Church members happy
with new location
By Jessica Shaw
On a Sunday
morning earlier this month, hundreds of Mormon families from across the
state gathered just outside Lexington to celebrate the dedication of the
new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thornhill Road.
The celebration marked a further growth in Rockbridge County’s Mormon
population, which has been revitalized by the Mormon-oriented Southern
Virginia University in Buena Vista. Now the Mormon community has the
$5-million church and “Stake” center on the outskirts of Lexington.
A Stake is the central gathering place for a region of Mormon churches,
and this one serves 14 congregations in a seven-county region, says
Stake President Walt Ralls.
On a weekly basis, however, the church serves as a worship center for
the local congregation. The church opened its doors on June 3.
Rockbridge County's newest Mormon church. Photo by Jessica Shaw.
The church is also referred to as a family ward, which means a building that serves the local congregation. There are three family wards in the area – the other two are in Buena Vista, six miles away. There are also five student wards, or congregations, in Buena Vista that cater to the college-age population.
Ralls said the new church was built to relieve overcrowding at the two
family wards in Buena Vista. In the past decade the number of local
Mormons has doubled, to more than 1,600, according to church officials
in Washington, D.C.
“We felt like we didn’t have enough room to house all of the people
properly,” he said.
Initially, Ralls said, the former stake president, Ed Sexton, planned to
build the new church in the city of Lexington. But City Council rejected
the plan after neighbors objected to its size and the traffic it would
cause.
“Initially, some people were sad about it,” said Kary Smout, a church
officer and an English professor at Washington and Lee University.
“[But] I’m really glad we ended up being out in the country. We were so
happy to get a new building and a beautiful building.”
Smout said the new Lexington ward has slightly more than 300 members.
Sunday services last from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and are divided into the
Sacrament, Sunday School and gender-specific meetings.
Smout said he is thrilled, because the proximity of the church will make
his Sunday commute a lot briefer.
“Our trip is now one third of what it used to be,” he said.
W&L sophomore Victoria Raabe, a Mormon from birth, said she would begin
attending the new church in Lexington instead of making the drive to one
of the student wards six miles away.
Raabe said the new facility offers a lot of benefits.
“I think it will aid the missionaries,” she said. “It’s a lot easier if
you’re doing missions on campus or in town to have a site that is
closer.”
In the Mormon tradition, many young
men and women serve as missionaries. Men begin mission work at age 19
and serve for two years while women serve for 18 months at age 21.
Mission work is voluntary, and missionaries generally serve at a
location far from home, according to Wes Andersen, a spokesperson for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington.
Raabe said the new church will help the missionaries who are sent to the Lexington area.
“It’s a lot easier if you’re doing missions on campus or in town to have a site that is closer.”
Though Raabe does not think she will choose the missionary path, she
believes in staying involved in a local ward. And how will she know if
the new Lexington ward is right for her?
“It will feel like home,” she said.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Brian Richardson
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd