FIRST KINGDOM HALL

With the arrival of the missionary, a small room had been rented at Praça Ilha do Faial for holding meetings. As the work prospered it became apparent that a larger place would be necessary.

The Memorial for 1949 was held in a private home in Almada. The brothers were thrilled to see 116 in attendance! Since this number could not all squeeze into the living room normally used, the overflow crowd huddled into an adjoining room. The speaker stood in the doorway and addressed two audiences at the same time. It was not long after this that the Lisbon group found a fine apartment for meetings on Rua Passos Manuel 20, first floor, which became known as the first unofficial Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Portugal. For many years it served as the center of pure worship.

So as not to attract the attention of other tenants, the brothers did not sing in the Lisbon hall. However, when they went across the river to visit the group in Almada, in a private home, they were happy to sing loud and long.

[Picture on page 153]

The ground-floor apartment of this Lisbon building served as Portugal’s first Kingdom Hall