Assembly Halls

For many years, circuits used school grandstands, gymnasiums, racetracks, or other public facilities to hold assemblies. Despite any inconvenience, the brothers appreciated these opportunities for joyful association.

As with Kingdom Halls, obtaining Assembly Halls was not easy. Economic constraints came into the picture here too. Nevertheless, many circuits were keen on having their own meeting places. As a result, quite a few modest Assembly Halls have been put up. These usually serve only one or two circuits, not a group of circuits as in many other countries. In many cases, land was donated or purchased at a reasonable cost, particularly in rural areas. Brothers then pooled their contributions and built a simple structure​—usually an open-sided hall with just a roof to shade the audience, a concrete floor, a raised stage, and some seating.

In the Metro Manila area, even that was not possible primarily because of exorbitant land prices as well as the cost of putting up an appropriate structure in the city. Congregations in the area contributed to a fund for that purpose, but the amount received was far below what was needed just to purchase land. Through the 1970’s, the 1980’s, and most of the 1990’s, assemblies in Metro Manila continued to be held in schools, grandstands, and similar places.

[Pictures on page 224]

Metro Manila Assembly Hall (above) and other Assembly Halls, outside of Manila