OFFICIAL DECLARATION 2Church History

1831-1849• "Black Pete" was among the first

converts in Ohio • Elijah Able was baptized in September,

1832 and ordained an Elder March 3, 1836 and ordained a Seventy April 4, 1841. • Kwaku Walker Lewis– baptized in 1842

by Parley P. Pratt; ordained an Elder in 1843 by William Smith. In 1847 Brigham Young called him “one of the best elders.” (Minutes, 26 March 1847).

• Enoch Lewis – son of Walker Lewis, ordained sometime before 1844• William McCary (1811-1854) was

ordained an Elder by Orson Hyde in 1846.

1831-1849

• Jane Manning James (1822-1908)• Jane had been a

housekeeper for Joseph in the Mansion House in Nauvoo. • She petitioned the Church

leaders to allow her to receive the endowment• She was counseled to be

patient and wait a little longer; that the Lord has his eye on her and would be far better to her than ever she had dreamed Journal of Rudger

Clawson, 13 Nov 1902).

REASONS FOR THE BAN

“It's not the pattern of the Lord to give reasons. We can put reasons to commandments. When we do we're on our own. ..Let's [not] make the mistake that's been made in the past, here and in other areas, trying to put reasons to revelation. The reasons turn out to be man-made to a great extent. The revelations are what we sustain as the will of the Lord and that's where safety lies.” (Dallin H. Oaks, Interview with Associated Press, in Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, 5 June 1988)

• 1953 – “I have prayed and I have prayed, but there has been no answer.” (President David O McKay)

• 1954 – Elder Adam S. Bennion reported that President McKay had prayed for change “without result and finally concluded the time was not yet ripe.”

• 1954 – “It is a practice, not a doctrine and the practice will someday be changed. And that’s all there is to it.” (David O. McKay conversation with Sterling McMurrin)

• 1961 – LaMar Williams was sent to Nigeria to investigate rumors of groups organizing with the Church’s name. He returned with the names of 15,000 people ready for baptism.

• 1962 – President N. Eldon Tanner visited a group in Nigeria.

1968 –“I remember one day that President McKay came into the office. We could see that he was very much distressed. He said, ‘I’ve had it! I’m not going to do it again!’ Somebody said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Well, I’m badgered constantly about giving the priesthood to the Negro. I’ve inquired of the Lord repeatedly. The last time I did it was last night. I was told, with no discussion, not to bring the subject up with the Lord again; the time will come, but it will not be my time, and to leave the subject alone.’” (Church Architect Richard Jackson in Prince, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, 104)

In 1976 President Kimball told F. Burton Howard, “he said that he had been praying about it for fifteen years without an answer . . . ‘but I am going to keep praying about it’”President Kimball began an exhaustive personal study of the scriptures and the teachings of the Prophets. He counseled with other General Authorities.

President Kimball in the Temple

“I went to the temple alone, and especially on Sundays and Saturdays when there were not organizations in the temple, when I could have it alone. It went on for some time as I was searching for this, because I wanted to be sure. We held a meeting of the Council of the Twelve in the temple on the regular day [1 June 1978]. We considered this very seriously and thoughtfully and prayerfully.  “I asked the Twelve not to go home when the time came. I said, 'Now would you be willing to remain in the temple with us?' And they were. I offered the final prayer and I told the Lord if it wasn't right, if He didn't want this change to come in the Church that I would be true to it all the rest of my life and I'd fight the world against it if that's what He wanted.  “We had this special prayer circle, then I knew that the time had come. I had a great deal to fight, of course, myself largely, because I had grown up with this thought that [they] should not have the priesthood and I was prepared to go all the rest of my life till my death and fight for it and defend it as it was. But this revelation and assurance came to me so clearly that there was no question about it” (Church News, January 6, 1979)

“There was a hallowed and sanctified atmosphere in the room. For me, it felt as if a conduit opened between the heavenly throne and the kneeling, pleading prophet of God who was joined by his Brethren. …“Every man in that circle, by the power of the Holy Ghost, knew the same thing. …“… Not one of us who was present on that occasion was ever quite the same after that. Nor has the Church been quite the same. …“Tremendous, eternal consequences for millions over the earth are flowing from that manifestation. …“… This has opened great areas of the world to the teaching of the everlasting gospel. This has made it possible that ‘every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world.’

OFFICIAL DECLARATION 2Church History