Founding pastor of Norwich church

Dr Sedley Pimlott, one of the most remarkable and dedicated leaders of the Mount Zion Family Life Centre in Norwich, has died at the age of 87.

 

Sedley was the founding pastor of the church, whose building on Heartsease Lane, burnt down two months ago.

 

He suffered a stroke last week and died in his sleep. Sedley has worked tirelessly to complete the Family Life Centre for more than 10 years.

 

The centre was officially opened in 1995 and cost about £1.2m, after three years of detailed planning and major fundraising.

 

The building was needed to cope with the growing size of the congregation, which had outgrown much smaller premises in the city.

 

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Sedley was prepared to use every opportunity to spread the world of God.

 

From the mid 1960s, he was involved in the Mount Zion International Glory Fellowship in Nelson Street, Norwich.

 

In 1978 he launched a well-publicised Dial-a-Prayer service for callers to his then home, Beulah Farm, Hainford.

 

In 1981, Sedley told 400 members at the annual convention of the church that he had been practically crippled by osteoarthritis of the spine.

 

He had been healed by the faith of fellow church members after doctors had given up hope. So he decided to set up a branch of the Mount Zion Church in the city.

 

It is a measure of his dedication and enthusiasm that the church had built up a large and vibrant congregation averaging about 400 worshippers every Sunday.

 

Sedley was awarded a doctorate of ministry by the Logos International Seminary in Miani in February 1992.

 

He leaves a widow Mildred, six children, including his son Trevor, who is the current pastor, and 40 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

 

The funeral took place on Friday April 21 at Drayton Hall, Norwich.

  

Pictured is Dr Sedley Pimlott.