Scripture texts.

I found these on Pinterest today, so I thought I'd put them here on this blog to add some colour. I love scripture. I love how beautiful it looks when embellished in this old-fashioned way.

When I was young we attended a Baptist church in Vancouver BC, from 1969 until 1976. The Baptists firmly believe in memorizing scripture from a young age, so I stored up a lot of it in my heart, and earned many a lovely prize in the various contests the Sunday School had. I remember those happy days with fondness, and the scripture has been a great help and comfort to me through all my life.

One of my favourite verses is the one above.

When I remember the advice, I lead a happy life.

May you find great comfort in Scripture this coming week.

By Loretta Houben

DAN DRAGONOFF: boarder with the Neufelds on Monmouth Avenue.

The next person in my fond memories that attended the little church at 3014 Kingsway was a quiet and rather stern man named Dan Dragonoff.

He always sat in the same spot on the left hand side of the church, very close to the front against the wall. He would often shout "Amen!" when something moved him! Sometimes I would jump.

He had a very thick accent and I couldn't understand his speech very well.

He had dark hair and gleaming eyes.

Dan boarded with Dick and Sarah Neufeld who lived at 3338 Monmouth Avenue at the top of our street near Grenfell School. 

Once again I found quite a wealth of information on Ancestry.

The above copy of the 1916 Canadian Census shows Dan age 12 living with his family; father Steve Dragonoff, mother Pena Dragonoff both from Bulgaria; and Dan's siblings Anga, Annie and John.

Dan came to Canada in 1912 when he was 8 years old. I wonder how he felt?

The family settled in Eye Hill Municipality in Battleford SK.

His father was a farmer.

On the 1921 Canadian Census they are living in the same place.

Dan is now 16.

This is the 1958 Vancouver BC Voter's list.

Dan is now a labourer living at 1061 W 12th Ave E.

In 1962 Dan is living at 4703 Gothard Street as a city Employee.

1933 USA Border Crossing.

Dan is listed as an independent missionary, traveling with Mr and Mrs. H Peter, apparently to Peru, South America. The document is difficult to read.

On July 2, 1948, Dan was traveling alone by stage, in Blaine, WA.

He had attended a religious convention at the Apostolic Faith in Portland OR for two weeks, and had $55 with him. His last permanent address was in Edmonton Alberta.

It's really interesting all the information one can gather from these archived documents!

I wonder what Dan would think?

It also lists his Father's name and Dan's middle name; Steve.

A copy of Dan Dragonoff's memorial pamphlet from my archives.

The back of Dan's pamphlet giving a brief outline of his life.

In his later years, he had dementia.

I remember he used to enjoy taking long walks around Grenfell School but one day he couldn't remember how to get back home again. As a young girl I couldn't figure it out, and I felt so sorry for him. After that he had to go in a home, until he died at age 76. 

One day we will meet again!

By Loretta Williams Houben

MARTHA CHEVERIE: a parishioner from 3014 Kingsway in the 1980s.

You may recognize this corner!

This photo was taken by the city of Vancouver and is from somewhere online.

How this brings back memories.

I've decided to turn this blog, Sunday Thoughts, into a place where all my church memories will be archived. I came across a set of photo books of church members in my archives, and I've scanned the photos in. They aren't the best quality but they are all I have.

Here is the second Pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church at 3014 Kingsway, Vancouver BC.

He served from 1977 until 1985, after John Schriner retired due to ill health.

Pastor Dave was my favourite pastor.

I enjoyed his sermons, and I loved how he and his wife, Elsie, kept things in ship shape order.

My Dad, Jack Williams, was the main usher.

He took his duties very seriously and was always on time and at his post.

He wore a suit and tie; no shorts and T-shirt for him in God's holy house.

He greeted everyone with a firm handshake and a smile.

He often locked up late at night.

Here is a photo taken of the little church 15 years ago in 2001.

This was our last year here. The people in charge had decided to sell and relocate to Langley BC.

The church was torn down in 2002, and a 4 story business was built on the land.

Martha Chevrie was an older woman who sat at the back.

She lived at 5548 College Street, just a few blocks away.

I remember her testifying that she would come to church when she was young in order to see the ladies hats and to admire them! She got conviction shortly after that, and realized her need of salvation, and prayed through and became a Christian. She began attending the Apostolic Faith as she lived nearby. 

I keep a lot of things, and I actually have a copy of Martha's memorial service, which took place in 1983. She was born April 18, 1904 in Whitemouth Manitoba, and died October 17, 1983 in Burnaby General Hospital. After much searching I found her death record online; her surname is spelled incorrectly above. It should be CHEVERIE.

I found her online on the 1906, 1911, and 1916 Canadian censuses! 

Here she is age 2! Her father's name was Ferdinand Kriger, and her mother's name was Pauline Breitkreitz.

Here is Martha age 7 with various siblings.

And here she is age 12.

I find it amazing what you can find online.

I wonder why her family moved out here to Vancouver?

