Opening the British Isles

In April 1836, Elder Heber C. Kimball called fellow Apostle Parley P. Pratt to preach in Canada. “From the things growing out of this mission,” Kimball said, “shall the fulness of the gospel spread into England.” In Canada, Pratt taught John and Leonora Cannon Taylor, Joseph Fielding and his sisters Mary and Mercy, and several other English immigrants.

A year later, the Prophet Joseph Smith told Kimball, “The Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, ‘let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my gospel and open the door of salvation to that nation.’” Kimball and Orson Hyde, another Apostle, departed Kirtland, Ohio, in June 1837. They were joined by four converts baptized by Pratt in Canada, including Joseph Fielding.

In Preston, Joseph Fielding’s brother James invited the missionaries to preach in his church. Within the week, they baptized nine converts, most of whom were from James Fielding’s congregation. Eventually, more than 1,500 people joined the Church in Preston, and a branch, the first in Europe, was established.

After a year of preaching in the Preston area, Kimball and his companions returned to the United States. Shortly after, the Twelve Apostles were called to “go over the great waters” to England the next spring “and there promulgate my gospel” (Doctrine and Covenants 118:4). The revelation also called several new Apostles, including John Taylor, the first of many English converts to be called as General Authorities.

From 1839 to 1841, nine of the Twelve Apostles preached in public squares, rented halls, and private homes throughout the United Kingdom, establishing branches in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. One convert in Liverpool had a dream of the Apostles as fishermen, casting in their nets and picking out the small fish first, then the large. As the dream suggested, many poor workers in English factory towns embraced the Apostles’ message.