John Edward Cooper’s Notes

Home Contents Alphabetical listing Whom I’d like to meet in eternity…

Wednesday 13th August 1969

1969

Opening of the “Cast-A-Net”

Extract from The History of the Full Gospel Church in Fleetwood, Chapter 5:

In May 1969 the “Ark” — the original Methodist Mission — was cleaned out and the rear re-designed as a coffee-bar. The walls were covered by a mural depicting the Fleetwood deep-sea fishing fleet in Icelandic waters, and painted by local artist, Keith Sutton, and the fishing motif was followed throughout, with nets, floats, barrels, etc. providing the decor. The name was the “Cast-A-Net”, punning its musical emphasis and the evangelistic aim of the coffee-bar. This venture was successfully carried out on a regular four-evenings-a-week basis until the demise of the “Coffee Bar Era”.

Music at the Cast-A-Net was provided by national and international religious recording groups, like Parchment, Canaan, Living Sound, etc., as well as the Church’s own bands…

The actual opening of the venture was on Wednesday 13th August 1969. On the Sunday before that, Sue Dewhurst recorded an announcement advertising the opening of the Cast-A-Net, using my new Sanyo portable Compact Cassette recorder, and we went around in her brother Dave Dewhurst’s van playing it through roof-mounted loudspeakers.

Note: Don Osborn was Director of the Teen Challenge Center, not Toronto, as stated in this announcement, but Vancouver, Canada.

I also recorded, perhaps at the same time, a performance of Go Tell It On The Mountain by one of “the Church’s own bands”, Living Word (Graham Ashworth, David Dewhurst, Sue Dewhurst, Ken Wood).

On the Wednesday evening itself, the opening proceeded as follows:

Michael Smith: Introduction

THEIR MASTER’S VOICE (Peter Gooding, Ian Makinson, Jill Stirzaker, Mark Sumner, Audrey Wood): Nobody Else

THEIR MASTER’S VOICE: There But For Jesus

Michael Smith: Link: Introduction — Keith Sutton’s mural — Mrs. Sutton “Delighted to see you!”— Pastor and Mrs. Chris Smith — Don and Mrs. Osborn