York Hill Chapel
The first time I was sent to Sunday School was on Sunday afternoons at my father’s chapel, in York Hill. There were probably two rows of us, mostly waiting to go home. On one occasion, some Teddy Boys banged on the door and our Sunday School teacher repelled them with a hefty shoulder to the door. She claimed that God had given her extra strength. While we were pleased about that, all we wanted to do was to get out.
Elim Tabernacle
The second Sunday School I was sent to was on Sunday mornings at the Elim Tabernacle, in the Lanes, opposite the Bath Arms. It had a huge interior and later I realised that it had an interesting and fairly ancient history.
The aging Miss Stokes
Sunday School was run by Miss Stokes. She seemed, to us, to be about 90. She had a particularly striking feature in that she had impossibly bad breath. The service began with a hymn such as ‘Jesus wants me for a sunbeam’. This lead onto a biblical story from Miss Stokes and ended with an impromptu prayer. We hardly filled half a pew of what was a huge space.
I don’t remember how or why I stopped going to Sunday School. I suspect it was for much the same reason as I later left my father’s church. I didn’t believe a word of it.
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I remember Elim Church in the Lanes and Sunday after church club Sunshine Corner. Does anyone else remember this?
I can remember going to Sunshine Corner at the Elim Church in Portland Road I seem to remember on Tuesday evenings. Lots of the children who lived in Ingram Crescent went there. The church was between Ingram Crescent and West Hove School and is now a nursery. We started the evening with a song. It went something like this.
Sunshine Corner oh it’s very fine
Its for children under 99
All are welcome seats are given free
Even Sunshine Corner is the place for me.
We then had bible readings and songs. This was in the 1950’s.
I went to Elim Four Square church in the Lanes in the 1950s. Don’t remember the Sunday School but I may have been too little as I can remember sitting on the floor at my mum’s feet, playing with a toy. I must have been to Sunshine Corner at some point as I do remember the song. Did they meet in the summer holidays on the beach in the mornings and at Hove Park in the afternoon, or am I confusing that with something else?
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