Posted by:
Jessupnorth93
(
)
Date: December 06, 2015 11:21AM
Here in the Grande Prairie Alberta Stake, it's hard to tell, but I would say slowly declining. The ward in Fort St John was moved from two to one ward probably about 10 years ago. And there is new people coming in, but mostly just transplants from 6 gen ultra-tbm Mormons from the States and Alberta. It seems like we trade a lot. People moved down to Cardston area, and people from there come here. Not many baptisms, but of those, mostly BIC children and the occasional single person looking for acceptance. They never stay. I have had the privilege of living both in FSJ and GP, and I would say the stake house in GP isn't much better. Still a morning ward and afternoon ward, but neither are full. I remember showing up one morning for church at my assigned ward, and it was 5minutes to start, and I thought I had the wrong time because there were so few cars in the parking lot. A lot of people in the stake are related, but because of the land mass, different wards. Still have a lot of long time Mormon families just scattered around.
Interesting enough, there was one family that I can think of for sure. Ultra TBM family, temple marriage, BIC children, faithful as faithful to the church, last I heard, they were inactive. I saw the wife in the grocery store this summer, and I am sure she was not wearing garments. I recently overheard my girlfriend, an Rcently returned RM, say that if all the inactive or excommunicated people came back to the stake, they would have to split the stake and build a temple. Makes me wonder how many people they really do have on the membership rolls.
One more interesting thing. The area around here has a lot of deeply religious people. Like we are talking hard working farm families at your local baptist church on Sunday. Everything revolves around the church and the harvest. Same with oil workers, they all can be found at the local church on Sunday when not in camp. We have the highest birth rate in Canada per popula, and yet look at the breakdown below.
FSJ Ward - 70-100ish
Dawson Creek - 30ish
Grande Praire 1st - 100ish
Grande Praire 2nd - 100 or less
Fairview Branch - less than 50
Peace River Branch - less than 50
High Praire - less than 30
Valleyview - less than 40
High Level - less than 30
Can someone please tell me that in a geographically HUGE area with thousands and thousands of devout Christians, how the more only has about 530 people on a good day? That would be maybe one church here in FSJ!!!!