Sussex Gospel Hall, NB

From BrethrenPedia

[edit] History

In the 1950s, Tom Wilkie and James Blackwood held meetings in the city of Sussex, which lies about midway between Moncton Gospel Hall, NB and Saint John Gospel Hall, NB. Later, Sam Cairns and Bill Swan of Moncton preached the Gospel at Sussex. These also held Gospel meetings in a building in nearby Waterford, going there on Sunday afternoons to make a fire in an old oil barrel which served as a stove to warm the building before the evening meetings.

In the 1960s, Grace Craig, later Mrs. Allison Morton, Jr. led a classmate to the Lord. This led to the Lord working in her family’s lives and some were saved. As a consequence of this, Murray McCandless came from Ontario to preach the Gospel in the St. Martins and Sussex areas of New Brunswick. Murray and Shirley McCandless then made their home in Sussex.

David Kember of Ontario moved to Sussex for about two years to assist in the work there. When he returned to Ontario, he left his trailer, so Sam Cairns and Bill Swan carried on Bible readings in the trailer one night a week for some who had professed salvation. Ken and Doris Taylor also lived in Sussex and helped in this new work.

At that time, these Sussex-area Christians were driving to Moncton to Remember the Lord on Sundays. An assembly was started near the town of St. Martins in a rented hall in April 1978. The Christians later moved to the Fire Hall in St. Martins. Then a new Sussex Gospel Hall, NB was built near Sussex and opened in July 1980, with 15 in fellowship.

Christians from the Canada – Atlantic Provinces, Canada - Ontario, and the United States helped in the building of the new hall. Gaius Goff and Albert Ramsay held Gospel meetings there soon after its opening.