The designation comes on the 30th anniversary of the ward’s creation
Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, issued an official proclamation designating Tuesday 5 December 2023 as Jamaica 1st Ward Day across the five boroughs. The designation was made in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the ward’s creation.
“I … applaud [the Jamaica 1st Ward’s] leadership and parishioners for its tremendously positive impact on so many New Yorkers,” Mayor Adams declared.
In highlighting some of the Jamaica 1st Ward’s contributions to the community and providing a brief overview of the ward’s history, Mayor Adams first drew upon a statement made by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the October 2002 general conference: “Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.”
The proclamation praises the ward for, among other efforts, working to clean and beautify central Jamaica, overcome COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and support food pantries — a recent project which provided $50,000 in in-kind support for five food pantries across Queens, in partnership with the office of Queens borough president Donovan Richards, Jr., the Queens General Assembly, and Ponce Bank. “The act of living one’s faith is a tenet taken seriously by members of [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints],” the mayor writes.
Queens is New York City’s most diverse borough — and possibly the most diverse place on earth. Mayor Adams’s proclamation demonstrates how the Jamaica 1st Ward reflects this melting pot: “This congregation is, in many ways, a microcosm” of that diversity, “with many of its members hailing from 24 different countries.”
The Jamaica 1st Ward, originally called the Jamaica 1st Branch, was established as a local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for southeast Queens on 5 December 1993. It originally met in rented space on the second floor of Jamaica Market; it moved to its current building, a one-of-a-kind building constructed and owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 2012.
I … applaud [the Jamaica 1st Ward’s] leadership and parishioners for its tremendously positive impact on so many New Yorkers.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams
Though the ward itself is just 30 years old, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had an almost continual presence in New York State for nearly 200 years. In fact, many of the earliest events in church history, including the First Vision, the publication of the Book of Mormon, and the organization of the church on 6 April 1830, took place in western New York State. The earliest event in church history directly connected with New York City is likely Martin Harris’s visit in 1828. Other events in early church history took place in the city, including several visits by the Prophet Joseph Smith himself. Another event is highlighted in Mayor Adams’s proclamation: “the first group of converts from Liverpool, England, arrived on a ship in New York Harbor in July 1840.” Converts continued to arrive in the United States via New York City — and to embark from New York Harbor on the journey to the western United States — over the next several decades of the 19th century.
The Jamaica 1st Ward and its members follow in the faith and footsteps of these early pioneers that set foot in New York City. “Faith is the driving force of any great mission,” Mayor Adams concludes, “and my administration is committed to ensuring that people of all beliefs and cultures feel respected, safe, and welcome in our city. I am proud to count Jamaica 1st Ward as an ally in this mission.”
Images, downloads, and a transcript of the mayor’s proclamation are available here.
Discover more from Jamaica 1st Ward
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
