Temple is ‘great symbol
of our message to the world’

CHORLEY, England - Ian D. Swanney never tires of seeing the Preston England 
Temple, which stands atop a hill in picturesque Lancashire.

As president of the temple, he drives to it nearly every day.  Yet at first sight of it 
each morning he feels as though he’s laying eyes on it for the first time, he said.
Standing as a beacon adjacent to two heavily traveled roads, the temple makes a 
definitive statement about the Church’s presence in this part of England.

Several thousand motorists see the impressive edifice as they drive by it every day.
At night, when floodlights illuminate a statue of the Angel Moroni atop the temple’s 
sole spire, passersby and area residents see an added dimension of beauty.

Factoring in Sundays when the temple is closed, Pres. Swanney and his wife, Anne 
M.  Swanney, temple matron, have driven to the temple no fewer than 150 times 
since it was dedicated last June.

"We never lose the lovely feeling of seeing the temple as we drive toward it every 
day," Pres. Swanney said.  "When we arrive early in the morning, it’s still dark.  The 
temple is lit up.  It looks beautiful in all kinds of weather, but on stormy days, it 
seems to have such a strength about it.  We don’t have many days with sunshine, but 
when it is bathed in sunlight, it is lovely.  The thrill of seeing the temple on that 
hillside never goes away.

"The temple is adjacent to Junction 8 of the M61 motorway.  I love the vision that all 
motorways seem to lead to the temple.  I think of individuals, couples and families 
as they prepare for the journey here.  I think of them driving, and the sense of 
anticipation they feel, and then the thrill of getting the first sight of the temple.  You 
can see it from a long way off.  The steeple just draws eyes right up to the statue of 
Angel Moroni.

"The temple is a great symbol of our message to the world.  It’s sort of silently 
displayed, yet it’s noticed by everybody.  It’s a beacon to all.  It invites questions."
He said that a group of 20 people from another church arranged to visit the temple 
grounds and others have shown an interest in learning about the edifice.  "We 
received a request from tour guides who have been asked questions by people as 
they pass the temple," he said.  "They want to know what it is.  The tour guides 
don’t always know how to answer, so they’ve asked if they can have a meeting with 
us so we can explain to them what the temple is so they can inform their clients.
"We’ve had a number of people who come to the door of the temple and ask if they 
can have a tour of the building.  We take the opportunity to visit with them and 
explain about temples and their purposes."

Most of all, Pres. Swanney said, the temple is a source of inspiration for Latter-day 
Saints in the temple district.  "We are so blessed to have two temples in England, the 
one in London and now this one in Preston," he said.  "It means so much to 
members here who have had to travel such distances to the temple.  The members in 
the Shetland Islands, for example, had to travel 14 hours on an overnight ferry to the 
mainland in Scotland, and then had an 11-hour drive to London.  Now, the drive 
portion of their trip is just five hours.  That’s still a long journey, but the members 
love having the temple so much closer."

Pres. Swanney said that he is constantly impressed by the attitude of members who 
attend the temple.  "We have people from many walks of life come here," he said.  
"Many are elderly.  We have quite a number who have disabilities, some who use 
varying degrees of support - one stick or two sticks.  We have some members who 
have hearing impairments or who are deaf.  We have married couples and single 
members who come to the temple as patrons and who serve in the temple.  All are 
vital to this work.

"The youth who come to do baptisms for the dead love the work that they do here.  
We try to speak to youth groups when they come.  It’s wonderful to see young 
people committed to temple work.  If they just keep that in their lives they will 
weather the storms of the world that are going to hit them."

Pres. Swanney spoke of his regard for his counselors, the assistants to the temple 
matron, temple missionary couples, ordinance workers and all the staff of engineers, 
maintenance workers, security personnel and others who contribute to keeping the 
temple in operation.

"It’s quite wonderful to see how everyone is united in a goal to create a spirit of 
welcome and love to all who come to the temple," he said.  "When people leave, 
they express reluctance of having to go back into the world after having been in the 
temple."