LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN THE LAFAYETTE AREA:

30 YEARS AND COUNTING 

 

 

THE EARLY YEARS

In 1831, just six years after Lafayette was founded, Hyrum Smith and John Murdock preached at the Lafayette Courthouse, as well as in Logansport. However, it wasn’t until over 100 years later that  what would become Lafayette Stake began in earnest. In 1947, Bruce and Barbara Reese posted a classified ad, asking for all Latter-day Saints in the area to contact them. They were new on the Purdue faculty from the West and anxious for Church contacts. Three families responded to their ad and they met together for a picnic. It must have gone well, since in October of the same year, the Purdue Branch was formally organized. The tiny branch soon outgrew member homes and even its meetings at the YMCA, however. Church leaders like Edward Quinn and Leslie Hafen rallied members to fundraising efforts for a new building, and in April of 1959, ground was broken for the first phase of the Indian Trail location.

 

A month later, under the direction of Spencer W. Kimball, the Indianapolis Indiana stake was organized with a membership of 2287 Saints. Purdue Branch also became a ward at that time, with about 185 members  Eventually, a fully complete meetinghouse was dedicated on May 21, 1967. By the following year, the membership had grown to 470. Stake membership was increasing 6-8% every year by 1973.

 

 

GROWING IN NUMBERS AND IN FAITH

On August 19, 1973, the Indianapolis stake was divided. The Indianapolis Indiana North Stake definitely needed a new building, since there were no buildings that would accommodate the membership for large meetings like Stake Conference. Over the next 10 years, the stake united in efforts to build, remodel, and add to several buildings throughout the stake. Inflation during this time ballooned to as high as 21%, serving as a real challenge for fundraising efforts, especially since in those days, the Church required units to raise 30-50% of the funds for building projects.  The members were not deterred, however; they pressed forward in faith and spent Saturday mornings on the “Pizza Project.” The pizzas they made garnered over $3000 in sales every month.

 

As the stake neared their funding goal and the end of the ten-year span, a miracle happened. The Church changed the 30-50% policy to instead require units to raise only 4% of the building costs, so long as the stakes filled requirements for tithing payers and worthy, active Melchizedek priesthood holders. The diligence of stake members allowed them to meet those requirements as well as having the funds to build several more buildings than they initially planned. Amidst these miracles, the Washington, D.C. temple was dedicated, the first temple on the eastern side of the United States since Nauvoo and Kirtland.

 

 

LAFAYETTE STAKE IS BORN

By 1982, membership in the stake had grown to 4750. A membership of this size became impractical for leadership and ministering, so in May of 1983, the Indianapolis Indiana North stake divided and the Lafayette Stake was born. This new stake had a much more manageable count of 1744. Buildings continued to sprout up throughout the stake, including our current Lafayette Stake Center, dedicated on September 22, 1985. 

 

In the words of Koy Miskin, the first to serve as Stake President in the Lafayette Stake, “On September 21, 1986 we observed that all the units in the Lafayette, IN stake were now meeting in new meetinghouses.  A few million dollars had been spent in our stake in those three years.  This miracle was only possible because the saints here and throughout the world were keeping the commandments of God.” Saints rejoiced when the Chicago temple was completed in 1985, cutting driving time to the temple from over ten hours to around three. By 1987 the stake had 1994 members, at least in part due to a 31.5% increase in baptisms in the area.

 

 

WHERE WE ARE NOW

In the years since, the stake has demonstrated faith, helped in the community, and continued to grow. Members that have fallen ill have been strengthened by meals, prayers, and fasting from their ward families. Long-time members have welcomed move-ins and new converts to the fold with open arms. Thousands upon thousands of dollars have been donated to urban ministries and food pantries.

 

Most recently the youth gathered to serve children and youth with special needs by throwing a carnival for them and pairing with a buddy to play games, eat lunch, and choose prizes. We know the future of our stake is in good hands with these youth.  We especially look forward to an even closer Indianapolis, Indiana temple currently undergoing construction. This has been an immensely blessed part of Zion, and will be further blessed in the future if we continue as we have started: with unity and in faith.

 

 

THANK YOU

We recognize the efforts the Lafayette Stake members who contributed to this history, including but not limited to David Miskin, Nancy Cramer, Sara Hagmann, Phil Ellis, Stephen Thompson, David Glover, Mike Brackett, Timothy Newby, Carlos Asay, David Kinder, and many others. Thank you for sharing your hard work and your memories with us.