Jul 31, 2017

He's The Mighty One of Israel ~ Bekki Smith


The Pioneering Spirit ~ PAOC Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario ~ Rev. Walter Reinheimer

Related Links: PAOC Coastal Missions ~ Rev. Jacob Fehr
RED LAKE's Immigration Story
Red Lake History
Earl Carbert, Red Lake Businessman, Founding Member Glad Tidings Tabernacle
1960s Glad Tidings Tabernacle ~ Cliff Cassidy, Songleader & founding Member Glad Tidings
Red Lake Heritage Centre
Souvenir Record by Daniel Freval (1966)


Ed's Note:    I absolutely love the pioneering spirit of a young person, fresh out of bible school, who responds in faith (often great faith against seemingly impossible tasks) to God's call on their life. Their ideals are pure, their experience with God is strong and so refreshing.  Their "truth on fire", is truly something to listen to!  And of course with God ...all things are possible to those who believe!

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." ~ Hebrews: 11:6

What exactly is the "pioneering-spirit?"  Think of it this way.  When God presented his mission to Jeremiah, Jeremiah responded “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”  When God called on Moses, Moses responded, "I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”  But others like Paul (2 Cor. 11) or Isaiah (Isa.6:8) seem to fearlessly, boldly stand out from the crowd.  For instance, when God called Isaiah, his quick response was,  “Here am I. Send me!” 

After God led Ontario and Manitoba and Saskatchewan young farm-boys to PAOC Bible colleges, they called on God saying "...would it be OK Lord if you'd help me find a place to burn out my life for you in ministry?;  That would be so exciting, so fulfilling!;  I'm young, strong and healthy and I know you value AVAILABILITY!  It would be such an adventure....just YOU and ME together boldly getting the message out!" 

"What about way up north? There are some people that need to hear my message and I need  someone there."

"Yup, that would do just fine for me. It doesn't really matter where because I know you'll be right there with me!  I don't really have a fancy education and maybe I'm not totally qualified, but I could take some correspondence courses by mail to get my Grade 10; All I know is that if you went up there with me, I know how to make things happen; I can call on You and you'll help me set the stage for things to happen; I hear your voice clearly and I know how to witness.  Please.  I'll tell them all about you Lord; Just give me a chance - Open doors for me Lord.  Even if I have to work in the mine to support my family;  I'm not really expecting any pay for this.  We learned in Bible school that you equip and provide for those you call and I just feel your call on my life so strongly.  Yes even if the schools aren't the very best for my kids.  ...and by the way -40 degrees below zero isn't a problem for me; I'll just dress warmly.  ...and in the summer I can just swat off those black flies and mosquitoes. Please, please !!! ....just let me find a place to burn out my life serving you Lord. I'm available and if you go with me I'm your guy! Please."

Times have since changed!  It is not a secret to anyone paying attention, that over the past few decades, even our corporate worship has switched from "thinking & service based" to a "feeling-based" worship. Lest you think I'm even slightly exaggerating here, look at how the earlier generation expressed their worship by including a strong "service/mission-component" in choruses and hymns (...anybody remember hymns?).   I can assure you that these pioneer-people meant every word!

Jesus Use Me!
Jesus use me; and oh Lord don't refuse me.
For surely there's a work that I can do.
Even though it's humble; Lord help my will to crumble.
Though the cost be great, I'll work for you!

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1. It may not be on the mountain's height,
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle's front
My Lord will have need of me.
But if by a still, small voice He calls
To paths I do not know,
I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine,
"I'll go where You want me to go."

Refrain:
I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
Over mountain, or plain, or sea.
I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord.
I'll be what you want me to be.




That summed up the attitude of many of our pioneer pastors. Let's look at some in our PAOC fellowship who have demonstrated that pioneering-spirit and lot's of this thing called "faith."   Since he's my uncle, I will start off with my own parents who also were pioneers, and tie in our familes.

Rev. Walter Reinheimer  (1922-2006) pioneered Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba churches before going on to become the PAOC District Superintendent of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.


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INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND INFO:
While being a PAOC pioneer-pastor was not a journey my life has taken, I have been virtually surrounded by people all my life who have.  Mom, Dad, uncles & aunts, cousins and so many friends all have responded to the redemptive message of the cross by becoming Pentecostal preachers.  When you are surrounded by "such a great cloud of witnesses" it can't help but similarly affect you. Personally, I have the utmost respect to these who have gone before me, living out their calling literally in the middle of nowhere, planting churches, helping people spiritually (and in so many other ways) and standing firm (unbelievably FIRM, in fact "immovable" would be a better descriptor) as leaders in seemingly impossible situations for little or no payment.  Sometimes we forget that the early Pentecostal Movement was very much a "missionary-movement".  Their bible school taught them to "Just Go" and so that's what they did as the Holy Spirit led!  Amoung this group of pioneers, few have my respect as did my Uncle Walter.  He was a fun uncle to be with growing up, and as I matured, my respect for him only increased.  I want to honor his work here by telling his story and keeping his memory alive.

