History 
40 years of Vision (booklet)
The history is not easily encapsulated, nor are the emotions and perceptions of the individuals involved in this saga easy to unearth and lay bare to the public. However in attempting to briefly record the dynamics of this church, under the leadership of godly men, has successfully weathered numerous building programs, has survived relocation, and has remained unified even though attacked by both satan and man. The vision that was infused into this body of believers by the Reules, when they witnessed the need in Forest Lawn and responded to that need, has become the central theme around which this church has developed. This vision has become intricately woven into the fabric of our history. It was the Reule's compassion for the lost children of their community that prompted them to open their home in 1953 for a Sunday School. This act of faith provided the seedbed into which this embryonic church was placed. Others in the years to follow used their talents to ensure the growth and development of that initial vision into a healthy and thriving church.
The Reule House in 1954
The Reules and the Early Work (1953)
The Reules had moved to Forest Lawn from Hanna, Alberta in 1949 and attended the Downtown Calgary Full Gospel Church which was being pastored by F. J. Kosick. Mr. Kosick and Mr. Reule had attended Grenfell Bible School together, in Grenfell, Saskatchewan, and were keen to renew a warm friendship that had begun years earlier. This friendship provided the impetus for the fledgling Sunday School's affiliation with the Calgary Church.
Forest Lawn, a community of about 2,000 people, had not yet been annexed by the City of Calgary and the lack of evangelical churches in the community provided the fertile environment in which this Sunday School could grow. Mr. Reule acted as the first superintendent but in January, 1954 Bill Masterson assumed the role of superintendent and served in that capacity for about 10 years. Innovative outreach programs, consistent visitation, capable teachers, and concerned prayer partners made this a period of time when Sunday School growth was unprecedented. As a result of this growth the physical capabilities of the Reule house had been stretched beyond capacity and the prayer of sister S. J. Reule that "in the near future we will have a building in which to conduct our Sunday School" became the prayer of all involved with this young work.
The responsibilities of the individuals involved in this early work were not restricted to the Sunday School. A community where the labourers were few and the opportunity to harvest was great required those labourers to fill several areas of ministry. In recognition of this requirement Mr. Reule, Mr. Masterson and Mr. Kernick accepted the responsibility for the Friday night youth meetings.
The New Chapel (1954)
The answer to Mrs. Reule's prayer came in 1954 through a sequence of events which made it possible to construct a 40 x 26 foot chapel. Land was donated by the four Adams brothers for the purpose of building a church and the Downtown Calgary Full Gospel Church adopted the Forest Lawn Sunday School as a home mission project and contributed the capital to erect the chapel. In March of 1954 the chapel was completed which gave the Sunday School the much needed space it required.
Chapel built in 1954
The new chapel not only housed the Sunday School but also provided the opportunity for Christians in the community to meet for worship on Sunday. A small group began to meet regularly. The young church was quick to organize and the first congregational business meeting was held on August 18, 1954.
It is apparent from the minutes of these early business meetings that this young church was establishing priorities that would strengthen and build this body of believers into a thriving and growing congregation. For example in 1955 a bus ministry was established in order to pick children up in Albert Park and Valleyfield to insure that this life changing gospel was spread to the neighbouring communities. In addition to establishing a bus ministry they also established a mission budget of $300 annually which was to be split evenly between home and foreign missions. Finally, they lifted a building fund offering the last Sunday of every month in anticipation of the growth that would take place. This vision and prayerful planning were honoured by God and the work continued to grow.
Although this young congregation had been eager to organize the early development of the Forest Lawn Church was overseen by the Downtown Calgary Church. The Calgary Church demonstrated its commitment to the Forest Lawn Church through the $6,902 required for the construction of the initial chapel as well as an additional $7,240 for renovation and addition to the original chapel. In the 1955 annual meeting 2 criteria were established as a benchmark against which the congregation could be measured in order to determine whether they were capable of operating independent of the Downtown Church. The foundling church was assured of its independence, by F.J. Kosick, when "it was self supporting". This meant that the financial capability to meet all of their expenses had to exist. Mr. Kosick went on to explain that as part of this criteria the Forest Lawn Church had to begin to repay the debt owed to the Calgary Church. The second criteria, upon which independence would depend, was the spiritual condition of the church.
