This year sees the 50th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Woodsetton Chapel on Tipton Road in Sedgley. What makes the Chapel really special is the fact that the members of the church helped to build it all those years ago.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Prior to 1962, the local congregation met in various places to worship including, Queen Victoria Primary School, Dudley Town Hall and a house in Merridale Road, Wolverhampton.
The current site on Tipton Road was originally a house on a large plot of land. The site was purchased by the Church and the house was demolished - it was then that the hard work began. In the Spring of 1962 the ground was “broken” and by the Autumn the footings were put in, with members of the congregation clearing the site, digging and ferrying building materials to where they were needed. Young and old strove to move the work along and in 1965 the chapel was finally finished at a cost of £77,000.
Woodsetton Ward, the official name of the congregation, came into being in 1966. Fifty years later, old and new members of the Church travelled from all parts of the British Isles to celebrate the anniversary on a beautiful sunny day. Entertainment was provided by a group who had all attended the youth programme in Woodsetton church 20 years ago. They played a selection of Beatles classics and modern pop. The members of the group came from various parts of the UK including Burnham-on-Sea, Sheffield and Bilston. They all have very busy careers, and so attending rehearsals was a challenge, especially for one who could only attend three as he is a General Practitioner. A local young lady from the current youth programme continued the musical feast by singing whilst playing the guitar.
The little children had a whale of a time on the bouncy castle and everyone enjoyed the buffet provided by the church members.
The number of people from around the world who sent their good wishes, is a testimony to the love that the church members have for their old chapel in Woodsetton.