The Centennial Park group is a Mormon fundamentalism, fundamentalist Mormon group, with approximately 1,500 members that is headquartered in Centennial Park, Arizona. The Centennial Park group broke with Leroy S. Johnson, leader and senior member of the Priesthood Council of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), in the early 1980s. There is no formal relationship between the FLDS Church and the Centennial Park community.Utah Attorney General’s Office and Arizona Attorney General's Office
The Primer, Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities
. Updated June 2006. Page 14.Centennial Park Action Committee
Centennial Park committee website The group is also known as the "Second Ward", "The Work of Jesus Christ" and "The Work". The Centennial Park group was profiled on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television program ''Primetime (U.S. TV program), Primetime'' in a story entitled "The Outsiders", and also on Oprah Winfrey Network (U.S. TV channel), The Oprah Winfrey Network's ''Our America with Lisa Ling''. It was also featured in Dawn O'Porter, Dawn Porter's television documentary, ''Dawn Porter: Extreme Wife'' and on the National Geographic Channel series ''Polygamy, USA''.

History

The Centennial Park group's claims of authority are based around the accounts of John Wickersham Woolley, Lorin Calvin Woolley and others of a meeting in September 1886 between President of the Church (LDS Church), LDS Church President John Taylor (Latter Day Saints), John Taylor, the Woolleys, and others. Prior to the meeting, Taylor is said to have met with Jesus Christ and the deceased church founder Joseph Smith and to have received 1886 Revelation, a revelation commanding that plural marriage should not cease, but be kept alive by a group separate from the LDS Church. The following day, the Woolleys, and others, were said to have been set apart to keep "the principle" alive. Members of the Centennial Park group see their history as going back to Joseph Smith and to the beliefs he espoused and practices he established. Until the 1950s, Mormon fundamentalists were largely one group.

Priesthood Council split

In the early 1980s, significant disagreement arose regarding the question of the Priesthood keys, presiding authority of the FLDS Church. This disagreement was over what is called the "one man doctrine".Hales, Brian C. (2009), "History Behind the Split – the one man doctrine"(2009
Centennial Park and the "Second Ward"
. The "one man doctrine" refers to section 132:7 of the Doctrine and Covenants, a part of the continuous revelation, open scripture, scriptural biblical canon, canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, which states that "there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred".D&C 132:7
After two council members, Carl Holm and Richard Jessop, died, Leroy Johnson, as senior member of the Priesthood Council, was responsible for recommending new replacements. However Johnson, believing in the "one man doctrine", made no recommendations for new Priesthood Council members. Then, on July 11, 1983, Guy Musser died, leaving the council evenly split between those who believed in the one man doctrine and those who did not. The remaining council members who opposed the one man doctrine were Marion Hammon and Alma Timpson. In February 1984, Johnson's health improved enough for him to speak to the FLDS Church membership. Johnson had seldom participated in fundamentalist meetings for quite some time due to illness. He stated,

"I want to say a few words to these men who sit here on the stand today. [He turned to face J. Marion Hammon and Alma A. Timpson.] The Lord gave you men five and a half years to change your thinking on this principle of having one man holding the sealing powers in the earth at a time, and you have made a miserable mess of it by coming here and preaching over this pulpit that I was about to die because of my attitude towards this principle."Leroy s. Johnson Sermon, page 7:351, held 5 August 1962 in Hilton, as found at in Hilton, “Polygamy in Utah Since the Manifesto,” 53.

Six days later, he declared, "I want to tell you, the first thing that is going to take place is the cleaning up of the Priesthood Council. I want to tell these men on the stand, B Brother J. Marion Hammon, and Brother Alma Adelbert Timpson, that from now on, I am throwing you off my back, and I am not going to carry you any more." Then Johnson dismissed Hammon and Timpson as members of the Priesthood Council and attempts were made to evict residents siding with Hammon and Timpson from their properties owned by the FLDS#Property ownership, United Effort Plan, which was once a subsidiary organization of the FLDS Church that owns most of the property in Hildale and Colorado City.

Centennial Park ("Second Ward")

On May 13, 1984, the portion of Johnson's followers who were dismissed or left on their own held their first Priesthood Meeting just outside town. They named their group the "Second Ward (LDS Church), Ward" and began to refer to those who followed Johnson as the "First Ward." Initially, the Second Ward met in the home of Alma Timpson. By September 27, 1986, the Centennial Park group had built a meeting house and, in 2003, a charter school was built for the town's growing elementary-age population. Most of this group lives in Centennial Park City, Arizona (), a town approximately three miles (five km) south of the twin communities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, with a small number living in the Salt Lake Valley.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God, also known as the Mormon fundamentalism#Nielsen / Naylor Group, Nielsen/Naylor Group and the "Third Ward", is a group based in the Salt Lake Valley and has around 200 members. It broke with the Centennial Park group after Hammon died in 1988, leaving Alma Timpson as the presiding priesthood leader. Timpson called Frank Naylor as an apostle and Ivan Neilsen as a high priest and later as bishop. Eventually, Naylor and Nielsen disagreed with Timpson's leadership, prompting them to migrate north to Salt Lake County and create the "Third Ward", with Frank Naylor presiding.Hales, Brian C. (2009)
The Naylor Group (Salt Lake County)
.

Doctrines and practices

The Centennial Park group is led by a Priesthood Council and teaches the doctrine of plural marriage. This doctrine states that a man having multiple wives is ordained by God. The doctrine requires multiple wives in order for a man and his wives to receive the Degrees of glory#Celestial kingdom, highest form of salvation. Like the members of the FLDS Church, the members of the Centennial Park group practice a form of placement marriage, but men do not solicit marriage. That decision is usually left up to the women, who pray for inspiration from God to show them whom they are meant to marry. The exception to this practice is demonstrated on ''Polygamy, USA'' when a young woman in the community requests that the men of the church take over this task, having already prayed for divine inspiration for two years without discovering the identity of her intended spouse. If the Priesthood Council gives a young woman a name the woman is supposed to pray for confirmation from God.

Leaders

*List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders#Centennial Park ("Second Ward"), J. Marion Hammon (1983–1988) *List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders#Centennial Park ("Second Ward"), Alma A. Timpson (1988–1997) *List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders#Centennial Park ("Second Ward"), John W. Timpson (1997–present)

References

External links

Centennial Park Action Committee
Centennial Park committee website {{DEFAULTSORT:Centennial Park Group Latter Day Saint movement in Arizona Mormon fundamentalist denominations Mohave County, Arizona Organizations based in Arizona Christian organizations established in 1986 1986 establishments in Arizona