Calvary in the 1980s

Since ancient Greek times we’ve been told that “everything changes except change itself”, and most of us have lived long enough to know that this is true. Considering that six ministers and associate ministers served at Calvary during the 1980s, it shouldn’t be surprising that it was a decade in which Calvary saw a great deal of change.

In the mid 1970s two new ideas were introduced to Calvary. The first was the concept of Wholistic Health. This was a time when a new understanding was developing about the complex relationship between a person’s body, mind, and spirit. That prompted some churches to take a fresh look at the preaching, teaching, and healing ministry of Jesus and wonder if a healing ministry could be part of a modern church’s total program. There were, in fact, examples of churches offering such integrated programs, and in 1980 a delegation from Calvary went to Chicago to see how one such wholistic program worked, and to determine whether such a program would be possible at Calvary. When they returned and discussed what they had learned, the final decision was “no” because of the facilities and the size of Calvary. However, the dream of having some sort of health ministry established at Calvary never died. Much later when folks from Zion brought to Calvary their dreams of funding a parish nurse ministry as a legacy from Zion, the dreams of two churches came together and created the excellent Health and Wellness Ministry now led by Gerti Emslie.

The other challenge to traditionally held views came from the United Church national office in a document called Membership, Ministry and Human Sexuality. Two statements in it, taken together, would make it possible for gay men and women to join the ministry.

Some churches chose to avoid discussing this highly controversial issue; however, with encouragement from the current minister, Bruce Seebach, the chair of the CD Committee called meetings to openly and respectfully examine the two statements. There was certainly disagreement and pain, and some people left the church because of the final decision; however, it seemed that for the most part the people participating in Calvary’s discussions worked hard to listen to each other and to understand what the reports were saying. At the 1988 Annual General Assembly of the United Church the two motions passed, but not without a lot of media attention which you may remember well.

In September 1988 the first issue of Calvary Comment was published and distributed to the congregation. It was designed to keep the congregation informed about the life of Calvary Church. Each issue was full of news about recent events like the fun-packed Labour Day weekend enjoyed at Five Oaks, as well as notices for upcoming events, and interviews with members of the congregation. Life at Calvary came alive on the pages of Calvary Comment in a way it never could in Minutes books or Annual Reports. Re-reading Calvary Comment 40 years later is great fun!

A new experience for Calvary in 1980 was sponsoring a refugee family from Vietnam. The Duong family arrived with four young children and were warmly welcomed by the congregation, especially by the two couples who helped them with the myriad of tasks associated with sponsoring a family. Finding an apartment for a refugee family of six wasn’t easy but, because of the generosity of Calvary folks, furnishing it was easier and a couple of evenings making it ready for them was fun. Anyone who was there will remember one very tall member of Calvary reaching up and painting the ceiling without needing so much as a footstool! Another kind member helped the family learn English and she became their “Grandma” forever. Two years later Lien Duong’s sister and her family of four arrived in Kitchener and Calvary extended the same warmth and generosity to them. The first evening the Nguyens were in Canada, the husband using his limited English said “thank you” to Calvary for giving his family “freedom”.

In 1982 when the Seebachs moved to Emmanuel Church in Hamilton, Reverend John McTavish, his wife Marion, and their three children moved to Kitchener from Bracebridge. They met many of the congregation at Five Oaks that Labour Day weekend so that by John’s first Sunday in church the McTavishes were already initiated into the Calvary family.

John’s particular passion was drama. He could fill any role – author, actor, director, producer, recruiter, promoter! How happy he must have felt when he learned that within a couple of months of his arrival there was a play to be presented, “A Carousel of Memories,” written, directed, and starring members of the True Friends Sunday School class in celebration of Calvary’s 60^th anniversary.

John was a little anxious about being the first United Church-trained minister Calvary had had, and he moved slowly to introduce changes to the service. Eventually, more responsive readings, the greeting, and some unfamiliar liturgy like the Kyrie were added to the service and, in truth, these took some getting used to by the congregation.

On Maundy Thursday of 1983 the congregation experienced a dramatic presentation of the last days of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a play written by John and his friend Judith Brocklehurst. The play’s powerful ending led the congregation right into a communion service, a deep, spiritually moving experience for all.