In some respects as a first-person-witness, few remain to narrate this story and I feel duty-bound to chronicle these memories and stories of faith, otherwise they will be forever lost. Beginning with my own parents, here is some background information necessary for the following story about Rev. Walter Reinheimer, a graduate of Western Bible College, Winnipeg.  So with those basics as a introduction, let's begin this story.

The Great "RED LAKE GOLD RUSH" (since 1922)
Gold fever had struck Northwestern Ontario.  The "Red Lake area" was comprised of the nearby communities of Red Lake, Balmertown, Cochenour, Madsen, MacKenzie Island, Stuart-Olson and others.  Each of these area small towns were built around yet another lucrative gold mine. Although gold claims were successfully staked in 1897, it wasn't until 1922 that this area underwent further exploration which developed into decades of mining. This was very rugged country located in the centre of the Canadian Shield.  If you are an outdoors-man, you'd be in paradise with it's endless complement of swamplands, forests, rocks and thousands of rivers, streams and lakes brimming with all kinds of wildlife.  In the early days it was quite difficult to access because of it's remoteness.  Lack of access, delayed it's full exploration for decades, but on hitting it's stride in 1947 with the construction of Highway 105, the long-awaited-road it became a very interesting place and poised itself for growth.


Early prospectors made much use of seaplanes in the summer and ski-planes during the long winter months.  The Noorduyn Norseman designed in 1935, was often the workhorse of choice, well-suited and much utilized at Red Lake in those days.  In fact at one point the Howey Bay seaplane base had the reputation of being the busiest "airport" in the world as far as aircraft movements.  Flying was almost the only way to effectively access this remote area.  Red Lake presently is a mining frontier and to date, still very much ongoing.  Many of the old mines have since closed.  In some cases "new" mines have recently reopened by utilizing modern technology against an ever increasing gold price.  Area mine-people discovered that Red Lake area ore, contained the world's richest grade of gold ore.

How did I (Mark) arrive up in Red Lake?  Well here is the sub-story first.  After graduating from OPBC bible school in Toronto (now renamed Master's College and Seminary) under Rev. CB Smith in 1944, my father (Rev. Fred Howson) pastored various Ontario and Manitoba PAOC churches for many years before getting married .

Simultaneous to this, my mother, Alma Howson-[nee Dohms] similarly graduated from Western Bible College under Dr. James Eustace Purdie .  Mom as well as dad had the pioneering spirit. Through the years following Bible School, mom took on several pastorates on her own in Shell Lake (1948) and later Wadena, Saskatchewan (1953). Although in near-opposite corners of Canada, Mom and Dad somehow found each other (an East meets West story!) and together lived out their lives in ministry.

Now married with a family my parents had found themselves between churches near Winnipeg in the 1960's.  They decided to move the growing family up to the Red Lake area where we had many relatives working there.  This move put our little family squarely in the midst of the heyday of the Red Lake Gold Rush!

Soon after arriving, Dad (Rev. Fred Howson) began working at the gold mine in nearby Madsen.  Dad soon had a vision and a burden to minister to the people in this little town and so he bought a house there and turned our basement into a church.  This wasn't the first church he'd built, and Dad knew what he was doing! He pioneered/pastored this Pentecostal church in Madsen and worked in the local gold mine to finance our day to day needs.  Briefly, I will share some memories.

We were the only church in this tough little town of Madsen, which featured very few programs for youth and grade-schoolers to be involved in after school hours.  Soon we had 30 regular kids and occasionally as high as 50's in our 2pm Sunday School, and later in the week our evening "Kids Hobby Club".  Mom was famous for keeping the kids spellbound as the "Flannelgraph Queen", type storyteller.  The kids loved her!   Also at this time in my life, I was also blessed to be part of Pentecostal Crusaders at nearby Glad Tidings under John Harder's leadership and sometimes Dad would join in leading when he wasn't working in the mine.  But plain and simple, this was often hard work for Dad, but he loved every minute and just lived for the opportunity to reach this little community for Christ.  Dad scheduled our Madsen church services so we could be totally active in the nearby and very vibrant Red Lake Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church (PAOC).  When we arrived there, our pastor at the time was Rev. Jack Duncalfe, who later left for Kenya and the mission field.  Thus, the 1960's found me growing up in the remote Red Lake area in Northern Ontario surrounded by incredible people in leadership!


GLAD TIDINGS PENTECOSTAL CHURCH, Red Lake, Ontario
While I will share more about mom and dad's ministry at a later date, I want to profile my uncle's work and ministry (Rev. Walter Reinheimer) in pioneering the Red Lake Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church.  Walter Reinheimer's story is the story of a pioneer pastor that needs to be remembered. While Uncle Walter had told me stories of his pioneer churches from time-to-time through the years, I didn't write the information down at the time and much was lost.  (I was based in Thompson, Manitoba in 1980 for a few years while flying for CALM Air.  I attended the PAOC church Uncle Walter had pioneered there in the 1950's after Red Lake.  At this time, Rev. Vernon Taylor was pastoring.)  While I've been aware of and have had the idea for this story for a long time, it has only been the past few years that I've been able to have the information that I need to do so.

