Presentation to President Gordon B Hinckley

While visiting England last June to dedicate the Preston Temple, President Gordon B Hinckley was presented with a plaque by Bishop Roland H Gardner of the Gloucester Ward, Cheltenham Stake, in behalf of the Gadfield Elm Trust. The plaque contains an image of the Gadfield Elm Chapel beautifully etched onto one of the original tiles from the roof of the chapel. The inscription reads:

"This piece of slate is part of the original tile from the roof of the Gadfield Elm Chapel, built by the United Brethren in 1836, situated near Eldersfield, Worcestershire, England. The chapel was first to be owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been deeded to the Church on 14th of June 1840, by the United Brethren, whose leaders were John Benbow and Thomas Kington. Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards preached here."

By 1840 the majority of the United Brethren had joined the Church, so Thomas Kington and John Benbow bequeathed the chapel to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of the early Apostles, including Brigham Young, preached in this chapel.

The Gadfield Elm Trust is restoring the chapel to its original condition and is financed by donations from members of the Church. The committee members are Wayne Gardner, chairman; Simon Gibson, vice-chairman; Brian Bliss, treasurer; and V Ben Bloxham, historian. - Wayne Gardner, Gloucester Ward, Cheltenham Stake

Community Initiative

David Rush of the Clevedon Branch, Bristol Stake, has been busy working with local community initiatives leading up to the year 2000. For one project, David worked with local BBC film editor Pete Brownlee to produce an audio-visual production to celebrate VE day. David interviewed citizens about life in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. The images and soundtrack have been included on a videocassette containing historical footage of the Chew Valley in Somerset. The project has grown to encompass 100 years of history and will be released in 1999.

David is also working on a special production for New Year's Eve 1999 as part of the UK's millennium celebration programme. The production, which will run 20 minutes, features significant events from 4000BC to AD2000 and contains events such as the fall of Jericho, Lehi's journey, the birth of  Jesus Christ, the Reformation, and the LDS pioneer trail experience.

"There is a lot of creative talent in the Church, and these kinds of audio-visual activities give members the opportunity to share their view of life in a unique way," says David. "We hope to plant a few seeds." - Donald Norris, Bath Ward, Bristol Stake

Our Heritage

Great Britain has many sites of historical interest to the Church that give insight into the lives of early Church members. Many sites are located in the Preston and Hereford areas, but there are also others identified in many stake and ward histories. Examples of a few of the better-known sites include:

• Gadfield Elm Chapel in Herefordshire, the first Church-owned chapel in Great Britain.
• Benbow's farm, where Wilford Woodruff baptised many converts.
• Herefordshire Beacon, where Brigham Young, Willard Richards, and Wilford Woodruff received inspiration to print a hymnal and 3,000 copies of the Book of Mormon for use in the British Isles.
• Preston's River Ribble, where the first baptism occurred.
• The villages of Chatburn and Downham, where many baptisms took place and which today appear much as they did in the 1840s
• Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland, where Elder Orson Pratt made frequent pleas to Heavenly Father on behalf of the people of Edinburgh.

A visit to these sites can help parents teach their children about their Latter-day Saint legacy and the sacrifices of the early missionaries and Saints.

Taking the Proclamation to Cornwall

Clive Payne of the St Austell Ward, Plymouth Stake, has an ambition to present every mayor in the county of Cornwall with a copy of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" (see Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). On 21 July he presented a framed copy of the proclamation to the mayor of Wadebridge. At the same time Brother Payne was able to discuss some of the truths contained in the Book of Mormon with the mayor and the town clerk. The Mayor, Councillor Mrs June Cornall, was so taken with the proclamation that she promised to hang it in a prominent position in the council chamber.

Other presentations made to date include Lord and Lady St Leven of St Michaels Mount and the Mayors of Restormel, Newquay, and Bodmin.