The Gadfield Elm Chapel, by Angus Belliston

By Angus BellistonDuring the lifetime of Joseph Smith no chapels for worship were built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was as though every resource, every effort, and every dollar available for Church buildiings was to be devoted to the Kirrland and Nauvoo temples. These sacred edifices were the symbols of the Restoration. The fulness of the gospel was being restored, and the ordinances and most sacred teachings were to be found only in holy temples.

In the early months of 1840 the Spirit directed Elder Wilford Woodruff to the valleys of Worcestershire and Herefordshire south of Birmingham. He had met John Benbow, a wonderful saint, who went with him to the south and introduced him to Thomas Knighton and other leaders ofthe United Brethren, who for some time had been diligently seeking the true gospel ofJesus Christ.

Ultimately all but one of the United Brethren—in¬ cluding their 45 preachers—joined the new church from America and became stalwart members. With the new

converts from this amazing group came a deed to their lovely little chapel. Thus Gadfield Elm became the first house ofworship owned by the Church ofJesus Christ in the latter days and was one ofthe forums used by Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, and other elders as they preached to the people.

On Sunday June 14, 1840, prior to leaving for their homes, the Brethren met small Gadfield Elm Chapel, Here they organized 12 branches of the Church and created a “confer¬

ence,” with Thomas Knighton as president. The following Sunday, a conference of 20 branches was organized in the nearby Froomes Hill area. The little chapel continued to be used until it was sold to provide funds for saints emigrating to America.

For many years the Gadfield Elm Chapel stood un¬ occupied in the quiet countryside of the Malvern Hills. Finally, 150 years later the chapel was bought by the Gadfield Elm Trust, a group ofmembers ofThe Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founded in 1994 to preserve the chapel. Local members raised about $12,000 to purchase the chapel. Contributions from several indi¬ viduals in the United Kingdom and the United States also provided the means for the chapels complete renovation.

On April 23, 2000, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, mem¬ ber ofthe Quorum ofthe Twelve Apostles, dedicated the chapel. Elder Holland is a descendant ofWilliam Carter and Ellen Benbow, who joined the Church near Gadfield Elm. In 2004 (pictured below), President Gordon B, Hinckley accepted the deed to the chapel from the Gadfield Elm Trust.* Q