The Marque

A Memory of Sheffield.

Roughly in 1932 there was a religious group which was called the Assemblies Of God Pentecostal Church. Albeit they had been going on since 1900-14 they were a relatively unknown church - as of today they are unknown to many of us even now. The church wanted to set up a church within Sheffield but were unsure of the response of which they might get from the public. The church of which they had in mind would have been quite some size, but if they did not get the seats filled up it would be a flop? How the A O G operated was for them to find a plot of land for sale, approach the owner and ask if it could be rented for a short period of time (two weeks) and if it was successful the land would be purchased. A huge Marque would be put up as a temporary Makeshift church, seated out with basic chairs of seats.Then for a period of a few days or weeks announcements would be periodically broadcast on the radio and in local new papers. An invite was made from The A O G for any sick person whatever the sickness either to make their way to the Marque themselves or to have someone bring them. Sheffield having its own Hospital were to have many of its patients either getting up from their beds and walking down to the Marque or having an ambulance bring them down. Now in the year 1900, (prior to 1932) there was a young Mother who was to carry her baby son down the stairs of her house where she tripped and rolled down the stairs, still clutching to her son has she hit passage floor. Her son was to sustain two broken arms two fractures to his arms and also in addition his scull was con caved in and also his ribcage was fractured and was microns away from puncturing any of his organs! He was to be taken to a Hospital and when he was seen by Surgeons, they simply said nothing could be done for him and they believed it would be pointless in them operating upon him as they feared that he'd be dead within days. 32 years Later the Mother was still caring for her son washing him and feeding him as she had done so since he was a baby. Now back with the story as it was said people of all walks of life were to answer the invite to the Marque. Someone on hearing the news decided to approach the Mother with her totally disabled son and told her of this invite to the Sheffield Marque: being somewhat poor explained she had no money to travel from Leeds to Sheffield, but help was at hand when many people rallied round and provided her with enough money to get her son on the train and also to carry him by stretcher from the train to the Marque: By now the the makeshift church was in full swing where many sick people came for a healing were none went away unhealed. As in the Bible the Blind were able to see the dumb and the deaf and the lame were cured of their illnesses, no man woman or child were turned away each person was made whole. I'm not just talking a few dozen I'm talking Masses of them were healed? But as always there are always sceptics among us who doubt even though a miracle has taken place before their very eyes? News reporters and the media alike were in attendance where it was obvious some doubted the Pastors integrity with God; but even these sceptics were even to be won over by the one event of which was going to send a flurry of praises that would build and open the doors of the Church which was designed to hold a few hundred whose walls had to be demolished and expanded to take a few thousand? This Young man of 32 who'd been cared for since being a baby was on a stretcher and being carried to the front of the Makeshift Chapel where he was placed before the pastor: This young man looked horribly gruesome in any shape of form Concave scull concave ribs and two broken arms and also legs? He was a sorry sight to see and would cause people either to gawp or to ignore. This pastor was now faced with either defeat or triumph? Taking one look at this wretched man took hold of one of his hands lifted it high up for all to see that the bones attached to his hand were as if they were a stretched out shoelace which when let go flopped at the young man's side? one look up towards the heavens The pastor smiled and said There you are God? Cameras started to flash as the noise began to be heard coming from this young man. Those that were stood nearby were to give eyewitness to the events taking place! The sound of bones cracking and the straightening of both his arms and legs simultaneously followed by the ribcage and his scull being pushed outwards forming a perfectly shaped young man. Suddenly the Young man let out a huge Scream and then got to his feet and stood up. Finding a way through those that crowded him, he began to dash and then run as if he was at the winning post, he repeatedly ran round the inside of the Marque where upon the Pastor ordered that he be brought under control. Through all the events that took place in 1932 Copper Street A O G has never looked back please check it out Sheffield Newspapers I'm going to try and find if it was kept within the archives

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