Facts and Statistics

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    Fiji

    23,898

    Total Church Membership

    1-in-

    4

    Stakes

    52

    Congregations

    27 Wards
    25 Branches

    11

    Family History Centers

    11

    1

    Temples

    1

    Missions | 2 Districts

    History

    In May 1843, thirteen years after the Church was organized in the United States, four men were sent to be missionaries in the islands of the Pacific.

    In the 1950s, Latter-day Saint Tongan and Samoan families, including Cecil B. Smith and Mele Vea Ashley and their families, held Church meetings in Suva, Fiji. When the first missionaries, Elders Boyd L. Harris and Sheldon L. Abbott, arrived, they began working with this group and organized the Suva Branch (a small congregation) on 5 September 1954.

    Work proceeded slowly. Missionaries were limited by the multiple languages spoken in Fiji and by restrictions of only two missionary visas at a time. In January 1955, President David O. McKay had an airplane layover in Suva, and he met the missionaries and attended services at the Smith home. Twenty-eight people attended that day. President McKay urged missionaries to proceed and to purchase property for a building. The Church building that was later constructed was a nearly normal-sized stake (diocese) center, anticipating great future growth.

    Fiji was placed in the Tongan mission on 15 January 1958, and 93 people attended the conference that day. Later in 1958, 300 attended dedicatory services for the new building. About that time, the quota of missionaries was increased by six. Gideon Dolo was the first Fijian to serve a mission, leaving in February 1959.

    Growth continued in the 1960s. In 1966, 150 attended district conferences in Suva. Three years later, the attendance at conference reached 500, and the district was divided. The Fiji Mission was created 23 July 1971. In 1972, mission president Eb L. Davis expanded the mission into several new areas. By 1972, the building was filled with Fijians, Indians, Rotumans, Tongans, Samoans, New Zealanders, Australians, Europeans, and Americans.

    Educational efforts were also strengthened in Fiji. In 1969, a Church school was held in the building, and by 1973 it had more than 100 students. In 1975, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Fiji Technical College was opened. By 1984, 372 students were enrolled.

    The Suva Fiji Stake was organized 12 June 1983, with Inosi Naga as president. The Suva Fiji Temple was dedicated on 18 June 2000.

    For Journalist Use Only

    Richard Hunter
    New Zealand
    Phone:  64(9)488-5572
    Mobile: 64-21-240-7804

    E-mail: Hunterra@ldschurch.org

    Africa

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    849,568

    Members

    2,721

    Congregations

    Missions

    45Missions

    Family History Centers

    423

    Temples

    6Temples

    Asia

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    1,298,181

    Members

    2,113

    Congregations

    Missions

    45Missions

    Family History Centers

    402

    Temples

    10Temples

    Europe

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    507,748

    Members

    1,296

    Congregations

    Missions

    35Missions

    Family History Centers

    663

    Temples

    14Temples

    North America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    9,637,503

    Members

    18,423

    Congregations

    Missions

    175Missions

    Family History Centers

    3,054

    Temples

    120Temples

    Oceania (Pacific)

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    599,065

    Members

    1,308

    Congregations

    Missions

    17Missions

    Family History Centers

    318

    Temples

    11Temples

    South America

    Total Church Membership

    Members
    Congregations

    4,320,129

    Members

    5,629

    Congregations

    Missions

    97Missions

    Family History Centers

    1,355

    Temples

    25Temples