Bishop Marston once said, “Because we have a heritage we have a mission.” In an unexpected moment the truth of this statement became alive to me. As I was rummaging through a dark and dusty corner of the attic of New Hope Free Methodist Church (Bracebridge), I uncovered a long forgotten piece of history. Contained within battered wood and faded ink was a story penned during a painful time for this congregation, for the nation of Canada and indeed for the entire world. I had discovered a plaque suffering from neglect and the passing of time. The scroll inside the plaque read: “For King and Country: Members of the Bracebridge Free Methodist Church who volunteered for active service with Canada ’s fighting force.” The list contained the names of 19 brave young men and women who volunteered to served this nation during the second world war. The names on the plaque are: Warren Goheen, Leonard Goheen, Arnold Goheen, Kennith Goheen, Stanley Shier, Wilma Shier, Gerald Shier, Fank Brodie, Thomas Brodie, George Clarey, Abram Clarey, Harold Moreland, Robert White, Frank Ormsby, Dorothy Budnick, Dalton Stuthers, and Lloyd Hoover. It seemed appropriate to me that I would discover this hidden gem in 2005. Last year marked the sixtieth anniversary of the ending of the Second World War, and the Canadian government had declared 2005 the Year of the Veteran. Now, here in my hands I held the names of 19 young men and women who had so faithfully heeded the call. There could not have been a better time for the discovery of this plaque.
It was then I knew our church had to do something to honour and remember this part of our congregational and community legacy. I wanted to bring this plaque to life; to turn these 19 names into flesh and blood. After some initial research on the names, I went to the Veterans Affairs website, searching the “Virtual War Grave”. This website, which is a great resource, “contains a registry of information about the graves and memorials of more than 116 000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served valiantly and gave their lives for their country” (see websites listed below). Indeed, many were required to give their lives. Of the 1, 031, 902 men and 49, 963 women who served in this war, 44, 927 were killed. After checking this website, and cross-referencing my list with the Bracebridge cenotaph, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all those listed on the Bracebridge plaque survived the war. I knew step two would be to try and locate any living veterans who once attended the church. After several phone calls I was able to speak with Walter Reynolds (who passed away in Feb. 2006) and Wilma Shier (who currently resides in Kingston ). I wrote up letters to the local papers sharing my excitement concerning the significant discovery from the attic, I included the stories of these two veterans and then I invited the community for a special Remembrance Day Service.
The military plaque was restored to its former glory thanks to the volunteer effort of a legion member who once had a furniture restoration business. I contacted politicians at every level of government, and obtained promotional material from the ministry of veteran affairs. The Remembrance Day service included a piper, the laying of wreaths and a ceremonial colour guard with various flags. During this event our small church saw the attendance for our Sunday worship nearly doubled! The church was packed because several people in our community had heard about the “hidden treasure which unlocked a piece of local military history” and it was obvious that my excitement about this military plaque had spread beyond the walls of this church. The story, however, does not end here.
My search in the attic continued after I found the military plaque. Since this is an old church I suspected that there were more gems to be found. Behind a box or two I found another plaque. This one was created to commemorate the renovations of this church in 1966. There was yet another plaque entitled “Roll-Call” in memory of those who had passed away. I later discovered this plaque came from the Gravenhurst congregation after their church amalgamated with the Bracebridge congregation following a fire. These old plaques are far more than ancient relics of a church and generation past, they are a chapter in heritage that is living and on-going.
After the attic was thoroughly mined, a project soon began. The plaques are now no longer hidden away, but rather they are proudly displayed in our foyer. Wood lettering was created to name the collection “Our Heritage.” A collage of photographs that hangs in the centre of the heritage wall provides the visual image of how this church and the Gravenhurst church appeared in the past. A new memorial plaque was created to honour and remember those who have passed away since the amalgamation of the two congregations. The story, however, does not end there either.
Restoring these plaques to a place of honour in the church is a far more significant exercise than merely wishing for the “good old days” to return. On the day we unveiled our heritage project, I stressed two themes during the message. As Bishop Marston has said, “Because we have a heritage we have a mission.” I challenged my congregation to consider the next piece for our heritage project because the things we do today will become the heritage and the legacy we leave for the next generation to come.
