The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently took a big step forward in one of the world’s tiniest countries.
Nauru, a remote island in the South Pacific of barely 8 square miles, recently issued a “certificate of registration” authorizing the establishment of the Utah-based church in the nation.
“Following this milestone, we have commenced the process of setting up operational infrastructure, including the establishment of bank accounts and coordination of humanitarian aid efforts,” Rich Hunter, the faith’s spokesperson in the Pacific area, explained in an email. “A small congregation of the church meets regularly in Nauru and the church’s registration is a cause for great joy for our local members.”
The island of 12,000 people, about 1,500 miles northeast of Australia, is home to more than 130 Latter-day Saints.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Members of the newly reorganized Nauru Branch.
The next step, according to Hunter, is a supplemental permission that would allow church leaders to perform government-recognized ceremonies and rites, such as marriages.
“We anticipate receiving this approval in the coming weeks,” Hunter said.
The Nauru Branch was formally reorganized Aug. 3, a previous church news release noted, with Hiroshi Tea as its leader.
He was born and reared in Samoa and came to Nauru when his wife, Siovia, changed jobs.
“This was part of our blessing. We were called to work in this part of the vineyard,” Hiroshi Tea said in the release. “The core foundation for our testimonies really started when we came here to Nauru and we felt like this is our place.”
On the global stage, only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller than Nauru.