I did find a family tree online for Martha, and she was married twice.

Her first husband, Harry Ernest Cheverie was born May 24, 1899 in PEI, parents names unknown.

He died Oct 18, 1960, age 61.

Martha remarried again October 6, 1962 to Edmund Klause.

She has three sons; Morvel, Elwood and Larry, according to the memorial brochure I have for her, and numerous grandchildren.

Martha was a nice quiet woman. She always had a lovely smile.

I also remember she loved to listen to Peter Poppoff on TV; a rather dubious preacher.

He seemed to amuse her.

I will try to write about more of the people who once attended that little church at the corner of Kingsway and Rupert all those many years ago.

By Loretta Williams Houben

Please click on the copy of Martha's memorial service to see the details close up.

Wrestling with God

Our Pastor's first sermon in 2008 was just what I needed. He ended with this sentence: "If you're limping in 2008, it's OK." He has such profound and uplifting statements from God's word. That's why I return each Sunday. The church is so huge and I don't know a living soul except for a handful of people. There are 3,600 people who attend, during 4 different services. It's hard to believe.

His subject was on the account of Jacob wrestling with God, in Genesis 32: 22-32. The points outlined were:

1. The struggle is with God, not man.
2. Struggling with God can be grace.
3. Struggling with God can lead to insight.
4. The result is our destiny and our blessing.

Worry is a lack of trust in God to oversee all aspects of my life. Isaiah 45:7 "I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things."
Proverbs 16:33 "The lot is cast into the lap but its every decision is from the Lord."

The Pastor told us something that happened last week as he was driving his son across the border, to fly to a dangerous place for a missionary trip. He didn't want to let his son go to such a dangerous place, and wasn't trusting God to take care of his son, and was anxious and worrying about it. The border guard asked why they were going into the US and they told him. He asked them if they spoke Spanish and they replied no. The guard began to speak in Spanish for a few minutes, then asked them if they knew what he'd said. Of course they didn't. He'd quoted Philippians 4: 6 & 7 "Do not be anxious about anything..." Wow.

Profound thought:
The thing you want God to take away is the thing you need in your life.

The Real Prosperity Gospel

Taken from our pastor's notes:

"All of us have heard about the prosperity gospel. It is a false teaching that says if you claim wealth in faith, you will become wealthy. Interestingly enough, this message is based upon a half truth. What is true, is that there are in fact economic ramifications to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a general rule, (there are significant exceptions to this) obedient Christians tend to do better financially than those who do not fear God. This is due to two factors. The first is the blessing of God. The second is that a redeemed personality is more likely to treat money differently."

He went on to explain that it is a notable phenomenon that when people give their lives to Christ, they give their money too, and their time. They have a different mind set, and don't spend money on themselves. Money begins to accumulate and instead of spending it on alcohol, gambling, parties, etc. they have more than when they lived a wasted life. In tribal countries where men used to beat their wives, and let them do all the work, after they found Christ they began to work with their wives, and so earned more to bring into the home. It's an amazing concept. Once our lives are cleaned up and surrendered to God, the blessings come upon us.

Deuteronomy 28: 1 & 2 "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord...all of these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you."

Points from the Pastor's message:

The godly life often has economic advantages.
The godly life heightens our EQ. (emotional intelligence)
The godly life combines worship and work in one unified whole.
The godly life seeks the way of peace.
The godly life sees compounding benefits.

Prosperity and generosity are related.

Navigating Crises

The sermon on Sunday Sept 16 (I'm a tad behind here on this blog) was about how people respond to crisis moments. The main point our pastor brought out was that even though we might think that a crisis is an unwelcome event, if we let God train us in it, we'll find that it can be a rewarding moment of learning.

His points were:

God often creates the crisis.
Goodness has drawn us to him.
Revelation has convinced us of him.
Obedience has tested our faith in him.

Crisis often defines our character. God is determined to show us what is in our heart.
The test of courage; the test of integrity (to break our schemes of earthly joy); the test of humility.

But God never abandons his children.
He always remains determined to bless.

A lamp to my feet

The message in church today was about the Bible. The minister spoke about Psalm 119, and how it's a celebration of God's word. Usually our Bibles sit neglected on a shelf, used only in emergency. He had really good, clear points. He also reminded us of the fact that we memorize a lot of scripture when we're young, and say we can't do it when we're adults because our memory isn't any good. That isn't true, as we know a lot of useless facts! It's all in how we memorize.

He said if we spend a lot of time reading God's word, it will become easier to memorize it. We need to listen to more of what God is saying through His word, and depend less on what other people say about it. Psalm 119 shows us what to expect from the Bible:

Verse 103: Food to make you strong.

Verse 5-6: A mirror to keep you honest.

Verse 14: Gold to make you rich.

Verse 105: A light to guide your path.

Verse 130: "The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple."

To get the most out of the Bible:

Verse 12: Pray for insight.

Verse 15: Think about it regularly.

Verse 172: Declare it to others.

It was an interesting sermon. I need to heed it!