12. “The Gathering of My People”
The Lord gathers his people spiritually through covenants, and geographically through creating places where Saints come together and establish the Church.
“Gathering to Ohio,” from Mapping Mormonism, ed. Brandon Plewe, 24-25.
This map shows how members of the fledgling church moved in groups from New York to Ohio in spring 1831, fulfilling the command given in D&C 37. First the families in Colesville (such as the Knights) gathered in Ithaca and then traveled north by boat on Cayuga Lake. They rode barges down the Cayuga and Seneca Canal and then the Erie Canal to Buffalo. They went by boat on Lake Erie to Fairport Harbor and overland to Kirtland, Ohio. The Fayette branch (including the Whitmer family) and the Manchester-Palmyra branch followed soon afterward along the same travel lines.
“Settlement in Ohio,” from Mapping Mormonism, ed. Brandon Plewe, 29.
This map shows significant concentrations of Saints in the Kirtland area in the 1830s. It shows the dozens of branches of the Church that were the result of constant missionary work in the area. Hiram, Ohio, was the location where Joseph Smith received many revelations.
“Ohio-Missouri Travels,” from Mapping Mormonism, ed. Brandon Plewe, 38.
This map shows the route Joseph Smith took from Kirtland to Independence in 1831, the route of the 1830-1831 mission to the Lamanites, and the 1831 journey of the Colesville branch from Kirtland to Independence.
“Gathering,” Ronald D. Dennis, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
For Latter-day Saints, the gathering of Israel involves bringing together the heirs of the covenant to designated places where they can enjoy the blessings of temples.
“Mormonism in the Methodist Marketplace: James Covel and the Historical Background of Doctrine and Covenants 39-40,” Christopher C. Jones, BYU Studies, Vol. 51, no. 1
Joseph Smith received two revelations in January 1831 (Doctrine and Covenants 39 and 40) directed to one “James Covill.” Here is a short biography of James Covel and his Methodist (not Baptist) ministry.
- Isaiah 13–14; 24–30; 35 – “A Marvellous Work and a Wonder”
- Isaiah 1–12 – “God Is My Salvation”
- Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – “The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom”
- Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – “Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord
- Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – “I Will Declare What He Hath Done for My Soul”
- Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
- Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – “Yet I Will Trust in Him”
- Esther – “Thou Art Come … for Such a Time as This”
- Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8 – “I Am Doing a Great Work”
- 2 Kings 17–25 – “He Trusted in the Lord God of Israel”
- 2 Kings 2–7 – “There Is a Prophet in Israel”
- 1 Kings 17–19 – “If the Lord Be God, Follow Him”
- 2 Samuel 5–7; 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11 – “Thy Kingdom Shall Be Established for Ever”
- 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–18 – “The Battle Is the Lord’s”
- Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–3 – “My Heart Rejoiceth in the Lord”
- Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – “The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer”
- Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – “Be Strong and of a Good Courage”
- Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – “Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord”
- Numbers 11–14; 20–24 – “Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear”
- Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19 – “Holiness to the Lord”
- Exodus 24; 31-34 – “My Presence Shall Go with Thee”
- Exodus 18-20 – “All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do”
- Easter – “He Will Swallow Up Death in Victory”
- Exodus 14-17 – “Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord”
- Exodus 7-13 – “Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt”
- Exodus 1-6 – “I Have Remembered My Covenant”
- Genesis 42-50 – “God Meant It unto Good”
- Genesis 37-41 – “The Lord Was with Joseph”
- Genesis 28-33 – “Surely the Lord Is in This Place”
- Genesis 24-27 – “The Covenant Is Renewed”
- Genesis 18-23 – “Is Any Thing Too Hard for the Lord?”
- Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2 – “To Be a Greater Follower of Righteousness”
- Genesis 6-11; Moses 8 – “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord”
- Moses 7 – “The Lord Called His People Zion”
- Genesis 5; Moses 6 – “Teach These Things Freely unto Your Children”
- Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5 – “The Fall of Adam and Eve”
- Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5 – “In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth”
- Moses 1; Abraham 3 – “This Is My Work and My Glory”
