Invitation

09 March 2008

This year we are celebrating 50 years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints being formally organized in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. On April 27, 1958 around twenty individuals met at the Women’s Federated Clubhouse in Marquette, MI and established the Marquette Branch of the church. Since that time, the church has spread with longstanding congregations in Houghton, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Menominee (Marinette, WI Branch), Germfask and St Ignace. Recently the Germfask and St Ignace units were closed with members forming the Sault Ste Marie Branch or re-entering the Marquette Ward. We are grateful for the efforts of those who have laid the foundation of this work and look forward to carrying it forward in faith, trusting that the Lord will continue to establish and strengthen this Stake of Zion. We are reminded of a similarly sized group who on April 6, 1830 restored the true church of Jesus Christ in preparation for His coming. My, how this work has moved forward since that day! We are confident that His work will continue to grow and expand, even here in the Upper Peninsula.

We have several events planned throughout this year of celebration. We invite all who have played a role in this great work to save the dates of July 26-27 and plan to celebrate with us. We appreciate the hard work that is being put into this celebration. We are excited to welcome back former unit members making the trip to join us in this celebration. We will have several activities and plenty of food. Please RSVP. As we do not have the addresses of all former members of the Marquette Ward, please forward this note to former members you have contact with or send an e-mail with the contact information to the e-mail address below. Even if you are unable to come, we would love to hear from you. Perhaps you could share part of your own Marquette church heritage in an email. Please contact bishopjohnsonmqt@charter.net with these personal histories and/or RSVP’s. Please come if you are able.

We testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He lives, and that His restored gospel is upon the earth. This is His kingdom. May we find joy in celebrating the Lord’s hand in our lives and do our part to help this work along.
The Marquette Ward Bishopric