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100 years ago, in 1907, a small group of people met in the front
room of a home in Penticton and began the process of bringing
First Baptist Church into being. Soon they were meeting in a little
church building on the corner of Main Street and White Ave where
Kentucky Fried Chicken was located. The church seated about 75
people. They used a hand operated-air-pump organ. A Sunday
School class met in a dirt floor room that also contained the furnace.
The youth were involved in a lot of neat activities. They would gather
in the church bus and go skating in Summerland. The bus was called
the "chicken coop" bus because it was an old 1930's bus with
chicken wire in the windows.
As time went on, and God's work in the lives of people continued,
it was obvious a bigger building was needed, and the people began
to look for a new location on which to build. A big parking area was
one of the requirements and the search was not an easy one! In 1956
the current location was found, but at that time it was surrounded by
orchards and had only one house east of it, and some of the
congregation thought it was too far out in the country. However,
because it was the best option available, the land was purchased,
including the land which later sold to the clinic. Volunteers built the
gym, where services were then held. The volunteers had a great
time working together, eating together built the and getting to
know one another well.
One of the early evidences of God's work with the congregation was
the way everybody pitched in, gave generously and worked together
Ten years later, in 1966 and 67, the sanctuary was added on to the
building. The way Norm Hovelund tells it, the church was short
$25,000 to build the sanctuary and a letter was written to the Baptist
Union of Western Canada asking for a loan. The same day his letter
arrived asking for the loan, $25,000 also arrived at the Baptist Union
of Western Canada. God was aware of their need!! One example of
generosity during the building of the sanctuary occurred when one of
the members of the congregation passed away, and his wife, in a
prearranged agreement with her husband, sold their home and gave
the proceeds to the church building fund! |
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