The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia (U.S. state)
Encyclopedia
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 Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
History
In 1843, missionary work was briefly opened in Georgia by Elder John U. Eldredge. Other missionaries followed to preach and to campaign for Joseph Smith in his presidential bid. The campaign ceased in 1844 with the death of Joseph SmithDeath of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
, and missionary work halted in 1846.
Missionary work in Georgia resumed in 1878. The Southern States Mission headquarters was established in Rome
Rome, Georgia
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...
(60 miles north of Atlanta). One early convert to the Church donated land and built a chapel at Mormon Springs in Haralson County
Haralson County, Georgia
Haralson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on January 26, 1856 and was named for Hugh A. Haralson. As of 2000, the population was 25,690. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 28,718...
.
Missionaries were initially treated well upon their return to the South, but before long their success led to violent opposition. On July 21 1879, Elder Joseph Standing
Joseph Standing
Joseph Standing Standing was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was killed by a mob near the town of Varnell, Whitfield County, Georgia in 1879.-Family:...
was killed by a mob near Varnell's Station
Varnell, Georgia
Varnell is a city in Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,491 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Varnell is located at ....
. His companion escaped serious injury. Unable to secure protection for missionaries, the church pulled out all missionaries in Georgia for the next decade. in 1884, a small group of members left to go west by Train.
Missionaries returned to Georgia in 1899, but slowly and cautiously due to disease and persecution. Ohio was added to the Southern States mission at the request of President Ben E. Rich, so he would have a place where ill missionaries could recover.
In 1930, branches were located in Atlanta, Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, Columbus
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
and Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. Sunday Schools had been established in Cedar Crossing
Toombs County, Georgia
Toombs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on August 18, 1905. As of 2000, the population was 26,067. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 27,820. The county seat is Lyons....
, Douglas
Douglas, Georgia
Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,589. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census...
, Empire
Dodge County, Georgia
Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 19,171. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,042. The county seat is Eastman. Dodge County lies in the Historic South region of Georgia, an area that has architectural wonders and shows the...
, Glenwood
Glenwood, Georgia
Glenwood is a city in Wheeler County, Georgia, United States. The population was 884 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glenwood is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Milledgeville
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
, and Thomaston
Thomaston, Georgia
Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,638 at the 2006 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville,...
. That year, the state membership was 4,311.
LeGrand Richards
LeGrand Richards
LeGrand Richards was a prominent missionary and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as the seventh presiding bishop of the LDS Church from 1938 to 1952, and was then called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by Church President David O. McKay...
, later a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, served as Southern States Mission mission president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
from 1934-1937, and wrote the outline for A Marvelous Work and a Wonder while in Atlanta.
In 1957, the Atlanta Stake was created, taking the northern two-thirds of the state with 3,000 members with wards in Atlanta (2), Columbus, Macon, and Empire. Branches fro the stake was located in Buchanan
Buchanan, Georgia
Buchanan is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Haralson County.Locally, the city's name is pronounced BUCK-an'-uhn, with the emphasis on the first syllable....
, Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, Gibson, Milledgeville, and Palmetto
Palmetto, Georgia
Palmetto is a city located mostly in Fulton County and now partly in Coweta County in the U.S. state of Georgia...
. The remainder of the state was covered by the Georgia-Florida and South Georgia districts.
Membership History
| Year | LDS Membership |
|---|---|
| 1890 | 175 |
| 1930 | 4,311 |
| 1974 | 14,360 |
| 1980 | 27,210 |
| 1990 | 41,595 |
| 1999 | 57,857 |
| 2008 | 74,644 |
Humanitarian Relief
From Atlanta, hurricane and flood relief has been shipped to many areas of disaster including Hurricane AndrewHurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
, the Albany, Georgia flooding in1994
Tropical Storm Alberto (1994)
Tropical Storm Alberto was the first storm of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Florida across the Southeast United States in July, causing a massive flooding disaster while stalling over Georgia and Alabama. Alberto caused $1 billion in damage and 30 deaths.-Meteorological history:A...
, Hurricane Opal
Hurricane Opal
Hurricane Opal was a Category 4 hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico in September 1995.Opal was the ninth hurricane and the strongest of the abnormally active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season...
, 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...
as well as many other storms and disasters.
In December 1994, the Church donated 158,000 pounds of food through 26 religious and charitable organizations to the hungry in Atlanta. As various natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes struck Georgia and other areas across the south, Church members in Georgia responded to supply funds, goods, and volunteer help in the aftermath.
Southeast Based in Atlanta
Though its headquarters is publicly in Salt Lake City, many operations for the North America Southeast Area operate through Atlanta.In 1919 the headquarters of the Southern States mission moved to Atlanta under mission president 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...
. At that time, this mission stretched as far west as Arkansas and Louisiana, and as far north as Ohio.
In 1983, the Atlanta Georgia Temple
Atlanta Georgia Temple
The Atlanta Georgia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the first temple built by the church in the Southeastern United States and the second temple east of the Mississippi River since 1846...
was completed and dedicated, being the only temple in the Southeast United States for over 11 years.
Area headquarters in Atlanta include complete temporal and ecclesiastical distribution centers. LDS Family Services
LDS Family Services
LDS Family Services is a private nonprofit corporation owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It offers members of the church and others adoption services, marital and family counseling, addiction and drug dependency counseling, general psychotherapy, and counseling...
for the North America Southeast Area is also based in Atlanta.
Missions
Atlanta, Georgia became headquarters for the Southern States Mission when it was opened in 1876 with Henry G. Boyle as presidentMission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
. The mission covered the southern United States from Texas
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas
As of year-end 2010, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 296,141 members, 49 stakes, 3 districts, 557 Congregations , 8 missions, and 4 temples in Texas....
east. As more missions were created, the territorial coverage was reduced. In Jun 1971, the Southern States mission was renamed the Georgia-South Carolina Mission. On June 20 1974, it was renamed the Georgia Atlanta Mission.
Georgia is now home to three missons.
| Mission | Organized |
|---|---|
| Georgia Atlanta Mission | Nov 1876 |
| Georgia Atlanta North Mission | July 11, 2003 |
| Georgia Macon Mission | July 1, 1990 |
Temples
On June 1, 1983 the Atlanta Georgia Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. HinckleyGordon 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...
. For over 11 years (1983-1994), it served as the only temple in the North America Southeast Area.
|}
External links
- LDS Newsroom (Georgia)
- The Church in Georgia at atlantamormontemple.org, an official LDS Church website
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Georgia) New Georgia Encyclopedia.