- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was established in theHawaiian Islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated byKamehameha III , giving the underground Hawaii Catholic Church the right to worship, and at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin establishing themselves.The first LDS Church missionaries to have success among the Hawaiians was
George Q. Cannon . Among his earliest converts were men well-versed in theHawaiian language , such asJonatana Napela and Uaua. After the construction of the Hawaiian Temple, the Latter-day Saints founded Church College of Hawaii, nowBrigham Young University Hawaii , which now includes the associated Polynesian Cultural Center, the state's largest living museum, and an entertainment center [http://www.polynesia.com/] ; it draws a million visitors annually [http://www.hawaii.com/visit/oahu/attractions/familyattractions/articles/52] . The Mormon population in Hawaii continued to increase, and theKona Hawaii Temple , a second LDS Church temple for the islands, was completed inKailua Kona on the island of Hawaii in 2000.At the end of 2006, there were in Hawaii 66,066 Latter-day Saints organized into 15 stakes, 119 wards, and 12 branches, and there was one mission. In addition there were 25 Family History Centers, used for genealogical research and study. [LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information) [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/contact-us/usa-hawaii] ]
History
The first ten Mormon missionaries departed San Francisco for Hawaii during the
California Gold Rush on the ship "Imaum of Muscat", arriving on December 12,1850 , inHonolulu Harbor of what was then known as theSandwich Islands .harvnb|LDS|1964|pp=3.] With Hiram Clark presiding, the missionaries included Elders Henry Bigler, Hiram Blackwell, George Q. Cannon, John Dixon, William Farrer, James Hawkins, James Keeler, Thomas Morris, and Thomas Whittle. A day after their arrival the group climbed a hill above Honolulu (Pacific Heights), constructed a small, makeshift altar and said a prayer. A week later, nine missionaries received their assignments: Farrer and Dixon headed to the island ofKaua'i , Cannon, Keeler, and Bigler to Lahaina on the island ofMaui , Blackwell and Hawkins to the Big Island of Hawaii, with Morris and President Clark staying behind inHonolulu . This group formed the basis of the Sandwich Islands Mission.harvnb|Wallace III|2000|loc= [http://www.laiecommunityassociation.org/history.html History] .] The first Church congregation in Hawaii was established on the island of Maui in1851 .harvnb|LDS|1964|pp=7.] Missionaries settled on the island of Lānaokinai in 1854.harvnb|LDS|1964|pp=8.]Temples
The LDS Church currently has 2 operating temples in Hawaii.
ee also
*
Brigham Young University Hawaii
*Polynesian Cultural Center
*Walter M. Gibson
*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States) Notes
References
*Citation
last = Wallace III
first = William Kauaiwiulaokalani
author-link =
title = The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints In the Hawaiian Islands from 1850-1900;
publisher = La'ie Community Association
date = 2000-01-30
url = http://www.laiecommunityassociation.org/history.html
accessdate = 2007-11-17 .
*Citation
last = LDS
author-link = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
title = The Mormon temple, Laie, Hawaii
publisher = Bureau of Information, Hawaii Temple, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
pages = 1-20
year = 1964.
*Citation
title = Voyages of Faith: Explorations in Mormon Pacific History
editor = Grant Underwood
publisher =Brigham Young University Press
place = Provo, Utah
year = 2000
isbn = 0842524800.Further reading
*cite web
last = Jackson
first = Richard W.
title = Places of Worship: 150 Years of Latter-day Saint Architecture
work = Provo, Utah
publisher = Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University
year = 2003
url = http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/rsc&CISOPTR=3408&REC=16
format = PDF
accessdate = 2008-08-08
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