History of Genesis

On June 8, 1971, exactly seven years before President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation extending the priesthood to "all worthy males," modern Church history was made as Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, Elder Thomas S. Monson, and Elder Boyd K. Packer (then junior apostles) met with three Black Latter-day Saints—Ruffin Bridgeforth, Darius Gray, and Eugene Orr—to discuss how the Church might better support its members of African descent. These six men worked together weekly until The Genesis Group was established as an auxiliary unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 19, 1971, under the direction of President Joseph Fielding Smith.

The Genesis Group was established to meet the needs of Black members, many of whom were descendants of early pioneers, with the hope of reactivating those who had left the Church and of supporting new converts of African descent. The late Ruffin Bridgeforth served as president from 1971 until his death in 1997. Darius Gray, who served as a counselor to President Bridgeforth, succeeded him as president in 1997 and served until his release in 2003. Don Harwell received the calling to succeed him.

Seventy President Merrill J. Bateman is currently assigned as the presiding general authority over Genesis.

The Genesis Group meets on the first Sunday of each month at 7 p.m. in the meetinghouse at 6710 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City.