The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wales

A typical Welsh LDS chapel.

As of January 1, 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 9,343 members in three stakes, 24 congregations (18 wards^[1] and six branches^[1]), no missions, and no temples in Wales.^[2][3]

Wales is served by English temples and English missions.

History

First issue of the Prophwyd y Jubili by Dan Jones. Carmarthenshire, Wales. July, 1846.

The first missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to proselyte in the British Isles arrived in 1837. Beginning in the 1950s emigration to the United States began to be discouraged and local congregations began to proliferate. The church claims just over 186,000 members across the United Kingdom, spread out across over 330 local congregations.

Welsh people were instrumental in setting up choirs in Utah and elsewhere.

Dan Jones

In late 1844, Brigham Young asked Jones to return to Wales as a missionary for the church. Jones and his wife traveled to England with Wilford Woodruff and a number of other persons who had been asked to serve as missionaries in the British Isles. After approximately one year and little success, Jones was asked to preside over the missionary efforts in Wales. At this time, there were just over 200 Latter-day Saints in Wales. Under Jones's leadership, between 1845 and 1848 the missionaries in Wales baptized approximately 3600 persons. In terms of population, one out of every 278 people in Wales at that time was baptized into the LDS Church.^[4] When Jones left Wales, there were seventy-two branches of the church and 4645 Latter-day Saints.^[5]

In 1846, Jones began to publish a Welsh language periodical for the church entitled Prophwyd y Jubili (Prophet of the Jubilee). It was the first Mormon periodical to be published in a language other than English.^[6] In 1847, Jones published the most famous of his many Welsh-language pamphlets and tracts, "Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf" ("History of the Latter-day Saints").

Welsh language

The Book of Mormon is currently available in a Welsh language translation.

Membership

Table shows LDS membership statistics as of January 1, 2011 for various regions and nations of the UK, along with British Crown Dependencies.^[2]

Country	Membership	Stakes	Wards	Branches	Total Congregations	Missions	Temples
Wales	9,343	3	18	6	24

Missions

The nation of Wales does not have its own mission. Instead it is served by two English missions:

• England Birmingham Mission
• England Leeds Mission

Temples

There are no temples in Wales itself. Instead, Welsh members use either of the two English temples.

	12. London England
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Rededication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	Lingfield, Surrey, United Kingdom 17 February 1955 7 September 1958 by David O. McKay 18 October 1992 by Gordon B. Hinckley 51°9′45.23759″N 0°3′7.851599″W / 51.1625659972°N 0.05218099972°W 42,775 sq ft (3,974 m^2) and 190 ft (58 m) high on a 32 acre (12.9 ha) site Modern contemporary, single spire - designed by Edward O. Anderson
	52. Preston England
	Location: Announcement: Dedication: Coordinates: Size: Style:	Chorley, Lancashire, United Kingdom 19 October 1992 7 June 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley 53°40′20.91360″N 2°37′52.59″W / 53.6724760000°N 2.6312750°W 69,630 sq ft (6,469 m^2) and 159 ft (48 m) high on a 15 acre (6.1 ha) site Modern, single-spire design - designed by Church A&E Services

Other denominations

The Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the second largest Latter Day Saint sect. It claims a presence in the British Isles since the mid-19th century^[7] but currently it only has churches in England and Wales. It has house churches in Cardiff, Swansea and Llanelli.

Notable Welsh Latter-day Saints

Jessica Garlick, a Welsh Latter-day Saint

Welsh LDS include:

• Martha Hughes Cannon
• William W. Davies
• Thomas Duncombe Dee
• John Henry Evans
• Jessica Garlick
• George F. Gibbs
• Rosalind Hall
• William Howells (Mormon)
• Orson Pratt Huish
• David John (Mormon)
• Dan Jones (Mormon)
• Noel L. Owen
• John Parry (Mormon)
• Evan Stephens

See also

• Religion in Wales

References

1. LDS Meetinghouse Locator. Nearby congregations (wards and branches).
2. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: United Kingdom", Newsroom (LDS Church), 31 December 2011, retrieved 2012-10-18
3. "Country information: United Kingdom", Church News Online Almanac (Deseret News), February 1, 2010, retrieved 2012-10-18
4. Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Thing of Most Worth”, Ensign, September 1993, p. 2.
5. Rex LeRoy Christensen, “I Have a Question: I've heard that a Dan Jones was one of the most successful missionaries of the early church. Can you tell me more about him?” Ensign, March 1982, p. 19.
6. Rex LeRoy Christensen, “The Life and Contributions of Captain Dan Jones,” Master’s thesis, Utah State University, 1977, p. 24.
7. cofchrist.org.uk

External links

• LDS Newsroom (United Kingdom & Ireland)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (UK and Ireland) - Official Site
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site
• Elaine and Ray Walton Collection of Llanelli Branch Records, MSS 3948; 19th-20th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts; L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.