New Mandarin-Speaking Congregation Created in Plano

Featured Photo: Members of the newly formed Plano Fifth Branch, a Mandarin-speaking congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

PLANO, TX – This week, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the creation of a new congregation in the North Texas area for those who speak Mandarin Chinese.

This is the second unit in the entire state of Texas for Mandarin-speaking members, the other being in Houston, Texas. Congregations of the 17-million-member Church are organized geographically, and members attend worship services near their homes. Each member belongs to a congregation depending on where they live with special accommodations based on language.

This Mandarin congregation is considered a branch of the church and was officially organized on April 23, 2023, with 86 members. Mandarin is the official spoken language used in both mainland China and Taiwan. Members of this new congregation are primarily from Taiwan (45%), China (45%), Hong Kong, and Singapore (10%). It originally started with a meeting group in Garland, TX in the late 1990s and has now been organized as an official church unit called the “Plano Fifth Branch.”

The announcement came under the direction of the Plano Stake Presidency, the leadership overseeing the Church members in the Plano, Texas area. President Kevin Beech presided at the meeting and his two counselors help oversee the congregation. The changes were sustained by the membership of the Church. 

“We have a very vibrant group with a tremendous amount of faith and energy,” says Jerry Martin, First Counselor in the Plano Texas Stake Presidency. “It is just outstanding to see them meet to worship the Savior. There was a lot of chatter in the chapel, and I consider it miraculous.”

According to church leaders, the growth after the pandemic is what prompted the changes. There were several Mandarin-speaking members moving to Texas from California. Plano has a vibrant Chinese community with shopping malls, grocery stores, and restaurants that bring many to the area. According to DMagazine in 2012, out of the cities with 250,000 and more residents, Plano has the sixth largest percentage of ethnic Chinese in Texas, which made up 5.2 percent of the city’s population.

The local leadership submits the request to the headquarters of the Church, and the new congregation is approved by The First Presidency, the highest leadership body of the Church in Salt Lake City, UT. There are more than 30,000 wards and branches worldwide. The lay leader of a branch is called a branch president. He is a member of the congregation who has been asked to serve as a volunteer in this position.

With the creation of the new Mandarin congregation, a new branch president was also called. Peter Wang will now serve in this volunteer clergy position, in addition to his professional career. President Wang and his wife immigrated to the USA when their daughter came to start college in 2016.

“Words cannot express the miracles!” says Wang who says he got emotional at the first church service. “I could almost see the Savior standing in front of me, just like a shepherd guiding me here. That’s why I’m so grateful.”

Wang came to the United States, leaving a good job in Taiwan at age 49 where he also spoke English and would often travel to California for work. He had never visited Plano but ended up being accepted to the master’s program at UT Dallas for business analytics. He felt guided to the area as he took that leap of faith. He and his wife were baptized into the faith in Taiwan in 2002.

“Many of our Mandarin-speaking members are pioneers in their family,” says Wang. “They are first-generation members of our Church but also first-generation immigrants. Here is like family. When you come worship with us it is so warm and welcoming.”

Wang will serve with two counselors: Eric Wang was called as first counselor and Wei-Ming Wang was called as second counselor.

“This congregation is the only Chinese-speaking unit in north Texas. Our members cover the area from Wylie to the Colony, from Prosper to downtown Dallas,” says Wang.

The Mandarin-speaking Plano Fifth Branch meets on Sundays at 12:45 p.m. at 2401 Legacy Drive in Plano, TX. The Church also provides English Connect Classes free of charge for the community for anyone wanting to learn English on Saturdays at 10 a.m. For more information please contact Peter Wang at [email protected] or 817-312-0510

Update: NBC/DFW featured this story on its May 29, 2023, broadcast. You can watch it HERE.

This article was previously published on May 5, 2023, in Dallas Chinese News. To learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mandarin-Chinese, please click HERE.

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Jill Taylor is the Dallas East Coordinating Council Assistant Director over Media of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.