06/12/2026
đ Springfield Temple District History â Week 1
âThe Beginningâ
In 1908, Clem and Nellie Nickle, first heard the gospel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Clem didnât trust âMormons.â Everything he had heard about them came from false stories. So when two missionaries knocked on his door, he let them inâfully expecting to prove them wrong.
But something unexpected happened.
As Clem and Nellie listened with open hearts, they recognized truth. It matched what they had felt while studying the Bible. What started as an attempt to âsaveâ the missionaries became their own journey of conversion.
That journey wasnât easy.
They faced ridicule, threats, and even mob opposition. In one town, a warning came: if the missionaries werenât turned out, a mob would come that night. Clemâs response was simple and courageous:
âYou cannot take them as long as I am alive.â
Eventually, the pressure became too much, and they left their home behindâmoving in faith, not knowing what would come next.
In 1914, after years of searching, sacrifice, and prayer, Clem and Nellie were baptized. That same day, they made life-changing commitmentsâleaving behind habits and stepping fully into discipleship.
A year later, in 1915, they moved to Springfield, Missouri.
At that time, there were only about 20 members of the Church in the entire city. The first Sunday School met in a home on South Fort Street. Clem served in the leadership, and his large family made up nearly half of the small group.
But their influence grew far beyond numbers.
Before his mother passed away, she gathered her children and bore a powerful witness:
âI have seen into the eternities⊠Clem has the truth. Listen to him and let him teach you.â
Because of that testimonyâand Clemâs faithful effortsâhis entire family eventually accepted the gospel.
The Nickle family became the foundation of the Church in Springfield.
From a small Sunday School in a homeâŠ
to a growing branchâŠ
to what would one day become a thriving temple districtâ
It all began with a family willing to listen, to sacrifice, and to follow Jesus Christ