Massive shift among Latter-day Saints in Rexburg with creation of new congregations
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The following is a news release from the Rexburg area Latter-day Saint Communications Director.
REXBURG – Thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rexburg will attend church services with new members of their congregations next Sunday.
A multi-stake conference was held on Sunday, December 12. Elder Jose A. Teixeira, a member of the Church’s Quorum of Seventy, presided at the meeting. He was accompanied by Elder Fernando R. Castro, an area authority.
A new stake (which is a cluster of congregations), the Rexburg West Stake, was created with an additional two stakes reorganized with new stake presidencies. A stake president and his two counselors are the lay leaders of 6-12 wards (congregations) within the Church. In addition to the stake realignments, dozens of ward boundaries have been redrawn and four new wards were created in the reorganization. These include the Burton 5th Ward (Rexburg Idaho Stake), Founder’s Square Ward (Rexburg Idaho Stake), Hidden Valley Ward (Rexburg North Stake), Summerfield 2nd Ward (Rexburg West Stake). Despite the creation of a new stake and four new wards, there are no immediate plans to build additional meetinghouses in the Rexburg area.
In the creation of the new stake, dozens of wards and each of the six existing stakes in Rexburg have had new geographical boundaries drawn to determine which ward members are assigned to attend.
To provide worship services to students who attend school at Brigham Young University-Idaho, the Church is divided into 11 young single adult stakes, 4 married student stakes, and now 7 traditional stakes in the Rexburg area. (YSA and married student stakes will not be affected by the recent realignment.) While married students can choose to attend church meetings with other young married students, many of them also choose to attend traditional congregations.
Due to the Rexburg area’s unique demographic of church membership that includes many short-term residents, local Church leaders have taken a distinctive approach to dividing members into wards.
While wards are traditionally made up of residents within the same neighborhood or geographic area, in this boundary realignment, large Rexburg apartment complexes were divided and linked to residential neighborhoods that are not connected contiguously. These changes will also allow wards to better accommodate future church growth in the area without needing significant ward and stake realignments.
Elder Michael Packer, Area Seventy, who oversees the Rexburg area stakes says the boundaries will bless both long-time residents and those who will only reside here for a short season of their lives.
“These stake presidents in council together were inspired to connect short-term residents with long-term residents, blessing the lives of both,” Packer said. “I felt a powerful confirmation of this decision when the stake presidents showed me the layout of the new boundaries.”
President Brett Sampson of the Rexburg East Idaho Stake worked with other local stake leaders to draft the boundaries.
“I certainly didn’t have any idea of the profound experience we would have as we counseled together, asked God for guidance, and saw His will clearly laid out before us,” Sampson said. “This will not only bless members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe the stronger connections about to be made across Rexburg will better the lives of everyone in this community, as long as we all love God and love our neighbors.”
President Kyle Rawson previously served as stake president of the Rexburg Idaho Center Stake and now serves as the president of the newly organized Rexburg Idaho West Stake.
“Growth is exciting! We’re thankful for the tremendous growth we’ve seen in the Rexburg area over the past few years in the Church and in the individual lives of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We hope that all those moving to this wonderful area as well as all those who are already here will desire to come and see, come and help, and come and belong,” Rawson said.
The following stakes have been created or reorganized:
REXBURG IDAHO WEST STAKE: President — Kyle Jefferson Rawson, 34, founder of Darci Media; wife, Nicole Webster Rawson. Counselors — Daniel Murray Moldenhauer, 44, small business owner; wife, Teresa Berning Moldenhauer. Kendall D. Peck, 54, BYU-Idaho Online Vice President; wife, Kari Sears Peck.
REXBURG IDAHO STAKE: President — Stanley Wayne Kivett, 62, BYU-Idaho religious education faculty member; succeeding W. Brian Haderlie; wife, Angie Saxton Kivett. Counselors — Logan Cal Bingham, 44, Headwaters Construction Company partner; wife, Tanya Clifton Bingham. Brian William Downey, 55, McKesson Medical-Surgical account representative; wife, Danette Hathaway Downey.
REXBURG IDAHO CENTER STAKE: President — Frank Hadry, 58, sales manager; succeeding Kyle Rawson; wife, Wendy Hadry. Counselors — Kenneth Jackson, 54, BYU-Idaho Financial Aid Director; wife, Christy Jackson. David Raymond Peck, 49, BYU-Idaho college dean; wife, Catherine Peck.