A TURNING POINT
Rev. Bill Rose, pastor of the Red Deer Alliance Church had befriended me in 1962. I believe that we first met when our young peoples in Lousana and Bellgrove were invited, a couple of times, to join with the Alliance young people in Red Deer. I cannot remember the details as to how I reconnected with Roy McIntyre, the C&MA Western Canadian District Superintendent, however Bill Rose took me into Calgary one day to meet Rev. McIntyre. The two of them interviewed me. This was the beginning of a turning point in my life and my future ministry.
The result of that interview that afternoon in Calgary was that I was asked that day if I would be willing to help out with the Mirror Alliance Church, Mirror, Alberta. They were without a pastor and had a graduate from Canadian Bible College coming in the summer. One other thing was that Mr. McIntyre now had me on his list of prospective pastors.
The result of that interview that afternoon in Calgary was that I was asked that day if I would be willing to help out with the Mirror Alliance Church, Mirror, Alberta. They were without a pastor and had a graduate from Canadian Bible College coming in the summer. One other thing was that Mr. McIntyre now had me on his list of prospective pastors.
Mirror Alliance Church circa 2003
So in addition to my ministry in Lousana and Bellgrove, Leona and I started in the month of December driving some 35 miles north of Lousana for Sunday evening services in the Mirror Alliance Church. We also went up every Thursday afternoon to visit parishioners, have supper with different parishioners and conclude the evening with a home Bible study and prayer meeting. I should include here a humorous incident that occurred at one of those prayer meetings. After our Bible study, we shared prayer requests and then everyone knelt for prayer. One night there were about a dozen of us present. When it came time to pray, the host of that home prayed first. The person next to him followed in prayer and one by one we prayed around the circle. A little fellow of about five years of age, the son of one of the couples present, had quietly knelt with all of us. When everyone had prayed, the host prayed a second time. That was too much for the little fellow. At that point he exclaimed so all heard, "Ah, more prayer!" Probably everyone had a smile and tried their best to contain their laughter.
Before concluding my interim ministry in Mirror at the end of July, we went up every day, one week in July, and conducted a Daily Vacation Bible School. I was paid $20.00 a week for the Mirror ministry. I now had a whopping income of around two hundred and thirty or forty dollars a month. We were getting rich. Gasoline was cheap and my VW Beetle gave me good mileage for my money. I could drive the 70 mile round trip to Mirror for less than a dollar.
I served as an interim pastor at the Mirror Alliance Church until the end of July 1963. Their new pastor began his ministry in August. For six weeks, during the time that I was pastor of Lousana, Bellgrove and interim at Mirror, I also filled in at the Lousana Presbyterian Church with a 3:00pm Sunday service. Their pastor had moved elsewhere and they were without a pastor for those six weeks. Those Sundays were fairly busy with four services each Sunday. The one blessing was I preached the same sermon at all four churches.
I should add that there were a couple of other new experiences and a blessing and encouragement to me serving at Mirror. In Lac La Biche I was pretty well on my own with little fellowship to speak of with other pastors. I did go to a district conference with the Free Church in June of 1959, but that was it. Since Lousana and Bellgrove were independent churches, my inter action with other pastors was a ministerial association which extended from Delburne in the north to Acme in the south, a distance of sixty miles. I had absolutely no other inter-action with any pastors, the one exception being Pastor Bill Rose of the Alliance Church in Red Deer. Serving as interim pastor at the Mirror Alliance Church, I was invited to the Alliance pastors retreat in Valleyview, AB in January 1963. A big introduction to the C&MA was that because of Pastor Bill's friendship, I was invited to go to the Alliance Council 1963 in Phoenix, AZ in May. An older couple in Calgary wanted to go to the Council and were willing to give a free ride and pay for the gasoline for three pastors if they would do the driving. Bill asked me to be one of those pastors. What an honor and privilege.
Since, the Mirror church was so thrilled for me to be going to the Alliance Council and that I was the first pastor that they had ever had that went to the Alliance Council, they gave me $25.00 towards my expenses. My expenses were minimal. I only had to pay for my meals and accommodation. Several pastors stayed in a seniors retirement center, which was mostly vacant in the hot weather. We were four to a room at a cost of $1.50 a night per person.
Before concluding my interim ministry in Mirror at the end of July, we went up every day, one week in July, and conducted a Daily Vacation Bible School. I was paid $20.00 a week for the Mirror ministry. I now had a whopping income of around two hundred and thirty or forty dollars a month. We were getting rich. Gasoline was cheap and my VW Beetle gave me good mileage for my money. I could drive the 70 mile round trip to Mirror for less than a dollar.
