Nauvoo area organized into mission
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NAUVOO, Ill. — To focus on the unique needs of the Nauvoo area,
the Illinois Peoria Mission is being divided Nov. 1 to create the Illinois
Nauvoo Mission — making the Nauvoo area a mission within a
mission.
The creation of the Illinois Nauvoo Mission, the Church's 334th, brings the spiritual guidance of four groups of missionaries and members under the leadership of one mission president. It will function much like the mission at Temple Square where missionaries conduct tours and explain gospel doctrines to visitors from around the world, but who do not proselyte or baptize.
The need for a mission stems from an effort to unify a variety of activities taking place at the historic site.
Missionaries currently assist with the restoration of buildings, the construction of the temple, the visitors center and BYU students studying at the new Joseph Smith Academy.
While there has not been any challenge coordinating efforts of four sets of missionaries and members, according to Elder Richard K. Sager, who serves as the visitor center director, the Nauvoo mission will provide the means for one priesthood leader to offer spiritual guidance to all missionaries and unify their efforts.
The work in Nauvoo is largely spiritual, said Elder Sager, who has been called to serve as the first president of the Illinois Nauvoo Mission. "This is a unique situation," he said. "There aren't many places in the world where there is such a concentration of 200 or more missionaries in one place."
President Sagers sees the organization of the mission as a means of creating opportunities for the Church to participate with the community. He related how the Church was able to participate in the recent Nauvoo Heritage Days because of his role as a member of a Nauvoo ministerial council. The Visitors Center provided carriage rides and sponsored William Pitt's Nauvoo Brass Band.
