Mormons in North Carolina Help With Storm Cleanup

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pitched in to help with recovery efforts after deadly tornadoes hit the South. Members of this church are often referred to as Mormons, but generally prefer the initials LDS as a shortened version of their name, which more accurately describes who they are.

Mormons in Fayetteville, North Raleigh, and Holly Springs  left church services early on Sunday, April 17^th. They raced home, changed out of their Sunday best into work clothes, and set out to find people in need of help. Many wore the yellow vests that identified them as Mormon Helping Hands, a program that began in South America and has caught on world-wide. Some of the work was practical: volunteers dragged trees from yards and cleaned up debris to make the homes navigable while others helped put tarps over damaged roofs to protect the insides of the homes. Some work was in more of a compassionate nature: volunteers helped people whose homes were destroyed to search for mementos and important items that had survived the storms. Missionaries discontinued their proselytizing work to assist in the recovery efforts. Some church members simply went door to door asking if anyone needed help. The services were given regardless of religious affiliation. They found one orchard with more than forty fallen trees , and Mormons worked to cut into smaller pieces and clear away.

There are currently almost 77,000 Mormons in North Carolina in 154 congregations. The first missionary in the state arrived in 1838. Jedediah Grant stayed until 1845 and in that time he organized seven congregations and left behind a membership of about 350 people. In the 1840s, many Mormons left the state due to intense persecution, but in 1875, work began again and new congregations were organized. In 1894, the leaders of the Church began asking members to stay in their home towns instead of moving to Utah and from that time on, church membership began to grow. Unfortunately, in 1906, mobs burnt a church building and forced missionaries out of the area, but they were able to return in the next century and the church has grown rapidly since that time.

Read more about tornado cleanup on LDS.org.