The second theme emphasized with the unveiling of our heritage project is that remembering the past provides a reference point for our current behaviour today. Our military plaque is a testimony to the faithfulness of God. The plaque commemorating the renovations of the 1960s remind us of the vision for the church once held by a previous generation. The new memorial plaque, dedicated to the glory of God, in memory of Thelma Matchett and in remembrance of those who once worshiped at New Hope Free Methodist Chruch, tells us that “Love lives on forever in each memory and thought of these special ones.” Celebrating our history is not an empty academic exercise meant only for those who enjoy watching The History Channel, it is the reminder that we are not alone. Without a remembrance of the past, there is the temptation to think that we are the first generation of Christians faced with various challenges that plague the church today. Our heritage project is the voice of our ancestors cheering us on in that great cloud of witnesses, and their loud voice cries out for us to remember that this church did not just spring up over night, but rather it was built prayer-by-prayer, pastor-after-pastor, for over 100 years. And because we have a heritage, we have a mission. There is work to be done.
The Bracebridge congregation can trace its roots to the work of Charles H. Sage.
During the fall of 1876, Sage said that he went to the North Michigan Conference of the Free Methodist Church “…free as a bird and told the Lord I was ready for any field of labor. When the appointments were read, the last one was, ‘ Canada , C.H. Sage.’ When I received the blessing of holiness I just signed the blank, and asked God to fill it out. I had turned my life over into the hands of God and asked him to do with me as seemed good to him … but it seemed to me that this would crush me.” Sage came to the Muskoka area for evangelistic meetings, and as an overwhelming response to the Gospel developed Sage knew he had to find co-laborers. Two women responded to this need in 1879. Miss Maggie Jerusha Hagle and Miss Valtina Brown began with class meetings of 32 people and this started the Bracebridge Free Methodist Church . Years go by, 127 of them to be exact, and it is my privilege to be the 51st pastor of this congregation.
It is a thrill to see guests in our church examining these plaques, and in particular the military plaque always seems to receive the most attention. These historical markers remind us of what it took to bring us here. They remind us that the story is not complete and that our work today becomes the heritage and the next chapter for the following generation. Imagine the state of the church if we would all follow the example of Charles Sage and “… just signed the blank, and asked God to fill it out!” Regardless of whether your congregation is 100 plus years old, or a recent church plant, we all have a great and glorious heritage, and we all have a mission. The story does not end here!
Written by Matthew McEwen
Pastor of Bracebridge Free Methodist Church
Useful websites relating to military searches:
Useful Websites:
1) Veterans Affairs - Virtual War Graves: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem
This site contains a registry of information about the graves and memorials of more than 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served valiantly and gave their lives for their country.
2) National Archives Web Site: Soldiers of the First World War: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020106_e.html
An index to those personnel files of soldiers from WWI, which are held by the National Archives. To date, over 800,000 images of Attestation papers have been scanned and are being made available on-line.
3) National Archives Web Site - WWII Veterans http://www.genealogy.gc.ca/10/100907_e.html
Military personnel files include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dental charts. There is no online database for these records. Access Restrictions: Access to personal information relating to an individual who is still living requires that person's signed consent. If the individual has been deceased for less than 20 years, limited information may be released to immediate family. Proof of death and relationship must be provided. There are no restrictions on access to information relating to an individual who has been deceased for more than 20 years. Proof of death is required.
4) The Memory Project: http://www.thememoryproject.com/peace_index.cfm
An organization seeking to preserve the stories of veterans in a digital archive. This is also a valuable research tool for students and an excellent resource for educators.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
30 Years of Community Spirit
It’s called the People to Love Centre. We at Thunder Bay Free Methodist Church call it the PTL Centre and are excited to be marking the 30th anniversary of this worthy Ministry in 2006.
The PTL Centre is a free clothing depot located in the basement of our church. Two mornings a week volunteers open the doors to the many people who come in search of warm, clean clothing for themselves and their families. Food hampers are also provided, if requested, to help supplement incomes that aren’t quite adequate these days.
Started by Len Losier in 1976, as the Lord opened his heart and eyes to this gap in community outreach, the Centre continues to reach out to hurting people today by helping to meet their most basic needs, food and clothing. If they ask for prayers, we pray with them. The Gospel is also shared as the Lord gives openings.
The PTL Centre is supported as one of the TBFMC’s outreach programs and is operated completely on donations. It also networks with other outreach organizations within the city.
