This book draws on personal writings, archival research, and oral histories to tell the story of the beginnings and expansion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles through the lens of the places where its members worshipped from 1837 to 1965. Original research has yielded many compelling accounts that together reflect an evocative aspect of the British Saints’ lived history: their places of worship. In the Church’s first century in the British Isles, we see how their religious devotion eclipsed the dismal realities of their often-subpar circumstances and meeting places—from cramped tents and homes to rented rooms and halls and other temporary quarters. The historical tour then settles on the 1960s, an era that saw the inauguration, development, and ultimate closure of the Church Building Programme. This institutional thrust relied on the labour of young Latter-day Saints, many of whom were recent converts who volunteered to leave their homes to construct chapels in various locations throughout the Isles. The blend of meticulous historical research with moving elements of human interest presents a unique perspective on how the Latter-day Saint faith community has grown, expanded, and developed over almost two centuries in the British Isles.

In the early months of 1902, apostle Francis Marion Lyman—then president of the European Mission—embarked on a remarkable journey to the Holy Land and the Ottoman Empire. Joining him were two fellow Latter-day Saint mission presidents: Sylvester Q. Cannon of the Netherlands-Belgium Mission and Albert Herman of the Turkish Mission. It is through the detailed and reflective writings of Sylvester Q. Cannon that this extraordinary pilgrimage comes to life.

Off for the Holy Land presents a richly contextualized and carefully curated account of their three-month expedition. Drawing from Cannon’s vivid personal journals and the nine travelogues he published in the Millennial Star, editor Reid L. Neilson constructs a compelling documentary history that opens a window into early twentieth-century Latter-day Saint missionary work, travel, and interfaith encounters in the Middle East.

This volume explores the characteristics of God illustrated in his interactions with his people, embodied in his covenants and laws and in the revelation given to his prophets, found in the lives of his servants who emulate these character traits, and expressed particularly in the love and redemption offered to his children here in mortality. The theme is intended to inspire teaching at church and at home by bringing to light the love and compassion of God and uplifting examples of his tender mercies.

This volume contains a faithful new English translation of Genesis, translated directly from the Hebrew Bible into the language of today’s English speakers. The translation is followed by commentary intended to help readers navigate through this first book of the Bible. Joseph Smith’s translation of Genesis is also included, with its additions and revisions placed where they appear in their original context. Genesis is the foundational text for all the sacred writings that follow it. Genesis reveals the creation of the earth and the fall of Adam and Eve, and by doing so it lays the groundwork for later revelations that make known the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is the indispensable scriptural book. For the ancient Israelites and modern believers, it has been particularly important because it tells of the beginnings of human history and relates the story of Israel’s earliest ancestors. This groundbreaking volume brings Genesis to life for a new generation.