Comments about ‘First LDS stake in Russia organized’

Long anticipated for well more than a decade, this new stake will bless the lives of saints living in this giant city of almost 12 million inhabitants. Hopefully additional stakes will be formed soon in St. Petersburg and elsewhere and a temple will be built as well in the near future.

I thought the stake in St. Petersburg was the first in Russia? It is several years old now.

Congratulations to the Russian saints! This is wonderful news.

Only 1 comment all day Sunday??? This is waaaaaaaayyy bigger than anything BYU or the U is doing. This is so exciting for the church and for the people of Russia. Perhaps many of you are too young to remember the Cold War and President Kimball's prophetic movie in 1974 showing how we would gather strength in Western Europe and go into Eastern Europe and Russia, from the Phillippines and Pacific islands into China. 30 years ago, no one would have thought this day would come in our lifetime. But we prayed for the doors of nations to open. And they have...

A long-awaited day! I'm very happy for those wonderful people, some of whom I had the privilege of teaching and learning from, myself.

This is a major achievement considering 1) the oppressiveness of the borish Russian government 2) the extent of corruption in the culture 3) how intensely focused the Orthodox religion works to keep their monopoly going in Russia and 4) the general lack of success of the LDS enterprise in Russia.

The Gospel is spreading throughout the world!

Pozdravlyayu! Congratulations!

@fanUVU: St. Petersburg does not have a stake, it is a district preparing to become a stake - though it may take a few more years before that happens. Also, the news article is wrong in saying that this is the second stake in the former Soviet Union. Hungary had its first stake in 2006 - so this is actually the third stake in the former USSR.

erdoch,

False. Hungary was never a part of the soviet union. but since you are from provo, i understand and ill let it slide. ha!

Chris Bryant,

My apologies. I looked it up and you're right. I should have double-checked before speaking. I knew Hungary was under the Soviet sphere of influence and was aware of its troubles with the USSR in the Hungarian Revolt of 1956 - so I assumed it was part of the USSR, but not so. I guess you could say, then, that this was the third stake in the former European Soviet sphere of influence...

Btw, I'm actually from Denmark - so your comment about me being from sheltered Provo (where I currently live) kind of stung. Oh well, should've checked before speaking:)

I served my mission in Moscow and our goal was always to establish a stake there. I've been home many years now, but I'm still very excited to hear this news!

This is wonderful news about Russia.

A note to us all: We should not assume that just because the city, state or country listed below our name is the only place that we are associated with. As an example I was born and raised in Arizona of pioneer parentage that goes back to the beginning of the church, lived 35 years in Hawaii, 2 years in American Samoa and moved to Australia 6 years ago. Many of us have a foot in many countries. No need for stinging remarks.

SLMG,

Im guessing you aren't much for sarcasm?

@ Chris Bryant

You may or may not be familiar with the typical comment chains on the DN Comment Boards-which are generally pretty well divided along religious lines with a little sarcasm and a whole lot of animosity. Some of it very mean spirited between BYU fans and those among us who hate both BYU and the city of Provo. Easy to understand erdoch's reaction to your supposed sarcastic jibe at his current residence in Provo. Sarcasm or not, your comment was probably innappropriate for this specific news article.

@ Lincoln Coug

Talk of a stake for Moscow dates all the way back to the first Moscow MP-President Gary Browing in the early 90's. During our tenure in Moscow from 93-95, President Richard Chapple openly challenged the members, along with the missionary elders and sisters to prepare and work for the formation of a stake of Zion for Moscow.

What a great day for the Saints of Moscow as well as for all the 21,000+ members of the Russian Federation. No doubt that one day in the near future we will hear the announcement of a temple for Russia.

Eastcoastcoug:
My guess is the people who really care about this do not go on-line on Sunday. I generally do not.

On the matter of a "stake" in St. Petersburg. As far as I can tell there is no such thing. There is probably a district there, which is a progress from being branches directly under a mission, but it is not a stake.

Erdoch:
Hungary was not part of the USSR. Thus the article is correct. Anyway, the closest thing to a third stake in the former USSR is the stake in Ulam Bator, Mongolia. Mongolia was the closest thing to being in the USSR of any country that was not.

If we are talking stakes within former Warsaw Pact countries, this is either number 6 or 7. Two stakes were created in East Germany while the Warsaw Pact still existed. The number is hard to say because the Germany Berlin stake was originally formed only including West Berlin, but after 1990 its boundaries were shifted so it also includes areas that were in East Berlin and surrounding parts of East Germany.

Let go of the hate. If you must hate, please stay on the sports comment sections so those of us talking about other things do not have to deal with it.