Without the Lord, Len says, there would be no PTL Centre as Jesus is the CEO and He makes all things possible.
Patricia McCallum, Executive Assistant, Thunder Bay Free Methodist Church
The PTL Centre is a free clothing depot located in the basement of our church. Two mornings a week volunteers open the doors to the many people who come in search of warm, clean clothing for themselves and their families. Food hampers are also provided, if requested, to help supplement incomes that aren’t quite adequate these days.
Started by Len Losier in 1976, as the Lord opened his heart and eyes to this gap in community outreach, the Centre continues to reach out to hurting people today by helping to meet their most basic needs, food and clothing. If they ask for prayers, we pray with them. The Gospel is also shared as the Lord gives openings.
The PTL Centre is supported as one of the TBFMC’s outreach programs and is operated completely on donations. It also networks with other outreach organizations within the city.
Without the Lord, Len says, there would be no PTL Centre as Jesus is the CEO and He makes all things possible.
Patricia McCallum, Executive Assistant, Thunder Bay Free Methodist Church
Thursday, December 01, 2005
FMC in Paraguay
From Tuesday September 20th until Monday October 3rd, Pastor Scott Woo/head of the Timmins Free Methodist Church served on a missions trip to Paraguay , South America . Although he has spent the previous two trips in poorer rural churches, Scott used this 3rd trip to connect with the work of the Free Methodist Church in Paraguay .
Pastor Juan Monzon met me at the airport on Wednesday when I arrived in Asuncion . In fact there were about seven individuals who had come out to receive me. This was my first introduction to Pastor Juan other than having received some e-mail correspondence from him while I was still in Canada . Later at the church, Iglesia de Cristo Misionera, my home base in the capital of Paraguay while I am in this country, Pastor Juan and I arranged to spend two days together. The following Wednesday and Thursday I would be introduced to some of the work of the FMC in Paraguay . I looked eagerly to the short time we would spend together.
There are twenty churches in Paraguay that are tied to our Free Methodist tradition. Pastor Juan serves the church in Paraguay as their superintendent, under the auspices of one of the Bishops of the American FM church. Only four of these churches have the ability to pay their pastors for full-time work. The other sixteen pastors must work at some outside employment to supplement the needs of their families. This is sometimes difficult in a country where unemployment rates are quite high, and some pastors have had to leave the pastorate in order to provide for their families financial needs. In Paraguay , education and medical care are not universally applied — they must be paid for out of each families budget. If there is not enough money, the education of one's children, and even medical care remain out of reach.
The following week as I travelled around with Pastor Juan, he introduced me to several of our fellow workers in the Lord's vineyard. One of the first persons I met was Pastor Pablo Torres and his wife Valentina ( pablotorres@uninet.com.py ). In their church they have 190 children who attend the school organized here. Roughly 50% of the children come from families that are able to pay the $10 monthly fee for school attendance. The other children are not turned away because of their families' inability to pay. What a wonderful ministry within their community, including a lunch program. The teachers in this school work for about $90 (Cdn.) month, 1/2 of the government mandated suggested pay for a school teacher, yet what can the church do when there is not enough money?
I also met Pastora Violeta Lazo Osano, She serves as pastor and comes from Uruguay . Her church has around 75 persons attending each Sunday. Now every Saturday this church involves itself in a community feeding program where as many as 94 children are welcomed for lunch, games and fellowship. The kitchen used for this ministry is a small outside sink — their only one) with running cold water. They cook their meal over an outside firepit, and were very glad to be able to show me their new outhouse.
On Wednesday and Thursday evening I was able to attend two small cell group meetings that have developed in Pastor Juan's own church called, Encuentra con Jesus. These two cell groups were very different in background- Wednesday we met in a squatters' settlement. Little more than wooden shacks that housed their families without electricity or plumbing. Our Bible study and fellowship was held around a table outside in the dark with only a single candle for illumination. Yet the presence of the Lord in the songs sung and the prayers offered up, in the fellowship we enjoyed was a blessing to behold. In contrast, Thursday found us in the front yard of a middle-class home watching a Christian video. The sweet communion of our Lord and Saviour which we had experienced in the shanty town was just as evident in this modestly attired home.
