Peninsula In Passage

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Tidewater Region, Bennett’s Creek Stake Center A new church opened on Bennett’s Pasture Road, in April 1996, with a four-day celebration of open houses, receptions and concerts – all open to the public. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, built the $2.5 million, 25,000-square-foot regional center as a church for local Mormons as well as the regional center for the Chesapeake, Virginia, Stake.

The Mormons designate a local congregation as a “Branch.” As Branches grow they evolve into “Wards,” with an expanded organization. A number of Wards and Branches in any given area are organized into a “Stake,” similar to a diocese. The term Stake derives from the Old Testament, Isaiah 33:20 and 54:2 “Stakes of Zion,” implying the stake of a tent as a symbol of the center of support and protection of the local membership. The Chesapeake Stake with about 4,100 members is one of three in Hampton Roads and includes Branches and Wards in Suffolk, Franklin, Portsmouth, Deep Creek, Great Bridge, Mount Pleasant, Ahoskie, Albemarle, Currituck, Nags Head, Smithfield and Elizabeth City.

The church is unique in that it has no salaried ministry and is known for sending young men into the world at their own expense for two-year service as volunteer missionaries. Crosses are noticeably absent on all LDS buildings. Gordon B. Hinkley, prophet and then-president of the Church, said in 1990, “the lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is also well known for its genealogical records. The family history center at the Chesapeake stake center in Bennett’s Creek is open to the public to search those computerized records. Sabbath worship meetings are also open to the public In the 16 years since the chapel was dedicated it has served as a place of instruction and worship for children and adults. The Spirit of God has been present at special conferences and at regular Sunday worship services. Hundreds have been baptized by immersion in the font and weddings have been celebrated in its cultural hall. “The Stake Center provides a place of reverent worship and cultural development for our community,” says Michael Dudley, the current President of the Stake. “The doors are open to all who desire to feel the peace promised by the Savior, Jesus Christ.”

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