Anthony Uzodimma Obinna (April 15, 1928 – August 25, 1995), born in Umuelem Enyiogugu in Aboh Mbaise, (local government area of Imo State, Owerri) in Nigeria, was the first convert to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Obinna's family were followers of a tribal religion, but while still young, Obinna became a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. He became employed as a school teacher. In 1965, Obinna had a vision in which

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

showed him rooms in a beautiful building. In 1971, he found an article in '' Reader's Digest'', which had a picture of this building, and he discovered it was the Salt Lake Temple of the LDS Church. He contacted the headquarters of the Church and received literature. The Church informed him that it had no plans to send

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

to Nigeria. However, Obinna organized an unofficial congregation of the Church while waiting to be

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

a member of the church. In 1978, after

lifted its restriction on

black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

holding the priesthood (in June), in leadership training meetings before the October General Conference, a letter from Obinna pleading for missionaries to be sent hastily was one of a few that

Spencer W. Kimball Spencer Woolley Kimball (March 28, 1895 – November 5, 1985) was an American business, civic, and religious leader who was the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The grandson of early Latter-day S ...

read to emphasize a need to move quickly in sending missionaries to Nigeria and Ghana. In November 1978, Mormon missionaries traveled to Nigeria and baptized Obinna and a number of other converts. Immediately after his baptism, he was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and appointed as the branch president. It is thought that Obinna was the first black person to serve as a branch president in the Church; certainly, he was the first black man to serve in such an office in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

(although a black man in South Africa in the 1920s and 1930s had presided over a congregation designated by the Church as a branch, he was not ordained to the priesthood during his lifetime). When the branch was organized in Obinna's village, his brothers were called as his counselors in the branch presidency."Pioneers in Every Land" entry on Obinna
/ref> After his ordination to the priesthood, Obinna baptized his wife Fidelia. She served as the first black

Relief Society The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 18 ...

president in Africa. Obinna and his wife were

sealed Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

in the Logan Utah Temple in 1989.

References

Garr, Arnold K.,

Donald Q. Cannon Donald Quayle Cannon (born 1936) is a retired professor at Brigham Young University who specializes in Latter-day Saint history, particularly early Latter-day Saint history and international Latter-day Saint history. As a young man, Cannon was a ...

and

Richard O. Cowan Richard Olsen Cowan (born 1934) is a historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a former professor in the Church History Department of Brigham Young University (BYU). He was one of the longest-serving BYU faculty a ...

, ed. ''Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History'', pp. 862–863. {{DEFAULTSORT:Obinna, Anthony 1928 births 1995 deaths Black Mormons Converts to Christianity from pagan religions Converts to Mormonism Nigerian Latter Day Saints Nigerian leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Nigerian religious leaders Nigerian schoolteachers