Growing up in the Glad Tidings Pentecostal church in Red Lake, I was blessed to be introduced to some amazing pioneer PAOC people.  Two pioneer PAOC families in particular stood out, head and shoulders above the others in their influence and encouragement.  The Carbert's and the Cassidy's were the founding members of this vibrant assembly.  Earl Carbert and his wife Maimee arrived in the Red Lake area from Winnipeg (and Gilbert Plains) in 1946, prior to the completion of Highway 105.  Cliff Cassidy and his wife Greta arrived in Red Lake in 1950 from Flin Flon, MB.  These two founding families had been there for years before our family moved to this area and joined this congregation.  Cliff's son (Paul Cassidy) and daughter Janalee (Beesley) both went on to spend their lives in ministry as well. Paul became my pastor when I lived in Kelowna, BC.

A few weeks ago (July 2017), I spent some time with Rev. Lyle Carbert, who by the the way, at age 82 years old is still pastoring a church now in Cochrane, Alberta.  Lyle is one of the four sons of this pioneer family, Earl and Maimee Carbert.  While Lyle remembers me as a young child, I was far too young to remember very much about him, moreso since in my younger years he had left Red Lake and was completing Bible School (EPBC now situated in Peterborough) and had begun his various PAOC pastorates.  Lyle filled me on his life and work a few months ago, after I located him through an internet search.  Lyle told me on the phone of the book he has written, "No We Don't do Miracles, But God Does" (on Amazon with fwd by David Mainse).   I visited Lyle (July 2017) now living in Cochrane and still pastoring.  We talked of Red Lake days and shared some photos.  Lyle gave me permission to share parts of his book, which I find fascinating and so recommend it to you!  Of particular interest to me was information about Rev. Walter Reinheimer, my uncle, which I would like to share here.

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The following is excerpted with permission from  "No We Don't do Miracles, But God Does"  by Rev. Lyle Carbert (published 2014):

Chapter 15 ~ Apostolic Influence

...In 1951, approximately five years after we moved to Red Lake, a spirit-filled jeweler from Flin Flon, Manitoba, Cliff Cassidy felt led of the Lord to move to Red Lake, Ontario and open Cassidy's Jewelers.  The Carbert's and Cassidy's started having prayer meetings together and suggested letting the Manitoba District of the PAOC know, that they were up there in Red Lake, Ontario and in need of a Pentecostal Church.  The announcement was made at the District Conference, where Walter and Louise Reinheimer were praying for the will of God in their ministry.  Although they were not sitting together when the announcement was made they individually felt the call of God to Red Lake, Ontario to pioneer a Pentecostal church.  The Reinheimer's, Carbert's and Cassidy's got their hearts together and agreed by faith for the Reinheimer's to move to Red Lake.  We video-taped Walter at age 80, in the summer of 2002, telling his story of the call and move to Red Lake.  With his permission, we've transcribed and edited the video and have included it here.


Chapter 16 ~ My Pastor's Story (Rev. Walter Reinheimer tells his own story)
After Dauphin, Manitoba's experience, when the church burned to the ground in May 194?, we were getting $86.00 per month.  We were paying the utilities of the manse and sometimes these took the entire salary.  So here we had no church.  We had lost everything and there was no money, and we didn't even have a building fund.  It was just when the North Battleford group was going strong.  Their Prophetess, Helen Fehr's mother was a faithful attendee of our church, her grandpa was on the board, so Helen would come and she would send North Battleford people to Dauphin and they would have meetings in the hall and I would have prayer meeting on Wednesday night and they would have it in the hall with my congregation on Thursday.

So then, we rented the Orange Hall for our services.  In the summer we met with the board and decided with the congregation that we would build.  We had $10,000 for the church, and insurance for $5000.  Since the building burnt to the ground and they couldn't find out the the cause, they thought it was the electrical fault of old wiring.  So we got $10,000.

We hired two men to put in cement blocks, they don't do that anymore, and I wouldn't either, but it is still standing.  A carpenter and I  (I cancelled my salary), my twin sister, who was in children's work, came to work in the hospital, and preached for us on Sundays, free of charge.  I said "...pay me $1.00 per hour and I will work 16 hours per day, and I will donate $8.00 per day to the building fund."

In three months we put up the brick, the floor, and the roof and got this building up.  The next spring, I was uncertain as to whether to stay or not to stay and I did a dumb thing, but I did it. - I asked the congregation for a vote of confidence.  And I said vote No or Yes.

After I resigned, I found that the congregation had voted "Yes", which meant I should stay and I thought "Yes" meant I should go!  So I resigned and we went to Winnipeg.

We were thread-bare.  I only had one suit, and Arnold Hamilton came to Gilbert Plains for a Sunday and we went to visit where Ken Bunting was the Pastor at Gilbert Plains.  As mentioned, I only had one suit, but I would wear them out, and Arnold said, "Do you want this button?" and I said, "Of course I want this button".  So Arnold took a knife and gave me the button.  I said, "I want it on my suit".  I only had this one suit and I sometimes had to back out of the church because the back end had cracked open while I bent over....it was thread-bare.