I served as an interim pastor at the Mirror Alliance Church until the end of July 1963. Their new pastor began his ministry in August. For six weeks, during the time that I was pastor of Lousana, Bellgrove and interim at Mirror, I also filled in at the Lousana Presbyterian Church with a 3:00pm Sunday service. Their pastor had moved elsewhere and they were without a pastor for those six weeks. Those Sundays were fairly busy with four services each Sunday. The one blessing was I preached the same sermon at all four churches.
I should add that there were a couple of other new experiences and a blessing and encouragement to me serving at Mirror. In Lac La Biche I was pretty well on my own with little fellowship to speak of with other pastors. I did go to a district conference with the Free Church in June of 1959, but that was it. Since Lousana and Bellgrove were independent churches, my inter action with other pastors was a ministerial association which extended from Delburne in the north to Acme in the south, a distance of sixty miles. I had absolutely no other inter-action with any pastors, the one exception being Pastor Bill Rose of the Alliance Church in Red Deer. Serving as interim pastor at the Mirror Alliance Church, I was invited to the Alliance pastors retreat in Valleyview, AB in January 1963. A big introduction to the C&MA was that because of Pastor Bill's friendship, I was invited to go to the Alliance Council 1963 in Phoenix, AZ in May. An older couple in Calgary wanted to go to the Council and were willing to give a free ride and pay for the gasoline for three pastors if they would do the driving. Bill asked me to be one of those pastors. What an honor and privilege.
Since, the Mirror church was so thrilled for me to be going to the Alliance Council and that I was the first pastor that they had ever had that went to the Alliance Council, they gave me $25.00 towards my expenses. My expenses were minimal. I only had to pay for my meals and accommodation. Several pastors stayed in a seniors retirement center, which was mostly vacant in the hot weather. We were four to a room at a cost of $1.50 a night per person.
Meanwhile, I continued to be in contact with the District Superintendent, Roy McIntyre. In the early part of 1963, he told me that the C&MA District was thinking of planting an Alliance Church in Drumheller. Since I already had a radio ministry on the Drumheller radio station, he figured that I was a natural to plant a church there. So, I agreed to meet with him and the five Drumheller families, the nucleus that was interested in planting an Alliance Church in that city.
Having a service one week-night in Drumheller, at which I shared from the Word of God, it appeared that I had passed the test and Mr. McIntyre was going to have me plant a church there. As a result, I gave notice to Lousana and Bellgrove churches that I would soon be moving to Drumheller to be the founding pastor of an Alliance Church. In the weeks, immediately following the meeting and service in Drumheller, I would touch base with some of the nucleus when I went down there to record some radio broadcasts. On one such trip, I learned that one of the families had moved to Camrose. That left a nucleus of four families. On another trip, this may not necessarily be the order of events, but another family decided to stay with their present church. Now the nucleus was down to three families.
Since the Western Canadian District was going to be financially responsible for this church plant, the start up costs and my salary, I contacted Rev. McIntyre and told him that we were expecting our second child, suggesting that since there was now only a nucleus of three families that maybe it would be better to place a single pastor in Drumheller instead of us, lessening the financial commitment of the district. He took my advice.
We were now back to where we started at the beginning of the year, the pastor of Lousana and Bellgrove churches and interim pastor at Mirror. Lousana and Bellgrove were very understanding and simply said, "You can continue with us until you get another church or until we get a pastor." I also continued with my radio broadcast on CJDV Drumheller.
Having a service one week-night in Drumheller, at which I shared from the Word of God, it appeared that I had passed the test and Mr. McIntyre was going to have me plant a church there. As a result, I gave notice to Lousana and Bellgrove churches that I would soon be moving to Drumheller to be the founding pastor of an Alliance Church. In the weeks, immediately following the meeting and service in Drumheller, I would touch base with some of the nucleus when I went down there to record some radio broadcasts. On one such trip, I learned that one of the families had moved to Camrose. That left a nucleus of four families. On another trip, this may not necessarily be the order of events, but another family decided to stay with their present church. Now the nucleus was down to three families.
Since the Western Canadian District was going to be financially responsible for this church plant, the start up costs and my salary, I contacted Rev. McIntyre and told him that we were expecting our second child, suggesting that since there was now only a nucleus of three families that maybe it would be better to place a single pastor in Drumheller instead of us, lessening the financial commitment of the district. He took my advice.
We were now back to where we started at the beginning of the year, the pastor of Lousana and Bellgrove churches and interim pastor at Mirror. Lousana and Bellgrove were very understanding and simply said, "You can continue with us until you get another church or until we get a pastor." I also continued with my radio broadcast on CJDV Drumheller.
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