The Mormon Church is opening a new base in the
north-east after the Osmond family proved they still have the power to
draw a crowd.
Brandon Osmond, the son of 1970s pop sensation Donny,
helped fuel a major expansion in the north-east congregation when he
visited the area several years ago.
Now, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as
it is officially known, has won permission to create a new place of
worship at Mintlaw.
The group said it needed a home in the north-east to help accommodate its growing flock.
The project, earmarked for land between Academy Gardens
and Newlands Road, was first proposed in 2003 and involves the
construction of a picturesque white chapel with space for about 200
followers.
It won outline planning permission six years ago when Mr Osmond was working in Elgin as part of his missionary training.
Plans for the site, which originally attracted
complaints from locals about the height of the chapel spire, have been
revised several times.
An application for full planning permission was
submitted to Aberdeenshire Council in September and last night a local
authority spokesman confirmed consent had been granted.
As there were no objections, the proposal did not have to be brought before members of the council’s Buchan area committee.
In recent years, several missionaries from the US have spent time in the Buchan area spreading the word about their religion.
About 70 people are expected to worship at the church each week.
Mormons regard Jesus Christ as the head of their Church and deem themselves Christians.
They do not consider themselves part of the Catholic,
Orthodox or Protestant traditions and believe their faith to be the
restoration of the original Church established by Jesus Christ on Earth.
The Osmond family’s Mormon connections are well-known.
Donny, lead singer of the family band which regularly
topped the charts in the 1970s, donates an entire section of his
website to the Church and his beliefs.
Other famous Latter-Day Saints include singer Brandon Flowers and actor Matthew Modine.
The Church currently has premises in Aberdeen, Elgin and Lerwick.
SIC: APJ/UK