So we came to Winnipeg and worked at the CNR graveyard shift as a coach-cleaner.  Old Mr. Bradford, was a Porter and he got this job for me.

We rented a little suite, we just had one son, Lorne, and I worked graveyard shift.  So I got some money for the winter time.  When the spring time came I went to the Conference at Calvary Temple in Winnipeg, (of course, this was the only place that they had Conferences in those days).

Rev. Bill Gamble was at Flin Flon, Manitoba and Cliff Cassidy had just moved from Flin Flon to Red Lake, Ontario to open up a jewelry store there.  Mr. Gamble was a Presbyter, so he gave his report of the North, (Louise and I weren't sitting together), and I had thought .".. I don't know what we are going to do."

Rev. Gamble said, "Somebody should go to the Red Lake area ... the Carbert's are there and the Cassidy's have moved there and someone should go there and pioneer a work there."


Previously in 1921,  Rev. J.C. Cook from Edmonton Bible School apparently had gone to Red Lake and found it too difficult.  So in 1958, when I was going to World Conference, I met him because Mr. Cook was interested to meet this man who had gone to Red Lake.  Anyway, when he went to Red Lake it was really rough times then.

However, Rev. Gamble said that someone should go to Red Lake because there are two Pentecostal families there and someone should open up a work there.  Something like a bullet went through my heart and I met Louise to go for lunch at noon, downstairs in Calvary Temple, and Louise said, "Walter, we ought to go to Red Lake".

That's when the 40 hour work week came in on the Railway.  So Friday night I did my shift and on Saturday morning I took the bus to Red Lake to meet the Carbert's and the Cassidy's.  Mr. Earl Carbert knew the Fallonsbee's.

There were three suites in this log house:  The Cassidy's on one side, we lived on one side and someone else (the manager of the Simpson's Store) lived in the front suite.  After some time, the Cassidy's moved into the front suite, and then we got the church going.

1940's ~ Earl and Maime Carbert arrive in Red Lake.



The Red Lake Mennonites were pastored by Rev. Erwin Shantz, who had an airplane.  From time-to-time, Cliff Cassidy and others from Glad Tidings PAOC would help them in their mission work to the area native communities.  Many of the communities were only accessible via airplane, which helped greatly to spread the gospel in the Red Lake area.  
Here from L to R, Maime Carbert and Greta and Cliff Cassidy.
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So after the Conference we went back to Melville, Saskatchewan and got ready to move to this mining town.  I had never seen a mine in my life, nor had I heard of a mine.  I was a farmer, with grade 7!  During the Depression, when I was fourteen, because there were no crops for seven years and my Dad used to work in the winter time building elevators and us boys looked after the chores and went to school.  I said to Mom and Dad, I can get a job there and earn a little money.  In those days the government paid $5.00 a month, plus room and board and the farmer got $5.00 a month for keeping you and if you smoked, you got $5.00 more for tobacco.  My great uncle smoked and I didn't, so my great Uncle took the $5.00. "The stinker could have given me the $5.00, but he didn't".

So then we went to visit a fellow that had MS (multiple sclerosis), a farmer Schindel was his name and we visited him and anyway this farmer had an old Model T over by the hay fence.  It had been sitting there for years, with 30 x 3.5 inch tires, an old Model T ~ which was a "Bennet Wagon".  During the Depression they converted these old cars and put a pole on so horses could pull it and called it a Bennett wagon.   
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~ From Wikipedia:  A Bennett Buggy was a term used in Canada during the Great Depression to describe a car which had its engine and windows taken out and was pulled by a horse.
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He said, "Walter you can have this old Bennett wagon to make yourself a trailer to move to Red Lake".  So I got his old trailer, the tires were flat.  Only God could have kept those tires.  Anyway, so my Dad who had a blacksmith shop on the farm, helped me to make this trailer.  Why we didn't make it a two-wheel trailer for the stuff we had?  -We could have pulled it on two wheels.

I made a four-wheeler and you know that thing fish-tailed on the back of the car when I pulled it.  And there was no pavement.  We had a 1940 Chevy car which I had bought in Dauphin (a real "Cadillac" for its time).



So we made this trailer and kissed our parents goodbye, with lots of tears, and we were on our way to visit Pastor Percy Munroe at Carberry, Manitoba.  It was gravel road and #1 Highway was only oiled from Portage La Prairie to Winnipeg.  The rest was gravel.  The TransCanada road wasn't built so you had to go through Rennie, Manitoba and Whitemouth, Manitoba.

We were only 12 miles from my dad's farm, when the first tire blew.  We had to take it off, fix the tube, put it back in, put the tire back on the trailer, and pump up the tire with a hand pump.  When we got to Red Lake, we had had thirteen flat tires!  The 13th one was on Red Lake Road which was 100 miles from Red Lake.

 On our trip, we stopped at Carberry, Manitoba, then Winnipeg for a couple of days and I had gone to T. Eaton's Company.  I wanted to buy tires... I was rich you know.  So when I got to Red Lake, I had $13.00 in my pocket.

So Eaton's said, we haven't sold a 30 x 3.5 inch tire in years, but he said, "Just a minute".  He went somewhere and he brought out three tubes, 30 x 3.5 inch tubes.  I bought the works.

