LETHBRIDGE ALLIANCE CHURCH

 
 Our home - the parsonage, 533 - 16th Street

I firmly believe that being a pastor has some perks that no other job has.  Unlike any other job that I've had over the years, I discovered that a pastor is usually warmly welcomed upon his arrival.  It may not always be the same when he leaves, but we were certainly greeted well the day that we arrived in Lethbridge.  Five of the seven board members were at our house to help us unload.  As we neared the supper hour, two of the elders invited us as a family to eat at their home.  I let the two of them come to an agreement and we eventually arrived at one of the homes.

The Lethbridge church had begun thirty years earlier, 1940, and had a morning attendance approaching two hundred.  All of the various ministries were already in place, i.e. Christian Service Brigade, Pioneer Girls, regular ladies meetings, youth, a choir, etc.  The church also had an interesting little ministry called Dial-A-Thot.  A small ad about a column wide and an inch deep with a given telephone number was on the church page of the Lethbridge Herald every Saturday.  Anyone could phone that number and hear a brief, maximum two minutes, devotional thought.  Each morning I would go to the church and update the same.  I also had the occasional devotional moment on CJOC radio, one of the Lethbridge radio stations.  This was free time given to members of the Lethbridge Ministerial Association.

Preaching at Lethbridge Alliance Church

In our years at Lethbridge I had several interesting challenges and experiences.  In 1972 Barry Moore held a city wide crusade.  I was not as involved in the leadership as I was in Vernon when Barry was there.  However, our church was very supportive and several prayed to receive Christ.

A first for me was the hiring of a youth pastor.  For 16 years I had been what is called a solo pastor.  I had never had a pastoral assistant or a paid secretary.  Mark Imbach joined the staff in 1974.  This was a real boost and help in the area of youth.

Another first for me was to be the pastor of a church that was talking about expanding its facilities.  Sketches were drawn and discussions held re leveling an old duplex next to the church, which the church owned, and enlarging the sanctuary.  That idea was eventually discarded when we learned that the city was developing the west side property and had church sites available.  When I left Lethbridge the church was second on the list for a corner lot on University Drive.  The Mormons, who were first on the list, later decided on another property.  After my departure, the Lethbridge Alliance Church purchased that lot and built facilities known today as University Drive Alliance Church.

One more first was to baptize one of my children.   I baptized Dan Jr., in Lethbridge when he was eleven years old.  Baptized Brian and Sharilyn several years later.


Dan baptizing Dan Jr.

When we didn't have enough sopranos for a choir, we formed a family choir with the children basically being the soprano section.  We never did that before, nor since.  We actually took our turn at doing a one half hour weekly TV program, which featured different churches each week.  I think our program was unique with our family choir, quartet, trio and soloists that it was aired for a second time.
The Family Choir





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