Benbow Farm & Gadfield Elm Chapel

In our travels we have stopped at one other site that was more related to the church then any literary sites, and for that I'm glad.  It was a boon to the soul to be able to visit such places as Benbow Farm and Gadfield Elm Chapel.

If you are familiar with church history then you will know about which I speak, but if not then a brief history lesson is in the works.  In 1840, a missionary was sent to England to help spread and proclaim the gospel.  During his time in England, he was very successful in teaching and converting new converts to the church.  That missionary was Wilford Woodruff.  He has been quoted as having said about the time he spent in England "as I asked, the Lord gave, and showed me that it was his will that I should go immediately to the south of England."  It was there in a small community that Wilford Woodruff was most successful and with the help of others in the community baptized over 1200 people who had previously been attending church at other denominations.

We were able to have a really neat and spiritual little meeting allowing us to each share how this site had effected us and our membership in the church and then also to reflect upon how the Lord will bless those who are looking for and seeking the truth in religion. It is safe to say that there were not many dry eyes when we were sitting around and viewing the pond in which Wilford Woodruff baptized  all those converts. 

Because those converts needed a place in which to worship, they took over a chapel that had been originally constructed by a group of religious leaders from the United Brethren who were all frustrated with the lack of a church that would give them all of what they were searching for in a religion.  It was this group of people who had been easily converted by Woodruff and then in 2000 was rededicated as an LDS chapel. 

During the dedication of the chapel, President Hinckley planted an English oak tree outside of the chapel and said, "Today, only the walls remain of the oldest Church-owned chapel in Europe.  But the Spirit remains, bearing strong and stirring testimony to those brave English pioneers and to the rich heritage they left behind." 

We were definitely able to feel those stirrings and it was well worth the short stop to visit these historic sites that helped to build up the church during its early years.