ADDITIONAL LETHBRIDGE HAPPENINGS
  
 L to R Brian, Sharilyn, Dan in Awana uniforms

We switched from Pioneer Girls and Christian Service Brigade to having Awana Clubs.  The leaders were enthused with this new program and the children learned more memory verses.  Our three children, Dan, Brian and Sharilyn certainly enjoyed the program.  We rented school gyms that were only a little over a half a block away from our home.
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Near the latter part of our ministry in Lethbridge, one of the ladies in the church directed a children's choir.  Like our family choir, which I mentioned in a previous post, this childrens' choir also had an opportunity to present a one half hour TV program on CJOC-TV.  Sharilyn was a member of that choir.

Sharilyn in the childrens' choir on CJOC-TV

Since the church was on Third Avenue, which was also the main highway from the  USA border to Calgary there was a fair bit of traffic.  Of all the churches where I have served, we had more transients come to the Lethbridge church for a handout than any other church.  Most of those who asked for help were not really people in need but simply people begging for money.  I'll relate a couple of stories.

I usually went down to the church early Sunday mornings and would go home about 9:00am to get the family.  One Sunday morning as I was leaving the church to go home, a man met me at the door of the church asking me for money for gasoline.  His story was that he had run out of gas on the outskirts of town, about two miles away, and wanted money to purchase some gas.  There was a gas station about a block away.  Figuring this was one of those made up stories, I told him to hop in the car and I would buy some gas for him and drive him to his truck. He declined my offer stating that he did not want to bother me.  If I would just give him some money, he would buy the gas and carry it.  I insisted on buying the gas and driving him there, although I was certain that this was just another of those many made up stories.

After his insisting on his way and I insisting on my way, he finally confessed that he didn't have a truck, but would I still give him some money.  I told him "No!"  As he walked away, he turned and said words to the effect that it was a nice try.

One other story, which I told at a faculty banquet at Prairie Bible Institute, really brought a hilarious laugh from those in attendance.  One evening I received a phone call from a stranger asking if I could meet with him.  I had no idea what he was wanting, but agreed to meet him at the church.  Since I felt a little uneasy when I saw him and because the pastor's office was just a small room in the basement of the church, I suggested that we meet on the platform in the sanctuary.  There were a couple of comfortable chairs on the platform.

This stranger did not come out with any request, so wondering what he was there for, I started asking him questions.  He began by saying that he was a student at Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills.  I played dumb and asked him to tell me about this school.  For one thing, he stated that it was a very denominational school.  I knew he was wrong on that.  It is non-denominational.  When I asked who was the principal, he said that he didn't know his name.  He told me that the principal didn't live on campus and that he wasn't on campus that much.  Wrong again.  Everyone knew L. E. Maxwell lived on campus.  I continued and asked if they ever had any special speakers at the school.  "Yes," he said, "they've had Billy Graham and Nicky Cruz,"  Wrong again, neither of these two men had spoken at Prairie Bible Institute.

I think there was another question, but these are sufficient to let you know that I had one strange guest and I was puzzled as to what he was leading up to?  Why did he want to see me?  I heard someone come into the church and Bernie, a graduate of  PBI appeared.  What a God send.  I turned to this fellow, seated with me and said, "Oh, here is a fellow who graduated from your school," or words to that effect.  Immediately this guy stood up and said, "I've got to be going."  With that he left.

Was I kept from danger?  Why did he phone to see me?  Why this far-fetched story?  I will never know, but I was  thankful that Bernie appeared at the right moment.

To close this chapter in my life, let me simply say that in the fall of 1975 I began to feel that my ministry in Lethbridge was coming to an end.  The District Superintendent had always said, "Don't overstay."  In November I submitted my resignation, not knowing where I was going to go.  There was only one Alliance Church in the district, which in those years, consisted of Alberta and British Columbia, which was looking for a senior pastor.  One of the former pastors of that particular church  phoned me up and told me that I should not consider going there.  It wouldn't be good for me.

Meanwhile a former Alliance pastor, whom I knew fairly well, had started an independent Baptist church and offered me a position.  This church was experiencing a phenomenal growth.  I liked what I heard.

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