A weekend of celebration is to be held at Mount Pleasant Gospel Hall in Lowestoft to mark its 60th anniversary.
As part of a special weekend at the hall, on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Hollingsworth Road, the Christian evangelical group is opening its doors from 3.30pm tomorrow.
A spokesman said: 'Come and join us for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat, then look back at the work over the years at Mount Pleasant.'
At about 6.15pm, Singspiration will take centre stage as an informal evening of hymns and spiritual songs old and new are performed. At 6.30pm on Sunday, a family service with John Keable will be held followed by a buffet supper.
The Gospel Hall's origins date back to the late 1940s. Don Leftley and his then fiancée Joan were walking down Fir Lane one Sunday in the early summer of 1948 when they noticed several children playing on the green and they spoke to them about Jesus.
As a result, that small group of children from the surrounding homes gathered week by week on Sunday afternoons for Sunday School in the open air.
This progressed onto a semi-circular green known as Mantis Crescent – a prime site for open air preaching of the gospel – which led to the Mantis Crescent Sunday School being created.
During the winter of 1953 and 1954, larger premises were offered in Alexandra Road to accommodate more people and, despite a lack of transport, more children did attend.
But this proved unsatisfactory, and so began a search for a suitable piece of land to be used – leading to the eventual development of Mount Pleasant.
When the hall was completed in 1955, a Gospel meeting was held on Sunday evenings, in addition to the afternoon Sunday School.
Mary Warnes continued the successful Sunday School work, after Don and Joan moved away.
The building was extended in 1997, and now the gospel hall boasts regular Sunday and midweek services, as well as an active ladies group who meet on the first Monday of every month from 1.30pm.
Coffee mornings take place every Tuesday from 9am to noon, with all warmly welcomed.
? For more details visit www.mountpleasantgospelhall.co.uk
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