Smithers Pentecostal Church History
In the fall of 1939, Misses Elsie Room and Anabelle McKillop came to Smithers with a folding organ and began to hold meetings. They used their own money to support themselves. In the Spring of 1940, Rev. Tom Johnstone, then the District Superintendant of BC, came to help hold street meetings and evangelistic services. These first meetings were held in a front room over a shoe store. A number were saved and a nucleus of people gathered together. In 1940, Rev. & Mrs Gilbert Rowland came to Smithers and filled in for Elsie Room for twelve weeks while she was on sick leave. During this time Bro. Rowland was able to secure an old butcher shop and with the help available fixed it up for a meeting place. While this was being done, services were held in the Theatre Sunday evenings and the Anglican Hall week nights. The Rowlands and Annabelle McKillop stayed in a 3 room shack where the stars shone through the roof at night. When it rained, every available pot was used to catch the drips. After the Rowlands left, Annabelle and Elsie pastored till 1942. During those early years, Miss Orma Fumerton also came and helped in the work. Two of the first families in the church were the Elliots and the Bovills.
In 1942 the Rowlands came back to Smithers to pastor. Stores in town were open Saturday night, so in good weather, street meetings were conducted in the centre of town. If a drunk got a little loud, the friendly RCMP moved him along. Services were allowed to continue till other arrangements could be made. Even though there wasn’t any money, the people looked for property and finally settled for a lot with a two room cabin at the rear. The Cabin was full of bed bugs, so the Government Agent from whom the property was purchased, had to fumigate it before it could be moved into. Rev D.N. Buntain, the General Superintendant of Canada, visited Smithers and turned the sod for the new church. Bro. Rowland worked during his stay in Smithers so that offerings could accumulate to pay for the property and building. Evenings after work, Bro. Rowland and the faithful few built on the church. The first service in the new building was Christmas Sunday evening in 1943. The Rowlands continued to pastor till 1945. Sunday School and evening services averaged around 30 in those years. Prayer meetings 6 – 8.
In August 1945, Rev. & Mrse. Melvin Strenstad came to pastor the church. During their ministry, lots were obtainedon 3rd Avenue and Queen Street. From the Provincial Government by paying only for the transfer. The church then moved to these lots on skids. It was a tremendous task and resulted in considerable harm to the building, creating real problems in putting it on a foundation. Because of the population flux following the war, the congregation was rebuilt three times. An amusing incident occurred at a Sunday evening service when their son Rodger was 2 years old. During the sermon he slipped off of his pew, knelt down and with a loud voice prayed. “Dear Lord, Dad has preached long enough, please make him stop preaching.” Needless to say that was the end of that sermon. The Stronstads left Smithers in August 1954.
The Arthur Bells followed the Stronstads in 1954. One day Bro. Bell decided he should build a church at Telkwa. Being a man of action, he began to get things rolling the next day. He visited the sawmills and asked for donations telling them he was building a church which was an asset to the community and he was giving them the opportunity to contribute. He never was apologetic about it because it was for God’s work. It was difficult to get a picture of Bro. Bell being serious. He was always clowning at parties and entertaining the children. The Bell’s were at Smithers till 1957.
The next pastors were Rev. & Mrs George Beitel who came in 1957. During their stay in Smithers, the old church was moved to the back of the property at 3rd Avenue and Queen Street and a new sanctuary was built on the front. The old church was used for Sunday School facilities and a prayer room. Nearly everyone in town knew the friendly pastor who went around in white overalls and a painter’s cap. A highlight during their ministry was a minister’s seminar with Bro. Bragg. It was an unforgettable sight to see a board member going back and forth to the altar bringing people up to seek God for one thing or another. When Mason Parmenter team came for services, several sought and received the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Sis. Beitel remembers Ted Huntington tickling the pastor’s wife under the chin and Glan Manning pulling her hair. The Beitels left in 1961.
Rev. & Mrs. Harold Graham came to pastor in 1961. While they were here, Sis. Wicks from Victoria donated a 1/4 section of land on Tatlow Road to the church. This was used for a number of years for picnics and ball games. Later this property was sold to enable the congregation to build a new parsonage on 12th Ave. The property for the parsonage was donated by Esther Olson (Berdett). Through the hard work of the Graham family and Bro. Alf Jankie it was completed in 4 months debt free. A highlight during their ministry was the burning of the Church Mortgage in 1970. In the years 1969 – 1971 the young people added to the church. They held prayer meetings in the morning before school and later began a successful coffee house. Sunday School partitions were built in the old church to replace the curtain dividers. The church was host to the first annual Sno Camps during these years. When the Grahams left in 1971, their 2 sons stayed on in Smithers, choosing local girls as brides.
Rev. & Mrs Robert Bashor followed the Grahams in 1971. The congregation enjoyed their musical ministry. Bro. Bashor did a fair bit of counseling. In many respects they reaped the harvest that was sown when Grahams pastored. The young people continued on with their coffee house. At this time too the sanctuary was given a new look by the installation of carpet. The Bashors pastored in Smithers till 1974.
In Sept. 1974, Rev. & Mrs Gervin Miller came. In the time they spent here, plans were started for the enlarging of the church building. Sunday School was averaging around 90, evening services 40 and prayer meetings 12. It was at this time too that a number of the Smithers congregation helped build the Houston Church. Just before the Millers left in 1976, the first Sunday School bus was purchased.
