveport missions. The Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission was organized in 1975.

Temples

On July 16, 2000 the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple was dedicated by 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...

.
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External links

From Red Rock to Denham Springs
"Louisiana", LDS Newsroom
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site