New Mormon church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is building a new house of worship in northwest Oklahoma City.
A new house of worship for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently is under construction in the northwest Oklahoma City Edmond area.
The new church building is being built at NW 157 and Pennsylvania Avenue. Groundbreaking was in May and the structure is expected to be completed in June 2019.
The 18,000-squarefoot building will serve two Edmond congregations and a congregation from The Village area, said Becky Wilkinson, public affairs director for the Oklahoma City Coordinating Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She said the structure is needed because of growth in the Oklahoma City area Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
There are about 48,000 Mormons and 94 Mormon congregations in Oklahoma, Wilkinson said.
In the Oklahoma City area, church leaders have seen an increase in members in the last 10 years.
Wilkinson said church membership in the Oklahoma City metro area (including Moore and Edmond) was 7,700 in 2008. That number increased in 2018 to 11,000.
She said the increase in membership may be attributed to several things, with the church’s dual focus on family and service as the main factors.
“I just think when people find out about our focus on family and our focus on service, that resonates with them,” Wilkinson said. “A lot of people do feel like families are important, and I think people see us helping to clean up after disasters or out doing other things, they see us serving. We’re trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ by serving.”
Wilkinson pointed to the church’s Just Serve website (JustServe.org), a national database that connects volunteers to the agencies and groups that need them.
“It benefits the community, and it benefits the people looking to serve,” she said.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is divided into what are known as stakes. There are more than 3,000 stakes worldwide, including nine in Oklahoma. Each stake is made up of wards or branches, which are smaller congregations of members that are organized geographically within each stake. A new stake was created in Edmond in June to account for the increase in members.
Similar to the structure of the Catholic Church, a ward is like a parish and a stake is like a diocese. Wilkinson said there are several stake centers in Oklahoma that are larger structures, while buildings that may house several wards are typically smaller.
Like Wilkinson, Gray, president of the Oklahoma City Stake, said the Mormon Church’s emphasis on serving others helps attract new members.
“We best serve the Savior as we reach out to serve others. This focus on Christ-like service has drawn many people into our ranks,” Gray said in a news release.
“Our hope is to be a positive influence for good in the greater community.”
Meanwhile, the only Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Oklahoma has been closed since October 2017. Wilkinson said the temple, located at 12020 N Mustang Road in the Surrey Hills area, is in the middle of an extensive renovation. She said renovations are expected to be completed by April 2019, and the public will be invited to see the newly refurbished facility at that time.
The temple is the site of Mormon rites such as marriage ceremonies and baptisms. Wilkinson said the closest other temple is in Dallas.