Just down the block from the Nauvoo (Illinois) temple lies the Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center (NCVC), a ministry managed by Steve Dealy. He has been involved with Christian ministry to Mormons for more than two decades.
Eric and Sean: Why is Nauvoo an important city for the Mormon people?
Steve: Nauvoo was a Mormon boomtown of the early 1840s. Situated on a horseshoe bend of the Mississippi River, it served as a refuge for the Latter-day Saints following a time of intense conflict with the people of Western Missouri. Today it is considered the “Jerusalem” of the LDS faith because it was here where Joseph Smith completed his earthly mission. Nauvoo represents a short, pivotal season of peace and prosperity for Smith in which he completed laying the foundation of the young Mormon faith. Within six years of its meteoric rise, the Mormons abandoned Nauvoo.
Eric and Sean: What is the purpose of the center you run?
Steve: In the 1980s, a group of Christians opened the Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center (NCVC) in the historic Mormon village as an information and ministry center. Today it continues to serve as a voice for biblical Christianity. Unlike the other visitors centers already in operation in Nauvoo, the NCVC was created to present an evangelical Christian perspective of Nauvoo and its important religious history. A nineteenth-century storefront was purchased to house the center located just two blocks from the rebuilt Mormon temple that opened in 2002. Today it serves as a voice for biblical Christianity in a town that is very Mormon oriented. Tourists are able to pick up maps and sight-seeing information as well as Christian literature, music, books, and DVDs. We also show educational and gospel films.
Eric and Sean: Do you get many Mormon visitors?
Steve: About half the visitors are Mormon. Some drop in quickly to use our restroom or ask for directions and restaurant recommendations. Most accept a free copy of our evangelistic Nauvoo Times newspaper. Those who take the time to view our displays and resources often ask about our beliefs. Many come to Nauvoo expecting that everyone will be fellow LDS believers who hold to the same doctrines and a faith-promoting history of the town’s Mormon past. Because we make ourselves accessible, we get the opportunity to have many spiritual and fruitful conversations with Mormons.
Eric and Sean: Tell us about a recent encounter you had with a Mormon.
Steve: Once an elderly LDS woman came to the center at about 1:30 in the morning as I was preparing for an open house scheduled for the next evening. She knocked on the door in desperation because her husband had fallen ill after they had arrived the day before. The town was shut down for the night and I was the only person she could find to ask for help. She had no cell phone or knowledge of how to find a hospital. I called the ambulance before she led me to their apartment where they allowed me to offer a prayer for his recovery. As I knelt by his bed, I overheard her tell her husband, “He’s a good person.” He was taken to a nearby hospital and his condition was diagnosed as dehydration. The next day, this dear couple came back to help me clean and prepare for our open house. He was feeling much better and thanked me for the prayer, but at that time they did not know I was not LDS. It turns out that he had not been feeling well upon his arrival to Nauvoo and a Mormon had given him a “blessing,” saying that God would be sending him “angels.” She told me that I was one of the angels that God had sent to help them. Although many Mormons in the town told them not to trust me, they saw me in a completely different light!
If you are ever in Nauvoo, Illinois, stop by and see Steve. The NCVC is located at 1340 Mulholland Street, and their phone number is 217-453-2372.