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http://www.ldsworld.com/gems/wws/country/1,2626,New%20Zealand,00.html
PRESIDENT HINCKLEY'S 1997 VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND
In May 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley toured the South Pacific
including New Zealand, accompanied by Sister Hinckley, Elder Henry B.
Eyring and his wife, and Elder Bruce C. Hafen and his wife. Touring New
Zealand as President of the Church brought President Hinckley full circle.
In 1958, just three weeks after being called as a General Authority,
President Hinckley visited New Zealand to participate in the dedication of
the temple near Hamilton.
On May 10-11, 1997, in Hamilton, President Hinckley presided at a regional
conference attended by nearly 10,000 Church members from 13 stakes and 5
districts from throughout New Zealand. As a part of the conference, a
priesthood leadership meeting attended by nearly 1,400 leaders was held in
the David O. McKay Auditorium on the campus of the Church College of New
Zealand.
An "LDS Church News" report on the prophet's visit includes the following:
Calling attention to the fact that the first stake organized outside
of North America (or Hawaii) occurred in New Zealand in 1958, President
Hinckley rehearsed how the Church has grown to its current position
today, with a burgeoning membership of nearly 10 million in more than
160 nations.
The Church is now the sixth largest religion in New Zealand - "a vast
congregation" now numbering more than 84,000 in 25 stakes in this
nation. "The Church is a miracle," said the prophet.
("Pres. Hinckley Visits New Zealand," LDS Church News, May 17, 1997.)
During that same tour, President Hinckley also presided over a multistake
fireside held outdoors in the North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. More than
12,000 members from 12 stakes in the greater Auckland area attended the
meeting.
2001-2002 CHURCH ALMANAC INFORMATION
The following almanac information on the Church in New Zealand today comes
primarily from the "Deseret News 2001-2001 Church Almanac." A link to
purchase this information-packed volume is included at the end of this
message.
The Church in New Zealand
Members: More than 90,000
Stakes: 25 (Auckland Harbour, Auckland Henderson, Auckland Manukau,
Auckland Manurewa, Auckland Mount Roskill, Auckland Panmure, Auckland
Papakura, Auckland Papatoetoe, Auckland Tamaki, Auckland Waterview,
Christchurch, Gisborne, Hamilton, Hamilton Glenview, Hastings, Hastings
Flaxmere, Kaikohe, Palmerston, Porirua, Rotorua, Tauranga, Temple View,
Upper Hutt, Wellington, Whangarei)
Wards: 145
Districts: 5
Branches: 66
Missions: 2 (Auckland, Wellington)
Temples: 1 (Hamilton)
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LINKS
If you wish to know more about the history of the Church in New Zealand,
the following list is recommended. Many of the sources were used in
preparing this series. The links given provide access to either purchasing
or viewing the referenced material.
Britsch, R. Lanier, "Unto the Islands of the Sea, A History of the
Latter-day Saints in the Pacific," Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book
Company, 1986. (Out of print. Included in "GospeLink 2001")
http://deseretbook.com/ldsworld.tcl?sku=4028853
Church magazine articles - all of these articles are available in the
gospel library portion of the Church's Web site at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org
* Britsch, R. Lanier, "Church in New Zealand: Roots of Faith," Ensign,
September 1989.
* Britsch, R. Lanier, "The Church in the South Pacific," Ensign,
February 1976.
* Cowley, Matthew, "Classic Discourses from the General Authorities:
Miracles," New Era, June 1975.
* Dil, Tina, "Church in New Zealand: New Zealand," Ensign,
September 1989.
* Dykes, Mervyn, "The Church in New Zealand," Ensign, February 1976.
* Hinze, Brent and Sarah, "Faith and a Loving Heart: The Story of Elva
Taylor Cowley," Ensign, August 1983.
* Rudd, Glen L., "Keeping the Gospel Simple," Ensign, January 1989.
Cowley, Matthew, "Matthew Cowley Speaks," Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret
Book Company, 1954. (Out of print. Included in "GospeLink 2001")
http://deseretbook.com/ldsworld.tcl?sku=4028853
Deseret News, "2001-2002 Church Almanac," Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret
News, 2000. http://www.deseretnews.com/cn/almanac
"Ensign to the Nations" (video cassette), Salt Lake City, Utah:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://www.ldscatalog.com
"LDS Church News" articles - published by "Deseret News," Salt Lake City,
Utah are available online.
For more information see http://www.desnews.com/cn
* Hart, John L., "Disabling Accident Led to a New Career as Landscape
Artist," LDS Church News, August 28, 1993.
* Malouf, Pat, "Celebrating Anniversary of New Zealand's First Stake,"
LDS Church News, July 18, 1998.
* "Pres. Hinckley Visits New Zealand," LDS Church News, May 17, 1997.
Rudd, Glen L., "New Zealand: A Short Collection of Items of History to
Add to Our Memories and Appreciation," Utah: New Zealand Missionary
Society, 2001. http://www.mission.net/new-zealand/
NEXT WEEK: New Series! The History of the Church in Ghana
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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on CultureGrams, visit http://www.culturegrams.com
A great source for information on the worldwide growth and history of the
Church is the "Church Almanac" published by the Deseret News. The almanac
includes biographical information and listings of General Authorities,
histories and statistics for every state and country where the Church has a
presence, a thorough section on temples, and more! To buy your copy, go to:
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tremendous. Brad's research, gathering, writing, and distribution of these
messages have made a difference to many people. Thanks, Brad!
GEMS is grateful to R. Lanier Britsch for his support of this series.
Brother Britsch's book "Unto the Islands of the Sea, A History of the
Latter-day Saints in the Pacific" (Deseret Book, 1986) is available on
"GospeLink 2001." You can buy "GospeLink 2001" online at
http://deseretbook.com/ldsworld.tcl?sku=4028853
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