Estonia: Church Chronology

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.

Jana Lass, Kristi Lass, Eve Reisalu, and Alari Allik became the first converts baptized in Estonia.

The Tallinn Branch was organized.

Marina Saarik was called as the first Relief Society president in Estonia.

Peep Kivit was called as the first Estonian branch president in Estonia.

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.

The Church received official recognition from the Estonian government.

Jaanus Silla became the first Church member from Estonia and the Soviet Union to serve a mission.

Estonia declared the restoration of its independence from the Soviet Union, facilitating the spread of the gospel.

Missionaries began preaching in Tartu.

The first Russian-speaking branch was organized in Tallinn, with Anatolii Diachkovskii as president.

The first group of Estonians received temple ordinances.

The endowment ceremony was given for the first time in Estonian.

General conference was broadcast in Estonian for the first time.

Hans Peets, an Estonian expatriate living in Canada and an ordained patriarch, visited Tartu and gave patriarchal blessings in Estonian to branch members.

The Tallinn Estonia District was organized. Tarmo Lepp became the first local district president in April 1999.

The first meetinghouse in Estonia was dedicated following a two-day open house, which drew significant media attention.

The first copies of the Estonian translation of the Book of Mormon arrived in Estonia.

The Narva Branch was organized.

Missionaries opened the city of Pärnu for missionary work.

Estonian members participated in the cultural celebration for the dedication of the Helsinki Finland Temple. The dedication was broadcast in the Tallinn meetinghouse.

The Seminaries and Institutes program was introduced in Estonia.

The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price were published in Estonian.

Following its publication, the full-size Estonian hymnal was used in a Church meeting for the first time at a district conference.

Tarmo Lepp became the first Area Seventy from Estonia.