At about the same time, Witnesses on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe were designing an Assembly Hall to meet their needs. They felt that it would be advantageous if they could have their circuit assemblies in many different locations. But most of the towns did not have facilities that were large enough. So the Witnesses built a portable structure made of steel pipes and aluminum roofing, something that would be adequate for 700 people and that could be erected wherever there was an available plot of land that was relatively flat. They had to enlarge the hall again and again, until it reached a capacity of 5,000. Just imagine moving, setting up, and dismantling 30 tons of material for every assembly! That Assembly Hall was built and taken down several times a year for 13 years, until land for the portable hall became hard to find and it was necessary to purchase land and erect a permanent Assembly Hall, which now serves for circuit assemblies and district conventions.

[Pictures on page 329]

Two of the first Assembly Halls

New York City

Guadeloupe