Calvary in the 1960s

Where were you in 1962? or ‘65? or ‘69? Perhaps you were celebrating a graduation, or travelling to Montreal to see EXPO ’67, or cheering as you heard “The Eagle has Landed” at a Moon Landing Party. While our memories may take us back to many happy personal occasions in the 1960s, at the same time the World headlines included the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Israeli Six Day War and the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Some people I suppose, think of “the Sixties” as just a name given to an era in history, but for most of us here it isn’t "just history”, it is our lives. We lived the 1960s!

This means that today, and for the remaining decades we will visit, the question being posed has changed from “Did you know…?” to “Do you remember...?”  If any of the bits and pieces of Calvary’s past that are mentioned today stir further memories in you, or if you remember details differently, please share these with us so our records can be expanded and accurate.

Two ministers at Calvary gave spiritual leadership during the 1960s. Reverend J.H. Getz had begun his ministry at Calvary in 1953 and continued to minister to the congregation until 1965. He was followed by Dr. J.V. Dahms who served until 1971. Both helped to guide Calvary through a time of significant change whether it be in World affairs, in Canada, in the United Church of Canada, or indeed here at Calvary Memorial.

Many of the world events were frightening, and people sought the comfort and assurance of God’s presence at church, but their daily lives were still focussed on the post-war era’s affluence. People were moving into new houses in new suburbs and attending the new neighbourhood churches which were being built as quickly as these areas grew. By and large it was still an age of optimism that was justified by impressive numbers. Calvary now had a membership of 800 and the largest Sunday School in the Canada Conference. At the beginning of the decade with no major debt to be repaid, the Mission and Benevolence Fund reached $12,000. Remarkable! A sign of the spiritual vitality of the church could be measured by the number of young men from Calvary who served as assistants to Reverend Getz and Dr. Dahms and then went on to seek ordination.

Congregational life at Calvary was built around numerous committees, organizations, and Sunday School classes. Imagine this: The 1961 Annual Report has submissions from 37 groups who were led by volunteers supported by the ministers’ wisdom and encouragement. The fellowship that developed within the church groups created friendships that lasted a lifetime. And both ministers in their final reports noted the pleasure of having served at Calvary. Even at home Reverend Getz must have hidden any frustrations he had at work because there is a story about one of Reverend Getz’s sons on a Labour Day Sunday morning asking his father, “Daddy, why don’t you have a job?”

Of course, at Calvary there was always some fun to be had. For example, the new parlour needed a piano, so the Friendship Circle circulated an apron on which members were asked to pin a donation of money. The amount raised was given to the piano fund and the person who came closest to guessing the total amount was given the apron. It has been rumoured that woman were asked to give an amount equal to the sum of their waist size and their age. But that is surely an urban myth!

There was also a request from the Ladies Aid for individuals to donate a cup and saucer to create a collection suitable for use in the newly furnished parlour. How many of us would love to be able to donate our collection of fine china to the church now. But alas, casual mugs are more in fashion!

The Trustees were busy dealing with issues that ranged from purchasing a step ladder to deciding whether it was wise to carry insurance against the possibility of the boiler exploding. Other problems for them were ones that never seem to go away, such as making keys accessible to groups using the church at night and deciding whose job it should be to put the chairs away after a meeting.

With hindsight, it is ironic that folks who sat in the balcony made it known that they had trouble seeing over the top of the iron railing, so the railing was lowered by six inches, the same six inches we just paid to have added to the current gallery railing for the safety of people sitting there!

A strong commitment to missions was a factor in unifying the congregation. Jean Kellerman was revered for her work in Japan and her letters were shared and her work supported by many groups and individuals. Her trips home were special occasions and she met with many groups during her furloughs. Other missionaries were sponsored by Calvary as well and were welcomed when they could visit. Representatives from local agencies like the CNIB, the VON, the House of Friendship, and the KW Orphanage were often invited to be speakers for groups like the Ladies Aid and the Missions Committee who in turn would give a donation to the speaker’s cause.

Reverend Getz, sensing the congregation’s willingness to give to others, was the first to suggest that, as a church, Calvary should aim to “give as much to others as to ourselves”. Did you know that the goal came close to being met in the 70s before the fixed costs associated with ministry in a now aging building made the goal impossible to meet?

Like Dr. Kellerman, both Reverend Getz and Dr. Dahms were increasingly aware of declining membership and sought to understand the reasons for it and ways to reverse the trend. Reverend Getz was forthright in admitting that a third of the membership were “paper members” only. A first necessary step he felt was to update the membership roll. One factor that he felt created a problem for the churches in the older parts of town was the attractiveness of the suburbs. A very active family at Calvary wrote regretfully that they had decided to leave Calvary because their school-age girls wanted to go to a new neighbourhood church so they could see their church friends at school. Nevertheless, Reverend Getz’s message in his 1963 report was a positive one, affirming Calvary’s Faith in the Past; Love in the Present; and Hope for the Future.

Similarly, Dr. Dahms recognized that “the 1960s were years of revolt which even became violent at times.” He continued, “Not least was this a revolt against the churches.”  He nevertheless believed Calvary would not be as affected as some churches by this new attitude because the Calvary had real devotion to Christ which went deep within the hearts and lives of the people.

A key change in the life of the Evangelical United Brethren Church denomination came at the end of the 1960s when the EUB Conferences based in the United States made a decision to join with the Methodist Church in the U.S. and created the United Methodist Church. The Canadian Conference also had a decision to make. Would they join the rest of the EUB conferences in merging with the American Methodists or would they join the United Church of Canada which already was the result of three merging denominations – the Congregationalists, the Methodists and many, but not all, of the Presbyterian churches in Canada? A booklet was distributed entitled “Church Union Studies” which laid out in detail the similarities and differences between the EUB denomination and the Methodist Church in America and the United Church of Canada. At Calvary, after some discussion about how best to seek the congregation’s opinion, it was decided to have a meeting after worship one Sunday to discuss the choices. The Conference leadership favoured joining with the United Church and most congregations followed their lead, but of course not everybody was happy and, in the end, not every congregation or member joined. One factor in favour of the union was the United Church’s commitment to Missions, a value that the EUB also held high. At the time of Union the United Church of Canada had 2,186 staff overseas!

 One of the most involved leaders representing the EUB church during the complex negotiations that were needed for the merger was the Reverend Glen Strome. Among his many organizational tasks he was responsible for publishing an accurate record of the discussions at the final conference. After union, Reverend Strome held an administrative position in the London Conference. When he retired, he and his wife Mary moved to Glasgow Street, just a short walk from Calvary where, in fact, in 1956 they had been the first couple to be married at Calvary after Kellerman Hall was opened! By the way, in that wedding party was a seminary classmate, Bruce Seebach.

Ministers like Reverend Getz and Dr. Dahms were in the right place at the right time to provide a firm foundation for Calvary to experience a smooth transition into the next chapter of its life. Surely Calvary would still do well to follow Reverend Getz’s advice: Have “Faith in the past; Hope for the future; and Love in the present.

In August we will learn something about events at Calvary in the 1970s.