Hyde Park Chapel

It was interesting to visit the Hyde Park Chapel again. The first time I saw the Hyde Park Chapel was on Sunday, September 7, my second day on the program, and I visited it again yesterday. I can't believe the program is coming to an end! On thing that stands out about the chapel, which I learned the first week we were here, was that it was a World War II bomb site. After the war the Church bought the property and cleaned it up. In 1961, President David O. McKay dedicated the chapel as headquarters for the Church in London.

I have heard and noticed that the chapel is a major missionary tool even today. Set among the museums of South Kensington, many visitors see the chapel as well as the big "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" over the doors and decide to investigate. There is always a secretary just inside the doors to answer any questions, there is also informative plaques about the history of the Church as well as the Plan of Salvation. One of my favorite stories that I have heard about the Hyde Park Chapel was told to the program in a fireside by a visiting BYU professor. He told the story of a young man from the Middle East who had moved to London for work. During this time he did a lot of soul searching, he especially wanted to find peace with another religion. One night he had a dream about the chapel, though he didn't know it at the time, and knew that that church was the only true church. A few weeks later he visited the South Kensington area, saw the chapel and began taking the missionary discussions. Now he is back in the Middle East, living the Gospel with a small congregation of friends and family. It has been fun to see the impact one chapel can have on a whole city.