"...I had to put old mitts where the tire had a hole, and put this mitt in and then the tube so the gravel wouldn't hit the tube."

We were driving down the highway, Lorne was only three years old, and would look out the back and say, "Dad, you have a flat tire."   I would stop the car, and would you believe it, there would be a flat tire.  Imagine, three years old!

When we got to Red Lake Road, we were actually four or five miles past Red Lake Road, towards Red Lake, when the last tire went into a thousand pieces!  Now what?  I couldn't fix that and it was in June and the flies and the mosquitoes were bad, and Louise was going to come with me.  I said, "Stay in the car, lock it up, and don't let anyone in."  Then I walked back to Red Lake Road where there was a little restaurant, and I mean, you couldn't find that in a million years.  I said to the fellow there, "You wouldn't know of anyone who has an old Model T?"  Well, he said, "This lad has one"  ... a kid of about 15 years old.  "Yes", the lad said, "I have one and I'm going to fix it up some day".  I said,  "Can I see that car?"

So he took me into the bush, where the trees had grown up around that car.  I said, "My son, you will be 1,000 years old ...you will never get parts for this car".  It had one tire that was good, and I saw that.  So I used all the salesmanship I had.  And I preached to him, not the Gospel but with persuasion.  I paid him $13.00 and the kid was happy and I took the tire off and put it on my shoulder and walked back to the car.  That was the last flat and we went to Red Lake.

We stopped for the night and I went in to get a room for the night and there were some Americans there with their Oldsmobile's and big tummies (who carried the balance forward) who were opening up the Tourist camp (1951).  I drove in with this car and this 'modern' trailer and there was one room left.  We got it.  Talk about God!  One guy said, "Oh my God, a sewing machine in the car". [It was probably Gold Arrow Tourist Camp].

When we got to Red Lake, Mr. Jim Liddle was at the Carbert's and he said, "How did you make the 'sand hill?"  I said, "...the sand hill?  ...they were all sand hills."  [The road (Turkey Trail) had been built in 1947.  Therefore it was only four years old (in 1951).

So then, ... I sold the trailer to somebody in Red Lake for $25.00.  I had gotten the trailer free from the farmer.  We had thirteen flat tires, and arrived in Red Lake with $13.00!

The second day that we were in Red Lake, I was hired at the Campbell Red Lake Gold Mine as a warehouse clerk, remember I had only grade seven education.

We had stopped at the Carbert's, they had left on holidays, and Mrs. Carbert had left a note on the table asking Louise to look after Barrie and you can stay here for two weeks, charge the groceries to our account as long as you cook for Barrie.  So, in two weeks I got my first cheque.  So I went and got a mattress from the Bay [Hudson's Bay Store], because there was a bed and springs in the suite but no mattress.  Not anything at all.

This suite was quite sweet.  There was no water works ...just running water from the well and the little house out back.  It was this way for nine years.  We had two more boys (in 1953 and 1955) while we were in Red Lake.  Our son Lance used to get water with a pail and he felt that it was a long way, but it was actually just next door.

For the first month we held prayer meetings at the Carbert and Cassidy homes.  Mrs. Laramie was our first Red Lake person to attend.  Then we rented the Red Lake Theatre.  We had put our tithes together and had purchased a piano for the services.  However, there were shows in the Theatre on Saturday nights, and the kids used to pour soft drinks on the keys and we would have to clean this up before service because Mrs. Carbert (our pianist) couldn't make it work.  There would also be popcorn all over and it was a stinky place!

We were maybe there for a year or so.  Then we bought an old warehouse, cheap.  The District sent a small monetary gift to help purchase this building.  But it had to be moved for two miles.  So we cut it in half.  Then I was able to hire the tractor and truck it from the Mine to move this building.

When I went to the manager to pay the bill he looked at the bill and took his pen and wrote on it ..."PAID IN FULL."

Actually we skidded the building into town.  When we had to go around the corner, a telephone pole which had not been cut off close enough to the ground, caught on the joists and ripped them into slivers. Anyway, we got it there, and when we looked at that building, my goodness ...what a job!  We put the back half in place and then the front half and pulled them together.  Tie rods had to be put at the level of the eaves to hold the walls in place.  Then they were painted and these rods remained until the day the building was torn down.

Sometime in 1953, we had this building fixed up for services.

In all, this building was remodeled five times in nine years!

We build a suite on the back for the Pastor to live in and then we jacked it up and put a basement under it.  While this was being done, the parsonage part shook so badly you would think that it was going to fall off of the blocks!  A new front with a foyer was also added.

When the building was in place, there were Reinheimer's, Carbert's, Cassidy's Laramie's and Mimi Koeffert.  Slowly, in time, there was a fairly large Sunday school with children attending from the town.  We also rented a bus to pick up the children for Sunday school.  For the Sunday School Christmas programs, the parents would attend and we rented the Rainbow Lanes Bowling Alley/Dance Hall, and treats were handed out.

I worked for 9 years at the mine and took no salary from the church.  Gradually, other people came, who moved to Red Lake to work in the mines and several families were reached for Christ from Red Lake.



