|
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 where Kentucky
Fried Chicken is now 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!
|
