Senior leaders and employees from the John Lewis Partnership, one of the UK’s largest retailers, visited the Missionary Training Centre (MTC) and Preston Temple site in Lancashire, as part of the company’s Faith and Belief Network activities.
Those visiting included the Chair of the John Lewis Partnership, Jason Tarry, along with Chris Earnshaw, the Partnership Council President & Director of Democratic Engagement. They were joined by their colleagues from across the business, representing senior management, human resources, retail distribution, and customer services.
Jason Tarry, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said the visit had been both informative and inspiring.
“I must confess that I knew nothing before I came here about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have learned a lot… and I'm so impressed by the commitment, dedication and absolute clarity about the mission of the Church and the dedication and faith that you experience here. Another thing I've learned that maybe I wasn't expecting, is the focus on service and giving. Hearing about missionaries and young people learning about how to cope with life and build resilience and open their eyes up to the rest of the world is really inspiring.”
The visit formed part of the Partnership’s efforts to better understand the role faith plays in the lives of its employees and customers. The tour was organised by Peter Betts, a member of the Church from Stockport who is also a member of the John Lewis Partnership’s Faith and Belief Network.
“As a national retailer, we like to take the opportunity to understand how our employees interact with faith and different belief groups”, he said. “it allows us to interact with our suppliers and ultimately our customers better. And as a Latter-day Saint myself, this is important to me, and I wanted to show it to my colleagues.”
During the visit, guests were introduced to the purpose of Latter-day Saint temples and the history of the Preston England Temple, the second temple of the Church in the United Kingdom.
President Elmer Heap, President of the Preston England MTC, explained the Church’s global missionary programme and the training missionaries receive before beginning their service. Visitors learned that missionaries from more than 30 countries have recently trained at the MTC, with a further discussion about the humanitarian work of the Church and its lay leadership.
Laura Berry, a customer care team manager at John Lewis & Partners, reflected on what she had seen:
“I feel like everybody has their own faith, but overall, everybody is searching for the greater things and doing more for each other and that's really come across today, especially from the Sister missionaries. When we went into the missionary area it really brought it to life – that you can get involved in the Church here and do lots of things socially as well. A really lovely community setting, and really lovely grounds and the gardens are fantastic.”
The visit was supported by local and national communication representatives for the Church, including Kevin Fletcher, Communication Director for the Manchester Region; Kate Fletcher, Communication Director in Chorley; and Peter Trebilcock, National Communication Director for the UK. Two sister missionaries, Sister Tano and Sister Bevan, of the England Manchester Mission also joined the tour and spoke about their day-to-day experiences as missionaries.
At the conclusion of the visit, members of the group were invited to attend the open house of the Birmingham England Temple, which is currently under construction.
Kevin Fletcher said the visit demonstrated how member-led initiatives can help build understanding and strengthen relationships with the wider community.
“It’s encouraging to see how a simple invitation can create meaningful opportunities for people to learn more about the Church and its members.”
The visit reflects a wider effort among organisations to better understand faith and belief as part of supporting diverse workforces and engaging with communities across the UK.