History (cont)
In 1864 the Society found itself in serious difficulty, chiefly relating to finance.However, a remarkable event changed all that. A blind man named Hallgate, went from village to village cleaning and dressing clocks. When in Standish he would attend the evening service at the Quakers Yard Chapel. To all appearances he seemed very poor. On one of his visits he became seriously ill. On his death he left the church the surprising sum of £70.00, a veritable fortune. This sum was sufficient to remove all the financial anxiety from the little society. The hearts and souls of the members were once again cheered and inspired, though these years were fraught with doom and adverse circumstances. However,the faithful few soldiered on.
Then in the spring of 1868 a decisive event took place. One Sunday evening, a young preacher, Abram Riding, was delivering his sermon, when 8 Sunday school children, whose ages ranged from 12 to 16 years, were so moved by the spirit of God, that they voluntarily went out to the penitent form and committed themselves to the safe keeping of Jesus Christ. Such a scene had never been seen before in the little Quaker Chapel. The workers were almost beside themselves with joy and tears flowed in praise and joy. The workers were encouraged with renewed hopes and redoubled energy. The congregation grew and several non-conformist families settled in Standish increasing the numbers still further.
In 1885 it was found that the Chapel at Quakers Yard was now inadequate for the numbers of Methodists meeting there.As in most great ventures, its roots were in small beginnings and £10 was placed into the bank, as a start of the building fund for the new Chapel and school.
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