Mormons in Kuwait
June 24, 2009 by DH
Filed under Mormon Middle East
Mormon Congregations in Kuwait and the Middle East
The Kuwait Branch of The Bahrain Manama Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is yet another example of the (very) small but growing presence of Mormons in the Middle East. Most members in the Middle East are expatriate members working abroad or Mormons serving in the military that meet in local church units, though there are local members in some of these congregations. Further there has been some missionary work in the past in the Middle East, such as the Tehran Iran Mission. There are also Mormons serving in the military who hold Mormon church services in Afghanistan and Iraq and Mormons in Dubai. Finally if you want to go a little farther East, the LDS Church has a small presence in Pakistan and the growth of the Mormon Church in India is impressive.
Mormon Kuwait Branch Bahrain Manama Stake
There is a great article written by an expatriate member of the Mormon Kuwait Branch that gives a great look at life as a Mormon in the Middle East and the expereince of attending church there. Some of the highlights are as follows:
The congregation is described as a “a mix of Americans, British, Indians and Filipinos. The mix is roughly 20 westerners to 40 others.”
One of the members of the Branch presidency, Bibao Tamang, is a native of India.
The article mentions several times the presence of migrant workers from Southeast Asia and the many members who hail from these communities and their deep faith in the Gospel as they work to send money to their families in their native countries. (The Philipines, after the U.S., seems to be the most well-represented country as far as Mormons are concerned in this congregation.)
The author mentions meeting in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia during the Gulf War with an all-Filipino congreation and marvelling at their faith and devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A brief conversion story of a couple from the South of India named Joy and Simi. Joy was introduced to the gospel while working for Church members in Kuwait for Texaco. It even mentions that Joy and Simi and their two children made it to the Dallas Temple along with current and former members of the Mormon Kuwait Branch.
A inspriing story about the blessings of tithing, I won’t say what it is so you have to go and read it to find it.
Sunday school classes are held in Tagalog (a language spoken in the Philippines) and English
For the full article:
A Mormon branch in Kuwait: Peaceful, once you get there
hello please i will like to join the christ congregation in kuwait but the only problem i am having is the invitation letter i have money to sponsor my trvelling please as a memeber that share one body of christ please i want you to help me with the invtation letter i will send my passport to you if i see your reply and i will be happy if your reply will be positive.
THANKS.
Emeka,
Official information about the Mormon Church can be found here:
http://www.lds.org
or
http://www.mormon.org
hope that helps
DH
my family and i have been living in kuwait for 2yrs now and have been trying to locate any members.we live in Salmiya Kuwait. please put us into contact with other members here or any church activity…we would be so grateful….answers to prayers
david
David,
If you go to mormon.org and click on “Worship With Us” you can use their meeting house locator. By typing in “Kuwait” into the country field it shows one Kuwait Branch in Kuwait, Kuwait. (Not sure if that is an actual city or if there is some kind of auto-fill because there is only one branch.) But it does give a phone number for a President Blackford- 965-9-971-8408.
I hope that helps.
DH
i have a keen interest to join and to work for mormon church. cain i ask you that in order to be a mormon member, we must be born in mormon background or any religion can or only christians can be?
Shakill,
Sorry for the delayed response. To answer your questions…
I’m assuming you are from Kuwait as this is what the post is about. If so, the Mormon Church doesn’t officially do missionary work in Middle Eastern countries due the delicate situation in these countries. Having said this, if someone like yourself is intersted in learning more about the Gospel the situation may change. I will email you and we can correspond further as to how you can obtain information if it is desired.
Thanks
DH