Estonia: Church Chronology
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1989 • Estonia
Enn Lembit, the son-in-law of recent convert Valtteri Rötsä, hosted the first meetings in Estonia for people interested in the Church. Missionaries came in the winter to teach the group.
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December 17, 1989 • Tallinn, Estonia
Jana Lass, Kristi Lass, Eve Reisalu, and Alari Allik became the first converts baptized in Estonia.
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January 28, 1990 • Tallinn
The Tallinn Branch was organized.
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February 1990 • Tallinn
Marina Saarik was called as the first Relief Society president in Estonia.
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April 15, 1990 • Tallinn
Peep Kivit was called as the first Estonian branch president in Estonia.
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April 25, 1990 • Tallinn
President Russell M. Nelson, then serving in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated Estonia for the preaching of the gospel in a wooded area above the Lauluväljak amphitheater.
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June 29, 1990 • Tallinn
The Church received official recognition from the Estonian government.
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January 16, 1991 • Tallinn
Jaanus Silla became the first Church member from Estonia and the Soviet Union to serve a mission.
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August 20, 1991 • Estonia
Estonia declared the restoration of its independence from the Soviet Union, facilitating the spread of the gospel.
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September 16, 1991 • Tartu, Estonia
Missionaries began preaching in Tartu.
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September 22, 1991 • Tallinn
The first Russian-speaking branch was organized in Tallinn, with Anatolii Diachkovskii as president.
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December 1992 • Stockholm, Sweden
The first group of Estonians received temple ordinances.
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August 30, 1994 • Stockholm
The endowment ceremony was given for the first time in Estonian.
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April 1996 • Tallinn
General conference was broadcast in Estonian for the first time.
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June 3–19, 1997 • Tartu
Hans Peets, an Estonian expatriate living in Canada and an ordained patriarch, visited Tartu and gave patriarchal blessings in Estonian to branch members.
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December 21, 1997 • Tallinn
The Tallinn Estonia District was organized. Tarmo Lepp became the first local district president in April 1999.
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November 5–7, 1999 • Tallinn
The first meetinghouse in Estonia was dedicated following a two-day open house, which drew significant media attention.
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February 2000 • Estonia
The first copies of the Estonian translation of the Book of Mormon arrived in Estonia.
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January 28, 2001 • Narva, Estonia
The Narva Branch was organized.
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August 2003 • Pärnu, Estonia
Missionaries opened the city of Pärnu for missionary work.
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October 21–22, 2006 • Helsinki/Tallinn
Estonian members participated in the cultural celebration for the dedication of the Helsinki Finland Temple. The dedication was broadcast in the Tallinn meetinghouse.
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2006 • Estonia
The Seminaries and Institutes program was introduced in Estonia.
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October 2011 • Estonia
The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price were published in Estonian.
April 26, 2015 • Tallinn
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Church in Estonia, members held a special district conference at the Lauluväljak amphitheater.
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September 25, 2016 • Tallinn
Following its publication, the full-size Estonian hymnal was used in a Church meeting for the first time at a district conference.
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April 6, 2019 • Salt Lake City, Utah
Tarmo Lepp became the first Area Seventy from Estonia.