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

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vanuatu
An LDS Church meetinghouse in Vanuatu.
AreaPacific
Members11,940 (2023)[1]
Stakes1
Districts3
Wards5
Branches32
Total Congregations[2]37
Missions1
Temples
  • 1 Under Construction
FamilySearch Centers3[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vanuatu refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Vanuatu. As of 2022, there were 11,304 members in 37 congregations, making it the third largest body of LDS Church members in Melanesia behind Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Vanuatu has the most LDS Church members per capita in Melanesia, and the sixth most members per capita of any country in the world, behind Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.[4]

History

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Bislama translation of the Book of Mormon
Membership in Vanuatu[5][1]
YearMembership
1978 83
1984 120
1989* 200
1995* 500
1999 1,121
2004 2,822
2009 3,783
2014 6,693
2019 10,210
2022 11,304
*Membership was published as a rounded number.

Tongan members moved to New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) in the early 1970s. A branch was formed in Port Vila on July 15, 1973. Additional congregations emerged and the Port Vila District was created October 19, 1996. The Luganville District was organized September 27, 1998.[6] The Port Vila Vanuatu Stake was created on Sunday June 21, 2015 with 2,000 in attendance.[7][8]

Stake & Districts

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As of February 2023, the following stake and districts exist in Vanuatu:[9]

Stake/District Organized
Luganville Vanuatu District 27 Sep 1998
Malekula Vanuatu District 29 May 2011
Port Vila Vanuatu Stake 22 Oct 1996
Tanna Vanuatu Stake 27 Apr 2014

Mission

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Missionaries from the Fiji Suva mission first arrived in Vanuatu in 1974. It continued to be part of the Fiji Suva Mission until 2012.[6] In July 2012, the Fiji Suva and Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Missions were divided to create the Vanuatu Port Vila Mission. The Vanuatu Port Vila Mission encompasses the islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and The Solomon Islands.[10]

New Caledonia

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Main article: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Caledonia

Solomon Islands

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The first branch of the LDS Church in the Solomon Islands was organized February 4, 1996. Additional branches formed and the Honiara Solomon Islands District was organized on November 27, 2011. In 2022, the district included 1,375 members in five branches (Burns Creek Branch, Honiara Branch, and White River Branch in Honiara, Auki Branch, and Fauabu Malaita Branch).[11]

Temples

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On October 4, 2020 the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple was announced by church president Russell M. Nelson. Groundbreaking took place on April 8, 2023.[citation needed]

Map
edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Size: 		Port Vila, Vanuatu
4 October 2020 by Russell M. Nelson[12]
8 April 2023 by K. Brett Nattress[13]
10,000 sq ft (930 m2) on a 1.62-acre (0.66 ha) site

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Vanuatu", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 10 June 2023
  2. ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches
  3. ^ Vanuatu Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 21, 2022
  4. ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics
  5. ^ Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Vanuatu
  6. ^ a b Mortimer, Wm. James (2000), 1999-2000 Church Almanac, Deseret Morning News, p. 405, ISBN 1573454915
  7. ^ "Sustaining of the First Vanuatu Stake Presidency", Mormon Media Fiji, YouTube, retrieved January 31, 2023
  8. ^ "First stake created in Vanuatu", Church News Archives, Deseret Morning News, 2 July 2015, retrieved January 31, 2023
  9. ^ "Suva Fiji Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved 2021-02-17
  10. ^ Lloyd, R. Scott (3 March 2012), "New missions created", Church News, Deseret Morning News, retrieved January 31, 2023
  11. ^ "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Solomon Islands", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 24 February 2023
  12. ^ "Prophet Announces Six New Temples at October 2020 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 October 2020
  13. ^ https://news-pacific.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-event-marks-beginning-of-construction-of-port-vila-vanuatu-temple
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