During the first year in the new chapel many individuals provided leadership. In March the Dahlke trio held a series of meetings to assist in establishing this young congregation. This was followed by two months of foundational Bible teaching by Irvin Ellis. Next Elwood Barbour and A.H. Orchard assumed the pulpit ministry for another two month period until George Dreidger was able to fill the pastorate for a three month period before returning to Bible School. Following George Dreidger was evangelist Ross Whiteman who provided leadership for another two month period. This multiplicity of ministry had exposed this young congregation to a wide variety of influences , but had failed to provide the consistency in leadership that was required to hold a congregation together.
Our First Full Time Pastor (1955)
Forest Lawn Full Gospel had its first full time Pastor when the Ellis accepted that position in January, 1955. They remained in this capacity for two years and were paid $35 a month. Their accommodation was also provided which was a four room suite in the basement of the church. During this period the church experienced continued growth and in order to accommodate that growth the little chapel underwent renovation and expansion. Frank Wagner, a local contractor, contributed extensively to the renovation of the main auditorium, the 30 foot addition, and the 4 room suite that was completed in the basement of the chapel during this era.
30 Foot Addition to the Chapel
The Ellis's left to pursue their call in another area of ministry and the pastoral responsibilities were filled by the Worths. Norman Worth, originally from Belfast, Ireland, was a graduate of Full Gospel Bible Institute in Eston, Saskatchewan. It was during the Worth's six years of ministry that the small community of Forest Lawn experienced tremendous growth. The town that had consisted of vacant lots, dilapidated buildings and less than 2000 people, of which a large portion were transients, was within that six year period transformed into a bustling community which boasted of: new water and sewer lines, new streets, new homes and a population of about 14,000 people. The little chapel that had been constructed on one of the many vacant lots in the community was now strategically situated
in the midst of this growth. The growing congregation responded by
increasing their efforts to reach their community with the Gospel of
Christ. The growth that resulted from this increased effort and
increased opportunity placed a strain on the physical capabilities of
the building and throughout those years the primary discussion among
the church leaders was the issue of expansion.
Independence (1960)
Although the Forest Lawn Church had held annual business meetings without leadership from the Calgary Church since May, 1956, it was not until 1960 that the church took the steps necessary to establish their own church government. The initial step was to implement a process whereby deacons could be selected from among the congregation. This was done by presenting to the congregation a list of eligible candidates who displayed the biblical characteristics necessary to fill that office. The congregation was then allowed to select four from among that group. This brought the church within their perception of the scriptural requirements of church government. It was not until 1965 that they secured a Charter for incorporation under the Societies Act of Alberta.
The early 1960s were a period where the newly formed board was required to make many decisions regarding the work in Forest Lawn. In 1961 they voted to pay Pastor Worth $55 a week during the first 6 months of the year, and $65 a week during the last 6 months of the year. A girls club was begun, the youth became self-governing, and the Sunday School supported branch works in Kathryn, under the leadership of Irvin and Neolla Wileman, and in Cochrane, under the leadership of Basil and Nadine Powers. Attendance at the Kathryn Sunday School had risen to almost 100 while the Cochrane Sunday School remained around the 30 mark. By the mid 1960s a full complement of programs were in place which allowed the church to extend its arm of ministry into the community at all age levels.
The board was not only the vehicle that was used to guide the spiritual development of the church but was responsible to administer the business of the church as well. This broad mandate required decisions on many and varied issues. The decision in November, 1960 to acquire 85 Redemption Hymnals for $75 required little deliberation. Securing the insurance policy for that same year required a considerable amount of comparison shopping which resulted in approving a policy that cost $63 for the year. On the other hand the deliberation that surrounded the issue of whether bulletins should become a regular feature of Sunday Worship, at a cost of $68.16 for the year, indicates that not all decisions were quickly and easily reached. Approval on a six month basis represented a compromise position and allowed time to field the reaction from the congregation in what appeared to be a controversial issue.
Although the board was responsible for many of the decisions necessary to maintain an active church it was not responsible for all of the decisions. In regard to finances the budget was presented at the annual congregational meeting and required approval from that body. As part of the budget the pastor's salary was singled out for special consideration and was set annually by the congregation. Finally, the acceptance of pastoral candidates was considered a congregational exercise.
The final area that required more than board approval was that of building and in 1960 the Forest Lawn Church once again entered a building program. The church agreed to build a manse. This had the desired effect of freeing up the four room suite in the church basement thereby providing much needed room for a growing Sunday School. A lot adjacent to the church was secured by trading a donated lot in Forest Heights plus $500. Once the lot had been purchased the manse was constructed for an additional cost of $8000. In order to provide additional space for the Sunday School the basement of the manse was devoted entirely to Sunday School rooms. This building project, as many of the other building projects in the church, was possible because 80 per cent of the work was done by volunteer labour.
