- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana
As of year-end 2006,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 32,965 members, 6 stakes, 44 wards, 40 branches, 2 missions, 5 districts and 1 temple inGhana . [LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information) [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/contact-us/usa-arkansas] ]History
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was not officially established inGhana until 1978. However from 1969–1978 there were congregations using this name, following theBook of Mormon and hoping to be able to receive the missionaries and ordinances of the church. One of the main leaders of this group was Billy Johnson. These groups did receive recognition by the government of Ghana in 1969.In 1978,
Spencer W. Kimball received the revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy male members of the church regardless of race or color. After this, the church decided to open missions in West Africa.Merrill J. Bateman , aBrigham Young University economics professor who had often traveled to Ghana to study thecocoa industry, andEdwin Q. "Ted" Cannon made an initial trip to Ghana andNigeria in the summer of 1978 and contacted many members of these churches that wanted to join with the LDS Church.In November, Cannon returned to Africa as a missionary with his wife
Janath Cannon and in December they went to Ghana. Here they baptized most of the pople who had been affiliated with the various groups using the church's name and from this point on congregations under the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Ghana were part of the church headquartered inSalt Lake City ,Utah .There is one temple of the church in Ghana, the
Accra Ghana Temple , which was opened in 2004.Ghana Membership History
Temples
On January 11, 2004 the Accra Ghana Temple was dedicated by President
Gordon B. Hinckley .ee Also
*
Accra Ghana Temple
*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics References
* Kissi, Emmanuel A. "Walking in the Sand" (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004)
* Garr, Arnold K.,Donald Q. Cannon andRichard O. Cowan , ed., "Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saints History" (Salt Lake City:Deseret Book , 2000) p. 426-427
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