Sanctuary of The Great White Light

The Sanctuary of the Great White Light in Umkomaas started off from very humble beginnings in 1950, when Cedric and Elfrida Rippon were inspired to start a spiritual church, and with the help of Jack Chapman they managed to get it off the ground. They used a small flat-let belonging to the Robin Hood Hotel to conduct their services. The congregation were small, but as time went by, the situation changed and it was obvious that larger premises were necessary.
In 1960, Cedric and Elfrida Rippon (owner of the Robin Hood Hotel) donated the piece of land upon which the Sanctuary now stands at 9 Barrow Street. The plan for the sanctuary was given to Elfrida inspirationally and Reg then drew up the plans, which were strictly adhered to. The sanctuary was built with a lot of love and dedication. The members did much of the construction work over the weekends and were assisted by many other sanctuaries.
The dedication of the sanctuary of the Great White Light took place on Sunday 06 November 1960, by the then major of Umkomaas, Mr Roland Norris. The sanctuary is a healing sanctuary and serves the Umkomaas, Scottburgh and Amanzimtoti and surrounding areas as a haven of peace for all who enter its doors.