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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reports 8,967 members in 33 congregations in Malaysia.[1]

History

The LDS Church has had a presence in Malaysia for less than 40 years.

When the Singapore Mission of the church was established in 1974, Malaysia was within the boundaries of the mission. Mormon missionaries were rotated in and out of the country on 30-day tourist visas to comply with Malaysian law.

After the government granted the LDS Church recognition status in 1977, Elder and Sister Werner Kiepe were sent as senior missionaries to Malaysia. They helped acquire the first property owned by the church in Malaysia in the suburb of Kuala Lumpur. Church membership was small with many members being Americans, Australians temporarily working in the country; there were also some Chinese members living in the country.

A milestone was reached when two native Malaysian men were called in 1981 to serve as missionaries in the Singapore Mission. In the same year, a district was organised in Malaysia. In 1986, the seminary and institute program was established in the country. In 1990, King Syed Putra Jamallulail, the Raja of Perlis, was honoured during a visit at the church's Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii.[1]

In 1995, Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Malaysia and dedicated the country for "the preaching the gospel". Convert baptisms have doubled in 1998 over those in 1997.

Ground was broken for the first meetinghouse in East Malaysia at Kota Kinabalu on 16 April 2003.[1][2] Though it was the first groundbreaking of a meetinghouse in Malaysia, it was the second meetinghouse dedicated in the country.[3]

On 2 August 2003, the Malaysia district holds its women's conference.[4] Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, assisted 15 Malaysian communities with providing a reliable supply of clean drinking water.[5]

Membership History

Year Membership
1993 500
1995 700
1997 800
1999 1,141
2001 1,618
2003 2,237
2005 2,917
2007 4,626
2008 5,646
2012 7,926

See also

Missions

Malaysia is within the boundaries of the church's Singapore Mission.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Facts and Statistics: Malaysia", LDS Statistics and Church Facts, mormonnewsroom.org.
  2. ↑ "First meetinghouse in Kota Kinabalu", Church News, 17 May 2003.
  3. ↑ "Second meetinghouse in Malaysia", Church News, 6 May 2006.
  4. ↑ "Malaysia district holds women's conference", Church News, 23 August 2003.
  5. ↑ "A reliable supply of clean water", Church News, 12 May 2007.
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