United Kingdom Area Conference Reports

In three separate conferences held over a period of five days in June, the Saints in the United Kingdom gathered in London, Manchester, and Glasgow to see and hear President Spencer W. Kimball and other General Authorities.

For Britain it was the second area conference, the first being held in 1971. One day prior to this year’s conference another milestone was reached when Britain’s twenty-third stake was created in Preston. It was at Preston in 1837 that the first missionaries to Britain taught their first congregation.

In the recent area conferences two new Regional Representatives of the Council of the Twelve were named: Ian D. Swanney, former president of the Hull England Stake, assigned to the Birmingham, England Central, and Ireland regions, and John Maxwell, former president of the Sunderland England Stake, assigned to the England South and Leeds regions.

Accompanying President Kimball were President Marion G. Romney, second counselor in the First Presidency; Elder Ezra Taft Benson and Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Council of the Twelve; Elder Bernard P. Brockbank, Elder W. Grant Bangerter, Elder Robert D. Hales, and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Assistants to the Council of the Twelve; Elder Charles A. Didier of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and Bishop H. Burke Peterson, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric.

As this issue of the Ensign went to press, European area conferences were being held in Paris, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Dortmund, and Amsterdam. Reports on these conferences will appear in the October issue of the Ensign.