Immigrants are changing, shaping, growing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across Europe.
Special report: Challenges abound, but migrants are ‘saving’ the LDS Church and building Zion in Europe• Swiss Latter-day Saints sit side by side in the pews with Ecuadorians, Ukrainians worship with Polish members, Persian speakers join Austrians, and Ghanaians make up as much as a fourth of some German congregations.
There are many multigenerational Latter-day Saints in Europe, whose grandparents, great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents were converted by mostly American missionaries. Their service wasn’t just about making sure his grandmother stayed in the fold, but about listening and hearing her and building her up. It buoyed her until the day she died. That’s the faith and service Grünke inherited from his grandmother and what he hopes the church in Europe exemplifies.
“Some moved away, some died and some withdrew,” Winterstein says. “In my opinion, one reason is that the Germans are and think that they don’t need God. Others are turned away from faith because of the bad things that happen in the world .” Gaining converts through members is “much than finding on any other channels — by missionaries online or whatever — because you see the life and how they live the gospel and how it makes them happy,” she says. “I think it was always and ever” the case.
At the same time, “social groups often form along racial and nationality lines,” he says. “All are one during meetings but then split into their social groups.” The “social and financial needs among immigrants are not greater than others, many of them have fine jobs and good incomes, Huysmans says. “There are always exceptions, but so are the Flemish and Dutch.”“It has been tried a few times,” he says, “but the lack of Dutch language proficiency seems to make leadership positions very difficult.
Latter-day Saints and friends of the faith listen to a devotional with apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, in 2022.Grünke, for example, served on a City Council and ran as an independent on the Green Party ballot. Wondra works with the leaders of the Relief Society for adult women, Young Women for teens, and Primary for children in Hungary, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“In most European countries, women have to work to have enough income for the family. Yes, to be self-reliant,” she says in a Zoom interview. “It is not just my generation, but my mother’s generation as well. Yeah, we work eight hours. We are full-time employees. And next to that, we are taking care of the household and the children. …Generally, women have more competencies in every kind of field.
Ruth Lorenzo, from Spain, performing in the "Witnesses of Christmas – Symbols of Christ" concert, a production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Europe.to a multifaith service to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the first session of the German national assembly at St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt.
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