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Show Page 15 Special Mormon Miracle Pageant Supplement Bronze statues will beautify sacred gardens development Three life-siz- e lasting symbols bronze figures, leaders request for settlers to trek west in 847. of a momentous come to Sanpete. The south side Many Indians, including 1 event which occurred June 14, 1849, will be unveiled and dedicated Saturday, June 28, 1997, at 2 p.m. The monument, titled Invitation to Sanpete - 1849, will be placed near the Manti Temple on grounds owned by the Manti Destiny Committee and being developed as sacred, historic gar- of the gray hill, later known as Manti Temple Hill, provided initial refuge from the vicissitudes of what has been termed the worst winter of a century. This Manti colony marked the commencement of sustained missionary labors among the Indians, although interest and kindly feeldens. ings toward the Lamanites had Manti became the destination been generated with the coming of the Isaac Morley company forth of the Book of Mormon. which was designated by Brigham Some fragmentary labors with Young in response to the Ute them had transpired prior to the Chief Wakara, who had received dreams and visions about the coming of the Mormons, were baptized at Manti by Isaac Morley and others. The Elk Mountain Indian missionary expedition was organized in Manti. Indian farms were established. Indian slave trade in the Utah territory was abolished, due in part to the efforts of the people of Manti. Also, there is an important thread from the Manti settlement to the Uintah Basin, Southern Utah, Arizona and Mexico. Some of the original explorers and company went with Jacob Hamblin among the Hopi and Navajo Indians in northern Arizona. Jerry Anderson, renowned sculptor of Leeds, Utah, has prepared the Invitation to Sanpete 849 monument, under the aus- -- 1 pices of the Manti Destiny Committee. Funds and historical data have been gathered from families who wish to highlight their family name in bronze and remember their heritage in a visitors center nearby. 150 years, 150 countries Church sees rapid worldwide growth The founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints, Joseph Smith, was shot to death by an angry mob in 844 at the age of 38, a move calculated to snuff out the short life of the Church as well. A century and a half and millions of members 1 later, such musings are mere footnotes to history. Today, says a leading religion demographics expert, the only calculations being made in regard to The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterSaints are computer gen-day erated. "When was the last time we had anything appear in the world that looked like it had a shot at becoming a major world faith?," says Rodney Stark, religion sociologist at the University of Washington. "It's clearly the most interesting religious development in centuries." No longer a Utah church. As recently as 1930, one half of all Latter-day Saints in the world resided in the Beehive State (Utah), site of the Church world headquarters. By 1996, however, as the membership has spread to more than 150 nations and territories, only one in six members resides in Utah. Since the spring of 1996, more than half of latter-da- y Saints worldwide reside outside of that United States. United States The nation where the Church was restored in the early 19th Century still has more Latter-da- y Saints than any other Just under half of the country. overall membership, about 4,800,000, are found in the U.S. Utah leads with roughly 1.5 million members, but the others are spread throughout the remaining 49 states. Latin America The most dra- matic growth of the Church in re- cent years has been in Latin America. In the spring of 1996 there were 728,000 Latter-da- y baints in Mexico, J45.uuu in central America, and two million in South America. Asia With some 600,000 Latter-da- y Saints, Asia is another part of the world w here the Church is seeing steady growth. The Philippines, with 354,000, has the larg- est membership. After English, Spanish and Portuguese, the Philippine language of Tagalog is the fourth most spoken language in the Church. Europe In the early years of the Church, most of the converts came from the British Isles and Scandinavia. At the time, they were encouraged to emigrate to the United States and make their Calling the shots... way to Utah territory. Years later, that policy was changed and today converts are encouraged to remain in their respective countries in order to build up the Church locally. By 1996 there were 355,000 members in Europe. South Pacific The principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, Saint as taught by the Latter-da- y a have made missionaries, strong impression on the people in the isles of the Pacific. In fact, one in three Tongans are members of the Church, as are one in four Samoans. There are some 320,000 LatterSaints spread throughout -day islands the of the Pacific. Canada Canada is home to some Saints and sev45,000 Latter-da- y eral pioneer settlements. In 1887, 1 Canadian convert John Taylor, by then the third president of the Church, sent a group of pioneers north to Alberta, where they established a number British-bor- n of communities, including Cardston. In 1923, the first Church temple outside of the United States was dedicated there. temple was completed A in second Toronto This statue, sculpted by Jerry Anderson, along with two others, will be unveiled and dedicated Sat, June 28. in 1990. Africa Missionary efforts in all African nations except South Africa didn't recei e much focus until the late 1970s, but since then, the growth has been impressive. There are some 100,000 Latter-da- y Saints on the continent today. Nigeria, with 25,000, leads the way, with south Africa close behind at 24,000. There are units of the Church in 28 African nations. Carribbean The Dominican Republic, with 50,000 Latter-da- y Saints, has the largest membership of the Church in the Caribbean, where there are some 85,000 members spread through the several island nations. Planning on a Temple Wedding? South Central Utah's Premiere Wedding Specialists are nght here in Manti to cover your wedding with beautiful photography! Beautiful Bridal and Engagement Portraits Wedding Invitations Wedding Accessories Families and Large Groups Creative Senior Portraits Proms and Dances Copy and Restoration Passports We while you wait have packages to MESSENGER-ENTERPRIS- E , WC Custom Color and B V Lab w ith processing! same-da- y II PETERSON 11 21 N mwwwwww The best of Mexican, Oriental Work Economical Your best source of local news... 11 Main. Manti 111 (801) 835-284- 4 11 TT (800)428-905- V 7 and American dining Full Mexican Bar Salad Bar Hot Bar (Baby Back Ribs, Roast Beef, Ham) Banquets & catering services available Milk Choices 115 North Main Manti, Utah 835-955- i 5'i ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET! Friday - Saturday 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sandw iches & Y ogurt rfWWUWUWWWWb 1 auxas- SI,., I GS Our shakes are made from hard ice cream. "Good things come to those who wait..." ffy 0 any budget! Quality, Guaranteed Mormon Miracle Pageant Presidency (I to r): Ivo Peterson, Manti, former counselor in Pageant Presidency; Grant Hansen, Mayfield, former bishop of Mayfield Ward; President Jay Cluff, Manti, former counselor in Manti Stake Presidency; David Willmore, Ephraim, former Snow College Stake President The members of the Pageant Presidency are specifically called to this position by Church leaders. They coordinate all Pageant activities in nine local LDS stakes, help with promotion, and handle many other related activities. fit - |