Zambia

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Jan. 1, 2012: Est. population, 11,863,000; Members 2,903; District 2; Branches 12; Missions 1; Percent LDS, .019, or one in 5,303; Africa Southeast Area.
Zambia,previouslyknownasNorthernRhodesia,becameindependentfromBritainon24October1964. Itisa landlocked country insouth-central Africa, surrounded byAngola, Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. Most ofthepopulation follows Christian beliefs, with smaller numbers who follow indigenous, Hindu, and Muslim beliefs. English istheofficial language, while Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about70 otherindigenous languages are alsospoken.
Therewere two known members of the Church, Edward L. and Hester Orton, in Northern Rhodesia as earlyas April 1942. In August 1943, Latter-day Saint Frederick J. Spear, moved with his family tothe Copperbelt Region ofNorthern Rhodesia. TheysettledinLuanshya. InNovember1945,WilliamA.JubbermovedtoN'Dola,NorthernRhodesia. Thefirst known baptisms inNorthern Rhodesia, Jubber's wife, Johanna and their son, William, were held on28September 1947.
BythisdateaSundaySchoolgroupwasmeetingintheSpear'shome. SouthAfricanMissionPresident,EvanP.Wright 596 Deseret News 2013 Qnunch News Almanac
conducted a mission tour ofNorthern and Southern Rhodesia inApril 1950 and on4 April, hesetapart Frederick J. Spear as presidingofficerin Northern Rhodesia.
BytheendofApril1951,therewere12knownLatter-daySaintslivinginNorthernRhodesia. InMay1951,theChurch received permission for missionaries to work there. Soon thereafter. Dean W. Martin and Murray C. Nichols were transferredtoLuanshya,andcommencedmissionarywork. Whenthemissionariesarrived,theyfoundseveralpeople already prepared forbaptism, having beenconverted bythe Spearfamily.
N'Dola also receivedmissionaries, RonaldT. Paceand Arthur W. Wiscomb, about this same time. The first convert was Willem Coenraad Fourie who was baptized byFrederick J. Spear on17June 1951. The next day, theLuanshya Branch was organized with FrederickJ.Spearas president
On25June1961,theCopperbeltBranchwasorganizedinKitwewithLeonardL.Clarkaspresident. Thebranch immediatelybegantoraisethefundsnecessarytobuildachapel. GroundbreakingfortheCopperbeltBranchmeetinghouse was held on31August 1963. Slightly over a year later, on24October 1964, Northern Rhodesia declared itsindependence fromBritainandbecameZambia. Politicalunrestfollowed. BuildingoftheCopperbeltmeetinghousecontinueddespitethe political crisis. Itwas dedicated 16May 1965. Because ofgovernment policies many people, including most ofLatter-day Saints, left Zambia in the late 1960s.
By August 1969, missionaries wereno longer allowed to workin the country, and byJanuary 1971mostmembers had movedaway. TheCopperbeltBranchmeetinghousewassoldon11October1972totheZambiangovernmentforuseasa school.
TheZimbabwe Harare Mission wasorganized on1July 1987, andinApril 1992Dean andRuth Harrison weresentto resumemissionaryworkinZambia. InJuly,theChurchagainreceivedlegalrecognition.
TheLusaka Branch wasorganized on14July 1992. Elder Russell M. Nelson oftheQuorum ofTwelve visited Zambia on 20August 1992. Branches oftheChurch were organized inthree major cities intheZambian Copperbelt, inLuanshya on 27October2002andinKitweandN'Dolaon1December2002. ThatwasfollowedbytheformationoftheLusakaZambia Districton 16 February2003.
Membership was 1,191 in2003. In2005, membership reached 1,648. Membership was 2,359 byJan. 1,2011.
The Zambia Lusaka Mission was created bythedivision from theZimbabwe Harare Mission onJuly 1,2011.
Sources: "Branches Organized in Zambia," Church News, 4 January 2003; Evan P. Wright, "A History ofthe South Afiican Mission, 1852-1970"; Cumorah's Southern Cross, Record ofmembers. Church Archives; South African Mission, Manuscript history andhistorical reports. Church Archives; BorgnaBrunner, "Countries ofthe world,Zambia," TimeAlmanac 2004

Missions

Zambia Lusaka Mission