    1960's ~ Red Lake Glad Tidings PAOC Men's Fellowship (L to R).
     1st Row: Cliff Cassidy, John Harder, Wes Howson, Ivan Bjorkland, David Gugliotta, 
                    Tony Parisi
     2nd Row: Johnnie Boyce, Delbert Duncalfe, Rev. Erwin Shantz (Red Lake Mennonite pastor), 
                    Jerry Larson, Fred Howson
     (Unfortunately, I don't know who is beyond the first two rows).
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Lyle Carbert's Comment:
It would seem that this might help us understand some of the characteristics of the calling of Apostle!  In retrospect, even though I made the statement to Walter Reinheimer, that if I was ever called to the ministry, I would probably not do what he did, his influence was probably the Apostle-father relationship which helped to set the direction for my future.

The Walter Reinheimer's left in 1960 and next pioneered in Thompson, Manitoba.  Then the Jack Duncalfe's came to Red Lake as pastors.  So, from age 11 to 21, Red Lake was the strong formative influence on my (Lyle's) life.
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     Having Breakfast at Grandpa Rudolf's Fenwood, Saskatchewan farm (Left to Right)
     Walter Reinheimer, Mark Howson, Charles Howson, Fred Howson.










#3. Do Not Misuse God's Name ~ Dennis Prager

Editor's Note:    An Orthodox Jew Looks at the 10 Commandments:

The Ten Commandments ~ from Exodus 20

7“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

In 2009, Dennis Prager started a website, Prager University, offering five-minute videos on various subjects such as the Ten Commandments, the minimum wage, the Middle EastGlobal warming, and happiness with a conservative perspective.  To be very clear, Mr. Prager is NOT a Christian, but has his roots as an Orthodox Jew, thus his videos do not necessarily view scripture exactly as Christians view scripture, nonetheless there are many general parallels between.  Here is another video in this series:

Not all sins are equal. Some are worse than others. The worst of one of all? Committing evil in the name of God. This commandment is often misunderstood because it's mistranslated. It's not concerned with saying God's name "in vain" like "God, did I have a terrible day at the office." It's about using God's name in the commission of evil. We see this today when Islamists invoke God's name while they murder innocent people.

This Is Why Women Live Longer Than Men ~ #29

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Jul 25, 2017

What's Not To Love? ~ Mark Lowry

Mark Lowry's debut studio project on Daywind Records, What's Not To Love? releases August 18th, 2017. The platinum selling & GRAMMY Award winning artist is best known for co-writing the modern Christmas classic, 'Mary, Did You Know?' and spending a collective 20 years with the legendary Gaither Vocal Band. An incomparable communicator, his live events draw in fans from all walks of life with his innate ability to make them laugh, cry and think, all at once. 

#2 - You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me ~ Dennis Prager

Editor's Note:    An Orthodox Jew Looks at the 10 Commandments:

The Ten Commandments ~ from Exodus 20

3“You shall have no other gods beforea me.
4“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lordyour God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.


In 2009, Dennis Prager started a website, Prager University, offering five-minute videos on various subjects such as the Ten Commandments, the minimum wage, the Middle EastGlobal warming, and happiness with a conservative perspective.  To be very clear, Mr. Prager is NOT a Christian, but has his roots as an Orthodox Jew, thus his videos do not necessarily view scripture exactly as Christians view scripture, nonetheless there are many general parallels between.  Here is another video in this series:

Each Step I Take ~ Earl Carbert, Glad Tidings Church, Red Lake, Ontario (1960's)

Earl Carbert  (1901-1988)  sings "Each Step I Take" in Glad Tidings in the 1960's
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Editor's Note:
Red Lake, Ontario ~ Glad Tidings Church Founding Families. (1950's)  I grew up in Northern Ontario in a mining area called Red Lake, Ontario.  My uncle (Rev. Walter Reinheimer) was the founding church pastor of our church (Glad Tidings, Red Lake).  My dad pioneered/pastored a church in the nearby mining town of Madsen, Ontario and he scheduled the Madsen church services to be able to attend and be involved in the life of Glad Tidings Church in Red Lake.  These were wonderful folks to fellowship with!

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Lyle Carbert was Earl's son, and went on to be a pastor with the PAOC for many years. Lyle has written a good book called "No We Don't do Miracles, But God Does". It is available online at Amazon, and tells about the early days of Red Lake and his testimony.  It is the testimony of a great guy and I couldn't put it down until I finished it!. David Mainse (Huntley Street) provided the forward to this book.