I was very impressed with the organization of the Free Methodist churches in Paraguay- In the many other smaller Paraguayan churches that I had been in - many of them located in the rural, poorer areas there was a lack of vision and direction, of training opportunities and the perception of being connected to something larger. The Free Methodist Church in Paraguay does face numerous challenges as do we all, but as I met with the pastors there I can see that there is a sense that God is at work and the kingdom of Christ progresses. Pastor Juan would have me invite you to participate in their work through your prayers and if God allows, you would be most welcome to come and visit. You can write him words of encouragement at conf iml_py@yahoo.com
Pastor Scott is already looking forward to returning to South America in the summer of 2006. It is God who continues to open doors to further ministry relationships and the encouragement of indigenous mini fillips in foreign countries. May God be honoured in all that we do
Pastor Juan Monzon met me at the airport on Wednesday when I arrived in Asuncion . In fact there were about seven individuals who had come out to receive me. This was my first introduction to Pastor Juan other than having received some e-mail correspondence from him while I was still in Canada . Later at the church, Iglesia de Cristo Misionera, my home base in the capital of Paraguay while I am in this country, Pastor Juan and I arranged to spend two days together. The following Wednesday and Thursday I would be introduced to some of the work of the FMC in Paraguay . I looked eagerly to the short time we would spend together.
There are twenty churches in Paraguay that are tied to our Free Methodist tradition. Pastor Juan serves the church in Paraguay as their superintendent, under the auspices of one of the Bishops of the American FM church. Only four of these churches have the ability to pay their pastors for full-time work. The other sixteen pastors must work at some outside employment to supplement the needs of their families. This is sometimes difficult in a country where unemployment rates are quite high, and some pastors have had to leave the pastorate in order to provide for their families financial needs. In Paraguay , education and medical care are not universally applied — they must be paid for out of each families budget. If there is not enough money, the education of one's children, and even medical care remain out of reach.
The following week as I travelled around with Pastor Juan, he introduced me to several of our fellow workers in the Lord's vineyard. One of the first persons I met was Pastor Pablo Torres and his wife Valentina ( pablotorres@uninet.com.py ). In their church they have 190 children who attend the school organized here. Roughly 50% of the children come from families that are able to pay the $10 monthly fee for school attendance. The other children are not turned away because of their families' inability to pay. What a wonderful ministry within their community, including a lunch program. The teachers in this school work for about $90 (Cdn.) month, 1/2 of the government mandated suggested pay for a school teacher, yet what can the church do when there is not enough money?
I also met Pastora Violeta Lazo Osano, She serves as pastor and comes from Uruguay . Her church has around 75 persons attending each Sunday. Now every Saturday this church involves itself in a community feeding program where as many as 94 children are welcomed for lunch, games and fellowship. The kitchen used for this ministry is a small outside sink — their only one) with running cold water. They cook their meal over an outside firepit, and were very glad to be able to show me their new outhouse.
On Wednesday and Thursday evening I was able to attend two small cell group meetings that have developed in Pastor Juan's own church called, Encuentra con Jesus. These two cell groups were very different in background- Wednesday we met in a squatters' settlement. Little more than wooden shacks that housed their families without electricity or plumbing. Our Bible study and fellowship was held around a table outside in the dark with only a single candle for illumination. Yet the presence of the Lord in the songs sung and the prayers offered up, in the fellowship we enjoyed was a blessing to behold. In contrast, Thursday found us in the front yard of a middle-class home watching a Christian video. The sweet communion of our Lord and Saviour which we had experienced in the shanty town was just as evident in this modestly attired home.
I was very impressed with the organization of the Free Methodist churches in Paraguay- In the many other smaller Paraguayan churches that I had been in - many of them located in the rural, poorer areas there was a lack of vision and direction, of training opportunities and the perception of being connected to something larger. The Free Methodist Church in Paraguay does face numerous challenges as do we all, but as I met with the pastors there I can see that there is a sense that God is at work and the kingdom of Christ progresses. Pastor Juan would have me invite you to participate in their work through your prayers and if God allows, you would be most welcome to come and visit. You can write him words of encouragement at conf iml_py@yahoo.com
Pastor Scott is already looking forward to returning to South America in the summer of 2006. It is God who continues to open doors to further ministry relationships and the encouragement of indigenous mini fillips in foreign countries. May God be honoured in all that we do
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