A CHURCH pastor and his wife who helped spread the religious message in South America have celebrated their diamond wedding.

Stan and Brenda Woods, of Bishop Auckland, were both 17, and attending the People’s Baptist Church, in Liverpool, when they met.

They celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary today (Thursday, February 19) at their Woodhouse Lane home.

Mr Woods said: “We think that God brought us together. I can remember looking at her and thinking that she looked nice.

“We laugh at everything. We’ve always had a bit of give and take and we’re very proud that we have reached 60 years of marriage.”

Mr Woods trained as a joiner and spent two years in The Royal Artillery on National Service. It was during this period that he married Mrs Woods, a shop worker.

After their wedding in Oswestry Methodist Chapel, in Oswestry, Shropshire, they moved to Highley, in Shropshire, where Mr Woods became a pastor at Highley Independent Church.

The couple then headed to Stanley Town, in Guyana, in South America, where they helped to spread the religious message.

A move to Partington, in Manchester, followed where Mr Woods spent ten years as a pastor at the People’s Church.

In the years that followed, he spent ten years at Canon Street Memorial Baptist Church and also worked as a regional minister in Leeds.

They returned to Bishop Auckland in 2000 and are still involved in the church.