This Is Why Women Live Longer Than Men ~ #28

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Holiness

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10 Men Christian Women Should Never Marry ~ Lee Grady


Men and women
Don't be impatient when choosing a helpmate. God has the right one for you. (iStock)
My wife and I raised four daughters—without shotguns in the house!—and three of them have already married. We love our sons-in-law, and it’s obvious God handpicked each of them to match our daughters’ temperaments and personality.
I have always believed God is in the matchmaking business. If He can do it for my daughters, He can do it for you.
Today I have several single female friends who would very much like to find the right guy. Some tell me the pickings are slim at their church, so they have ventured into the world of online dating. Others have thrown up their hands in despair, wondering if there are any decent Christian guys left anywhere. They’ve begun to wonder if they should lower their standards in order to find a mate.
My advice stands: Don't settle for less than God's best. Too many Christian women today have ended up with an Ishmael because impatience pushed them into an unhappy marriage. Please take my fatherly advice: You are much better off single than with the wrong guy!
Speaking of “wrong guys,” here are the top 10 men you should avoid when looking for a husband:
1. The unbeliever. Please write 2 Corinthians 6:14 on a Post-it note and tack it on your computer at work. It says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (NASB). This is not an outdated religious rule. It is the Word of God for you today.
Don’t allow a man’s charm, looks or financial success (or his willingness to go to church with you) push you to compromise what you know is right. “Missionary dating” is never a wise strategy. If the guy is not a born-again Christian, scratch him off your list. He’s not right for you. I’ve yet to meet a Christian woman who didn’t regret marrying an unbeliever.
2. The liar. If you discover that the man you are dating has lied to you about his past or that he’s always covering his tracks to hide his secrets from you, run for the nearest exit. Marriage must be built on a foundation of trust. If he can’t be truthful, break up now before he bamboozles you with an even bigger deception.
3. The playboy. I wish I could say that if you meet a nice guy at church, you can assume he’s living in sexual purity. But that’s not the case today. I’ve heard horror stories about single guys who serve on the worship team on Sunday but act like Casanovas during the week. If you marry a guy who was sleeping around before your wedding, you can be sure he will be sleeping around after your wedding.
4. The deadbeat. There are many solid Christian men who experienced marital failure years ago. Since their divorce, they have experienced the Holy Spirit’s restoration, and now they want to remarry. Second marriages can be very happy. But if you find out that the man you are dating hasn’t been caring for his children from a previous marriage, you have just exposed a fatal flaw. Any man who will not pay for his past mistakes or support children from a previous marriage is not going to treat you responsibly.
5. The addict. Churchgoing men who have addictions to alcohol or drugs have learned to hide their problems—but you don’t want to wait until your honeymoon to find out that he’s a boozer. Never marry a man who refuses to get help for his addiction. Insist that he get professional help and walk away. And don’t get into a codependent relationship in which he claims he needs you to stay sober. You can’t fix him.
6. The bum. I have a female friend who realized after she married her boyfriend that he had no plans to find steady work. He had devised a great strategy: He stayed home all day and played video games while his professional wife worked and paid all the bills. The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either” (2 Thess. 3:10). The same rule applies here: If a man is not willing to work, he doesn’t deserve to marry you.
7. The narcissist. I sincerely hope you can find a guy who is handsome. But be careful: If your boyfriend spends six hours a day at the gym and regularly posts closeups of his biceps on Facebook, you have a problem. Do not fall for a self-absorbed guy. He might be cute, but a man who is infatuated with his appearance and his own needs will never be able to love you sacrificially, like Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). The man who is always looking at himself in the mirror will never notice you.
8. The abuser. Men with abusive tendencies can’t control their anger when it boils over. If the guy you are dating has a tendency to fly off the handle, either at you or others, don’t be tempted to rationalize his behavior. He has a problem, and if you marry him you will have to navigate his minefield every day to avoid triggering another outburst. Angry men hurt women—verbally and sometimes physically. Find a man who is gentle.
9. The man-child. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m suspicious of a guy who still lives with his parents at age 35. If his mother is still doing his cooking, cleaning and ironing at that age, you can be sure he’s stuck in an emotional time warp. You are asking for trouble if you think you can be a wife to a guy who hasn’t grown up. Back away and, as a friend, encourage him to find a mentor who can help him mature.
10. The control freak. Some Christian guys today believe marriage is about male superiority. They may quote Scripture and sound super-spiritual, but behind the façade of husbandly authority is deep insecurity and pride that can morph into spiritual abuse. First Peter 3:7 commands husbands to treat their wives as equals. If the man you are dating talks down to you, makes demeaning comments about women or seems to squelch your spiritual gifts, back away now. He is on a power trip. Women who marry religious control freaks often end up in a nightmare of depression.
If you are a woman of God, don’t sell your spiritual birthright by marrying a guy who doesn’t deserve you. Your smartest decision in life is to wait for a man who is sold out to Jesus.

Jul 18, 2017

2017 Freedom Ride: July 22

Ed's note:  Here is the link for the 2017 Freedom Ride Event for Teen Challenge!


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tHE 2017 FREEDOM RIDE raises money for the work of Teen challenge! 

Join us this year at three locations across Ontario for a scenic ride followed by a BBQ, Silent Auction, Prizes and a chance to win FREE gas cards.
All proceeds raised from the 2017 Freedom Ride & Silent Auction will be designated toward the Ontario Men’s Centres in London and Sault Ste. Marie and the Ontario Women’s Centre in King City.

Blessed Be The Name of the LORD! ~ Medley


#1 - I Am The LORD Your God ~ Dennis Prager

Editor's Note:    An Orthodox Jew Looks at the 10 Commandments:

The Ten Commandments ~ from Exodus 20

1And God spoke all these words:
2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, 
out of the land of slavery.


