Joseph W. Sitati

Joseph W. Sitati
First Quorum of the Seventy
4 April 2009 (2009-04-04)
Personal details
Born Joseph Wafula Sitati
(1952-05-16) 16 May 1952
Bungoma, Kenya

Joseph Wafula Sitati (born 16 May 1952) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2009, when he became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He is the first black African general authority of the church and the second general authority of black African descent.[1][2]

Sitati is a native of Kenya.[2] He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nairobi. He worked in the oil and gas industries (such as Total Oil) as well as for Reach the Children, for which he was also a member of their international board. Immediately prior to his call as a mission president in the LDS Church, Sitati was the church's director of public affairs in Africa.

Sitati first attended the LDS Church in 1985 and became a member in March 1986.[2] In 1989, he became the first district president of the church in Kenya.[3] Sitati also became the first stake president in Kenya when the Nairobi Kenya Stake was organized in 2001.[3][4] On 3 December 1991, in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, Sitati and his wife and children became the first Kenyan family to receive the church's sealing ordinance.[3][5] In 2004, Sitati became an area seventy of the church[6] and in 2007 he became the president of the Nigeria Uyo Mission.[7]

He was still a mission president at the time of his call to the First Quorum of the Seventy in April 2009. He served as a counselor in the church's Africa West Area from 2010 to 2013. He then served for a time as an assistant executive director of the church's temple department. Sitati became an adviser to the church magazines in 2014. In 2015, Sitati became the editor of the church magazines, succeeding Craig A. Cardon, who in turn succeeded Sitati as one of the advisers.

Sitati spoke at the Sunday afternoon session of general conference on October 4, 2009, where he stated the LDS Church is a "global faith."[8] Sitati spoke again in the April 2015 general conference on the subject of the commandment to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth, saying that God has not revoked this commandment.[9]

Sitati and his wife, Gladys, are the parents of five children.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Helvécio Martins, who was a general authority between 1990 and 1995, was the first general authority to be of black African descent. Martins was of Brazilian nationality. Christoffel Golden Jr., a native of South Africa who was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in April 2001, was the first native African general authority.
  2. 1 2 3 Peggy Fletcher Stack, "Spiritual satisfaction: Africa's 'Mormon superstar' is first black African LDS general authority", Salt Lake Tribune, 2009-04-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Gerald W. Jensen and Carolyn Jensen, "First stake in Kenya created", Church News, 2001-09-29.
  4. ↑
    • 2008 Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2007) p. 403.
  5. ↑ Julie Dockstader Heaps, "Serving in Africa: Members teach, testify of gospel blessings", Church News, 2003-05-31.
  6. ↑ "Sunday School, Young Men receive new presidencies", Deseret News, 2004-04-04.
  7. ↑ "New mission presidents receive assignments", Church News, 2007-03-03.
  8. ↑ "Elder Joseph W. Sitati: Blessings of the gospel available to all", Deseret News, 2009-10-04.
  9. ↑ "Elder Joseph W. Sitati: 'Be Fruitful, Multiply and Subdue the Earth'", Deseret News, 5 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.

References

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