Elder Joseph W. Sitati and the Mormon Church in Africa
April 17, 2009 by DH
Filed under Mormon Africa
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently called Elder Joseph W. Sitati to The First Quorum of the Seventy (one of the highest governing bodies within the Mormon Church) which makes him the first black African to be a member of this body. This milestone for the Mormon Church is indicative of the great growth that is occurring on the continent of Africa. What follows is just a sampling of a few recent articles about the Mormon Church in Africa.
Elder Joseph W. Sitati Biography
Elder Joseph W. Sitati had been serving as president of the Nigeria Calabar Mission when called to the First Quorum of the Seventy. Since joining the Church in 1986, Elder Sitati has served in numerous callings, including branch president’s counselor, branch president, district president, mission president’s counselor, stake president, area seventy and mission president.
Elder Sitati earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nairobi and a diploma in accounting and finance from the Association of Certified Accountants and has also done course work for an MBA degree. He has worked as an executive for a nongovernmental organization and in several positions with a large oil and gas company. More recently he served as the Church’s international director of public affairs in Africa. Elder Sitati and his wife, Gladys Nangoni, are the parents of five children.
Source: LDS Newsroom Elder Sitati’s Biography
The Salt Lake Tribune just published two separate articles about the Mormon Church in Africa. One talks mainly about Elder Sitati and briefly about the history of the LDS Church in Africa while the other is about a Swahili congreagation of Mormons in Salt Lake City, Utah.
We’ve commented on the Mormon Church in Africa in the past, specifically about the Accra Ghana Temple and also the demographics of Nigeria in realtion to the Mormon Church.
What about Elder Martins? Wasn’t he a General Authority? At least that seems to be a question this coverage brings to my mind because how often it is said Sitati is the first.
Jettboy-
You are correct about Elder Helvecio Martins as he was the first Black General Authority. Elder Sitati is the first from Africa (Elder Helvecio was from Brazil if I’m not mistaken) and the first to the 1st Quorum of the Seventy. While Elder Martins served in the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy. Technicalities really, so thanks for pointing out the fact that Elder Martins was previously a GA.
DH
Elijah Abel, an African-American Mormon, was ordained a seventy in 1836. I realize the office of “seventy” was somewhat different back then, but I think the calling still made him a “general authority.”
When I joined the church, Brother Sitati was my district president and I remember those tough days when we were a small band, hated and persecuted by an ever-rising mob of anti-mormons in Nairobi. We were very cohesive and we’d fall into each other’s arms with delight whenever we met. There was a special spirit among the saints. It is something I’ve hungered for in the decade of living overseas where by necessity we are all too busy and detached. The issues surrounding the ban on priesthood on African people never came up (or bothered most of us); we knew God very intimately, and under the ambiance of His grace we were loved & endeared as offspring. It was therefore quite easy for me to make a distinction between man’s policy and God’s counsel when I moved to the west where racial conflicts are deeply entrenched. Most of the heartbreak that comes from church history can be cured with an intimate knowledge of God, his character and tendencies (it’ll help you distinguish truth from error). joe
JDD– Thanks for the info. on Elijah Abel, his case is defintely an interesting one!
JGN–Thanks for the great comment. Very interesting. I would love to correspond further, email me at asiffromthedust@gmail.com once you get this. I tried emailing via the email you provided but it didn’t work. So send me an email when you get the oportunity.
DH
i m happy about that tha church ia true, but elder sitati, help talk to the brethreen at the top to help us in anyway to enjoy temple in nigeria. if it require building another one in a peacefu area.
fasting and prayer shld be use to determing location, i m sure the old temple was politisize, thats why the lord was not happy about the politics and decided to leave there. frm ernest nigeria tel 234 8030947774