In 2009, Dennis Prager started a website, Prager University, offering five-minute videos on various subjects such as the Ten Commandments, the minimum wage, the Middle EastGlobal warming, and happiness with a conservative perspective.  To be very clear, Mr. Prager is NOT a Christian, but has his roots as an Orthodox Jew, thus his videos do not necessarily view scripture exactly as Christians view scripture, nonetheless there are many general parallels between.  Here is another video in this series:
Although the First Commandment ("I am the Lord your God") appears simple at first glance, it actually set into motion the most revolutionary idea in human history -- ethical monotheism, the belief that there is one God whose main wish is that people treat each other decently. Dennis Prager explains that without this commandment, the following nine mean little. With it, the Ten Commandments becomes world-changing. 

This is Why Women Live Longer Than Men ~ #27

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Persucution ~ Greg Laurie

During a period in church history from A.D. 100 to 314, literally thousands and thousands of courageous Christian men, women and even children sealed their fate with their blood.
Secular historians agree that there were 10 great persecutions against the church, 10 major attempts to wipe out Christianity, starting with the wicked Caesar Nero and ending with Diocletian. Believers were fed alive to wild animals. They were taken to Roman arenas for sport. They were torn apart. They were tortured. They were burned at the stake.
Diocletian thought he was so successful in obliterating Christianity from the face of the earth that he actually had a special medal struck, which was inscribed with these words: “The Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the [Roman] gods restored.”
Needless to say, Diocletian was wrong. Instead of becoming weaker during this time of persecution, the church actually grew stronger. Instead of being destroyed, it became a lean, mean preaching machine. Persecution can have that effect.
In a way, persecution will separate the genuine from the fake. If you are a true follower of Jesus, you won’t back down if a little persecution comes your way.
And if God allows it in your life, he will give you the strength to face it.
History tells us of a great hero of the Christian faith, Polycarp, who was the pastor of the church in Smyrna. He was martyred on Saturday, Feb. 23, A.D. 155. The public games were taking place, and the city was overrun with people. The crowds were whipped into a frenzy, and someone cried out, “Let Polycarp be searched for!”
Knowing this, Polycarp could have easily escaped, but he had a dream the night before in which he saw the pillow under his head on fire. When they came and arrested him, he asked for the privilege of having a final hour to spend with the Lord in prayer.
When Polycarp entered the Roman arena, God spoke to his heart and said, “Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man.” The Roman proconsul gave him a choice: either curse the name of Christ and make a sacrifice to Caesar, or die.
Polycarp said, “For eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he has done me no wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?”
The proconsul threatened him with being burned at the stake, and Polycarp replied, “You threaten with the fire which burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. But why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.”
The crowds went crazy, pouring in with firewood and kindling. They wanted to nail Polycarp to the stake because they were afraid he would flee.
Polycarp said, “Let me alone as I am: for He who has given me strength to endure the fire will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to stand without moving in the pile.” There Polycarp stood as they set the wood around him on fire. Amazingly, the fire did not harm him. It came right up to him and would not burn him. He sang praises to God. Finally they couldn’t take it anymore, and they thrust him through with spears.
That is called persecution. That is called courage.
You may think, “I could never do anything like that.” But Jesus promised that if you are delivered up to be persecuted, he will give you the words to say under such circumstances (see Matthew 10:18–20). He will give you the courage to make your stand.
Understand, if you are living a godly life, then you will be persecuted in some way, shape, or form. Jesus said, “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20 NKJV).
If you are a true believer, you will face persecution in some fashion. The word persecute means “to be chased down, driven away, and pursued.” The good thing about it is that persecution can help you grow strong spiritually.
I read a story about codfish that were being shipped from the East Coast to the West Coast. The problem was that the fish arrived spoiled. The fish were frozen and sent off, but were still mushy to the taste. They tried sending the fish alive, but they arrived dead. Then they sent them alive with one change. In the tank with the live cod, they included their mortal enemy, the catfish. By the time the cod arrived, they were alive and well, having run from the catfish the entire journey. The people who ate it said it was the best cod they had ever tasted.
God may put a catfish in your tank, so to speak, to keep you alive and well spiritually. Maybe he will allow some kind of persecution to keep you on your toes. Maybe you will be the brunt of other people’s jokes. Maybe it will be the loss of a job. Maybe it will be the loss of friends.
Persecution causes us to cling more tightly to Christ and reminds us of two very important things: 1) we are children of God, and 2) this world is not our home.
I do believe that persecution will intensify as we get closer to the Lord’s return. I have found that people who say they are so liberal and open-minded seem to be very much closed to the idea of the Gospel. In this day and age, it seems as though people can believe anything but the Gospel. Everything is fine except the Gospel. Why? Because it really bothers people when you say that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father.
If you are a Bible-believing Christian, you can say no less. Jesus himself said that he was the way, the truth and the life. If we really believe it and really proclaim it, then we will face persecution. ~ Pastor Greg Laurie
Taken from my weekly column at World Net Daily.