Heber C. Kimball's Prophetic Prediction of Mr. Richards Opening His Chapel
Published October 5, 2026 at 6:04 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
While preaching in a village near Preston, Heber C. Kimball baptized several members of Mr. Richards' congregation, which prompted the minister to close his chapel to Kimball. Richards' daughter, a recent convert, was deeply distressed by this. In his own journal, Kimball records comforting her, stating he felt certain God would soften her father's heart. This faith was rewarded the following Sunday; after Richards finished his own discourse, he surprised Kimball by inviting him to preach in the chapel again. Kimball notes he had been staying at the Richards home during this period.
In Their Own Words
“His daughter felt very sorrowful on account of her father not allowing me to preach any more in his place of worship, and wept much; but I told her not to fear, for I believed that God would soften his heart and cause him to open his chapel for me to preach in again. During this time I was principally entertained at his house. The next Sunday I went along with him to his meeting, with a desire to hear him preach. After he had finished his discourse, I was surprised to hear him give out another appointment for me to preach in his chapel.”
— Heber C. Kimball, Journal
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 11 December 1882 (Vol. 44, No. 50). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1882-12-11_44_50 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Kimball Family, 1888), 163-164. https://archive.org/details/lifeofheberckimb00whitrich Full first-person account: Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Kimball Family, 1888), 163-164. https://archive.org/details/lifeofheberckimb00whitrich
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