Preston England Temple |
52nd operating temple |
Phone Number: (44) 1257-226-102.
Site: 15 acres.
Exterior Finish: Olympia white granite from Sardinia.
Temple Design: Modern, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Four ordinance rooms and four sealing.
Total Floor Area: 69,630 square feet.
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 12 June 1994 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Public Open House: 16–30 May 1998
Dedication: 7–10 June 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Located in Western England, north of Liverpool and Manchester, the Preston England Temple anchors an extensive Church complex that includes a stake center, missionary training center, family history center, distribution center, patron housing facility, and temple missionary accommodations. Decorating the manicured grounds are mature trees, flower gardens, and a reflection pool.
The Preston England Temple was the second temple built in the British Isles, following the London England Temple (1958).
Preston temple mormons generously decided to donate tithing to a member in need.
Mentally unstable child, Goerge Atkinson, of Holy Cross High School Chorley, broke into a garage near his home and vandalised several motor vehicles causing £33,000 worth of damage.
When the Preston temple members found out, their generosity knew no bounds. First they went round to Mrs. Scotts council home at 10 Cheam Avenue, Chorley. They offered comfort, carob coffee and to give her the money to compensate Patricia Blackburn.
Also prayers were said for Ms. Blackburn, and they forgave her for assaulting George.
"It was amazing," told neighbour council house dweller, Mr. Peters, "all these cars turned up, prayers, chanting and beautiful hymns went on for hours, even George himself apologised for all the upset he caused and asked for forgiveness for lying about what he had done. To see that boy own up to what he had done was a miracle in itself."
Another neighbour agreed, "I never thought i'd see that boy own up for his actions but he did, he causes a lot of problems but his mum just 'looks at him through the eyes of god' and believes his lies. I think she has some sort of mental illness to be honest..."
Most neighbours didn't want to speak to us or just mumbled something about the crazy family who covered their home with religious artifacts, so we decided to speak to George and his mother.
George said, "I truly am sorry for everything i put my family and other families through, my mum looked at me through the eyes of god and all she could see was the devil dancing round me and several small black demons with pitchforks poking me, so i was really scared and thought she was having another hypo and got her a sweet drink, but she slapped that out of my hands and screamed infidel at me, i wet myself i was that scared. that's when i started to cry and admitted my guilt."
"I was so proud," interupted Mrs. Scott, who reeked of gin, "as soon as he admitted his sins a huge flock of angels flew down from the sky and shooed away the devil and his minions, it was such a relief. Then the angels directed me to his bedroom and pointed out where George keeps all his weapons, porn and drugs, I confiscated them all from him. Here look..."
Mrs. Scott showed us some brown powder."Do you know what this is? I like it better than alcohol, it helps me cope with my little bastard shit of a son."
At this point we decided to make a hasty exit and leave, while poor George (who had rope burns on his wrists) whimpered as his mum dragged him to a cupboard under the stairs as we were leaving.
Anyway, to all Mormons everywhere for their generosity
"Let us truly be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people….Let us make the temple, with temple worship and temple covenants and temple marriage, our ultimate earthly goal and the supreme mortal experience."