In August 1976, Rev. & Mrs James McAlister came to Smithers. The church enabled them to purchase their own home by giving them an interest free loan as a down payment. The home they purchased was the parsonage. In Jan. 1978, Cliff Ford came to Smithers as youth pastor of the church. He was saved as a result of the coffee house started in the church during the Grahams ministry. During Cliff’s 8 months with us it was a real move of God among the young people, with a number being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. Shortly after the McAlisters arrived, plans were drawn up for a new Sunday School addition to replace the old part of the church. It was an exciting time when 2 board members went to the 50th anniversary district conference and came back saying “We’re not just building an addition; we’re building a new church; if God could enable our pioneers to accomplish what they did, He’ll help us build a new church.” So the congregation agreed to buy property and build a new church. Five and a 1/4 acres on the corner of Highway 16 an Viewmont Road were purchased in the fall of 1977. The Telkwa and Smithers congregations began talking of amalgamating and building a church together.
This became a reality, and in May 1978 the building was begun. Joint services were conducted throughout the building program. The old Smithers church was sold to the Mason’s. For about 3 months services were held in the Christian School Gym. In March 1979, both congregations came together for the first services in the basement of the new church. Throughout the building program, God has performed miracles on our behalf. With His help and the joint effort of both congregations we are having the church dedication just over a year after the building begun. To God be the Glory!
Telkwa Pentecostal Church History
Rev. Arthur Bell, pastor of the Smithers Church decided one day that he should build a church in Telkwa. The next day he went out asking for donations for the church. He was able to persuade people to donate a lot of things for the building. The floor joists came from an old school in Smithers. They were sound, though rough, and 2 x 12 x 24 ft. long. Lloyd Preston, a Bible School graduate, came up to help Bro. Bell build. To begin with, he slept in a tent in the Bell’s back yard. Later on he stayed with the Boulby’s on Coalmine Road. In August 1955, the first cement for the rough structure was poured. Bro Bell would wake Lloyd up in the tent saying “It’s daylight in the swamps Lloyd; time to get up.” That was about 6 am each morning. They usually left before 7:30 am and were in Telkwa very quickly as Bro Bell was an extremely fast driver. After the footings were poured and the pony walls were up for the foundation, Bro Bell decided to dig a well. He dug 12 to 15 ft on the inside of the foundation but struck no water, so he decided to drill another 12 ft or so and use some dynamite. The dynamite blew up more than he had figured on. Everything caved in, including part of the pony walls, but he still had no water. That was the end of the well idea. Eventually everything was rebuilt and the church completed. Jim and Dorothy Rathjen were the first pastors in 1956. They pastored the church for 1 year. Jim helped finish the church building. He pastored and worked to support himself. The Rathjens lived in the back of the church without any running water. Mrs Rathjen washed clothes at Huntington’s. They had a good children’s work in those early years.
In 1957, Rev & Mrs Alvin Schmunk came to Telkwa. That year, water was piped into the basement an living quarters. The first piano was a major purchase for the congregation during this time. A highlight of their ministry was the conversion of several young people. Many church programs saw their first start during the Schmunks stay. In 1963 the front addition was built onto the church. Two of the Schmunk’s children, Sharon and Steven, were born while they pastored the Telkwa church. They left in 1966.
Pastor & Mrs Hank DeHoog came in 1966. The stuccoing of the outside of the church building was a major project during their ministry. One major purchase was an amplifier so that the service could be heard in the nursery. This was much appreciated addition since there was a baby boom on during these days. Lakelse Camp saw it’s beginning during these years and the first Sno Camp was held which involved tremendous responsibility for the Telkwa Church. The DeHoogs pastored till 1968.
Rev & Mrs Walter Reimer followed the DeHoogs as pastors in 1968. During their ministry a new roof was put on the church and some partitioning done on the basement. New pews were built for the church and a new furnace purchased. The biggest project during these years was the construction of the Telkwa parsonage. The BC District Minute Men contributed about $2,500.00 towards this project. The Crusaders program was reactivated and the Sunday School won several attendance contests with much bigger churches. 1971 saw Telkwa hosting the Ministers Seminar for the Northland Section. Water baptisms were always a highlight and three were held at different occasions at Tyhee Lake. Other highlights were the birth of Elaine; the way the Lord touched and sustained Tony Visser; a 3:00 am call from Dave Froese to say he’d accepted Christ; Thanksgiving displays bursting with farm produce – including a live turkey. The Reimers left in 1977.
Rev & Mrs Gerry Foster came to Telkwa in July 1977. Shortly after their arrival the people of the church talked of amalgamating with the Smithers church and building together with them. After much prayer and discussion, the people voted in favor of this move. Things began to move quickly then and it wasn't long till joint Sunday night services were held with the Smithers Church. It was exciting to see the people become involved and to see the building go up so quickly. The Telkwa parsonage was sold to help with the building program and the Fosters rented accommodations in Smithers. The last Sunday night in Feb. 1979 the WM had the first joint service in the basement of the new church. In April 1979 the second Sunday School bus was purchased to help transport Sunday School children to the new church. God has led very definitely in so many ways and we give Him the Glory for all He has done!