Later that year John announced that he planned to put on the musical Godspell. What?!

Godspell?! It was one thing for a group from the church to go to Toronto to watch a production, but to stage it in our church … that was a different matter! Headlines in Calvary Comment read, “What is a Nice Church like Calvary doing Putting on a Show like Godspell?! And after it was over almost everyone who saw it said that what it did was to make the gospel stories come alive! A total of 1700 people saw the play performed during 10 performances by two casts. What an experience for a “nice church like Calvary”!

Another dramatic surprise awaited us in 1985 when John and Judith once again collaborated to write a play, Skin Deep, about Martin Luther King and the Blacks’ struggle for equality in the 1960s. The real surprise was that John had contacted Martin Luther King’s daughter Yolanda King and had invited her to come to see a performance. And she had accepted! In February Yolanda spoke to a public gathering at Trinity United Church about her father’s work and legacy. The next day she was standing where I am now, in Calvary’s pulpit, delivering that day’s sermon. Amazing!

A drama group was formed and John’s plays were performed here at Calvary, at Hamilton Conference Annual meetings, and at several other churches and venues.

Jean Kellerman retired officially as Assistant Minister in 1986, although she was almost immediately “back in harness” (her phrase), helping to keep the church running before a new Assistant could be called. Did she ever really retire from the work she did at every level of the United Church? It seems not. For her faithfulness she was honoured with the title of Minister Emeritus at Calvary and was designated a Diaconal minister by the United Church of Canada. On Easter Sunday 1986 she expressed the honour she felt being invited to preach her final sermon at her home church, and the congregation expressed their deep gratitude for all she had done.

Meanwhile, the normal life of the church had to go on.

Do you remember the Task Force on Membership Renewal that attempted to identify what many saw as “something missing” from congregational life? The committee identified several factors and suggested some steps that might be taken to add spiritual depth to life at Calvary.

One suggestion was switching the times for worship and Sunday school so that each week at 10:00 John preached a sermon on the theme of “change” and immediately after, small, intergenerational groups met to discuss its ideas. The feedback was positive. People liked meeting new people and hearing the opinions of different generations, but it couldn’t replace the fellowship of regular classes.

Do you remember the Improvement Fund campaign that raised money for major building expenses so that these costs wouldn’t have to be paid out of the Trustees annual operating budget? Over a three-year period, the goal of raising $150,000 was surpassed and the Trustees were grateful!

Do you remember fundraising activities, including the True Friends’ salad luncheons, the Crusaders’ cookbook and the Christus Amigos’ gigantic garage sales? And how about the “Talent money” that, like the parable of the talents” was given to be “invested” in something, perhaps craft supplies, that would turn $10 into revenue for the church? That’s when we discovered that Calvary had many talents!

Following Jean’s retirement Katherine Edmonstone was called to be Calvary’s Assistant Minister. She and her daughter Sarah came to Calvary in July 1986 and they too were initiated into the Calvary family at Five Oaks. As well as visiting folks in hospital or homebound she began to work with the youth of the church giving energy and leadership to the Junior and Senior High fellowships, and to a group of young adults who wished for a discussion group. She even led a children’s choir. Katherine also perceived the need for a daytime group for people of retirement age, many of whom needed fellowship and possibly a hearty meal, especially if they lived alone. She began 55+ and it has been part of Calvary’s fellowship ever since.

In the 1987 annual report Katherine compared each person in the church to a piece of a mural, each bit having a significant part to play in the total church. During her short time with us she worked with children, youth, and adults to make sure each had opportunities to add to that mural.

In the 1980s many good things were happening at Calvary and yet, in 1987, problems, some stemming from the challenges of a team ministry, and complicated by the involvement of Waterloo Presbytery’s Ministry and Personnel committee, resulted in both ministers submitting their resignations effective at the end of June. In his annual report the Chairperson of the Board described life at Calvary as “unusual and unsettling” and sadly, it was.

However, as you will hear, changes at the end of the decade helped to give renewed purpose and direction to the 1990s.