The Worths were the first occupants of the manse and lived there until July, 1962 when they resigned to answer the call to a foreign mission field. The Switzers were the next couple that accepted the call to Forest Lawn and began their ministry there in August, 1962. Throughout the 1960s there was continued growth and the Sunday School, in 1969, fluctuated around the 300 mark. In order to accommodate this growth 2 more building projects were undertaken in the 1960s. The first of these was in 1964 with the addition of a garage to the manse lot. With the decision to build a 24 x 26 foot garage the church members began bargain hunting. Fraser Larratt was able to locate enough 2x4s for the entire construction at a cost of $38.00. This bargain hunting combined with volunteer labour resulted in a total project cost of $800.00. This new facility was used for both Sunday School and boys club.
Buidling Addition (1967)
The second of the building projects was initiated in 1967, Canada's Centennial year, and was the largest yet undertaken by this growing body of believers. It included the addition of a sanctuary capable of seating 250, a foyer, washrooms,and an office. All of this was designed to attach to the existing chapel in an ascetically pleasing manner. Once again the project cost of $65,000 was far less than comparable projects because of a great deal of volunteer labour.
The 1967 Addition
After 7 1/2 years as pastor of Forest Lawn Church Merv Switzer resigned and the Kurtzs came to fill the position of pastor for the next 1/2 years. The vacancy left by the resignation of Pastor Edward Kurtz was filled by the Wilsons who began their pastoral duties in September 1971.
The continued growth taxed the facilities of Forest Lawn Church and the board under the leadership of Pastor Wilson was forced to address this issue. One of the primary concerns was the need for off-street parking. In response to the increased demand for parking space the lot across the street from the church, which was affectionately known as "The Shack", was purchased in February, 1971 for $17,000. The intent was to demolish the existing house and create a parking lot.
The exciting aspect of church growth is the realization that lives are being impacted by the gospel. Individuals were not only responding to the "Salvation Message" but were also maturing and developing in their relationship with their God and their Christian brothers and sisters. During this era this process was facilitated through the work of diligent Sunday School teachers, dedicated club workers, poignant pulpit ministry, and committed youth workers. The youth choir, under the leadership of Ruby Schlamp, was especially influential in the lives of those involved.
Relocation to Falconridge (1982)
By 1977 the congregation had realized that solutions involving the Forest Lawn location were short term at best and a land committee was formed to locate available land for a new building. In a special congregational meeting that was held on October 11, 1979 the congregation agreed to purchase 1.55 acres in Falconridge for the price of $220,000. With the land located and purchased the boards energies were then channelled into selecting a suitable design for this new facility. Concurrent with all of these tasks was the onerous responsibility of fund raising which was a necessary function if the visions and aspirations of this board were to come to fruition. The "Together We Build" program was adopted with the rallying cry of "equal sacrifice".
Plans for the Falconridge Relocation
The process of arranging financing, selecting and revising architectural drawings, and obtaining the necessary permits from the city required time. This was all happening at a time when the church was experiencing exponential growth. With the existing facilities stretched to their physical limits the obvious alternative to accommodate that growth was to move to multiple Sunday morning services. On August 28, 1980 a system of two Sunday morning services was implemented which continued until January, 1982.
With the implementation of two services things were very busy around the Forest Lawn Church and to this was added the demands of the building program. The sod turning took place on September 21, 1980 and the concrete work began in November, 1980. By December of that year the concrete work for both the basement and the main floor had been completed and work on the new building was halted until the following spring.
In April work resumed and the construction of the superstructure proceeded quickly. The main floor interior was completed for the first service which was held on January 17, 1982. On May 9, 1982 this new edifice was dedicated to God and local dignitaries attended to pay tribute to what this congregation had accomplished. This building project had emulated the pattern of all former projects in that the final cost of 1.4 million had been reduced by about $200,000 because of volunteer labour. Many work days were held which required the necessary organization to ensure that there were sufficient materials, tools and supervision to accomplish the task for the day. These work days were not exclusively for the men of the church as the women always supplied a superb hot lunch and assisted in any area that they were allowed to.
155 Falconridge Cres NE
Growth
An interesting pattern emerged in the financial records of this era. Both the "General Account" and the "Missions Account" increased instead of decreasing under the additional financial requirement of the building program. This stands as a tribute to the adherents of the Forest Lawn Church and their response to the increased demand placed on them.
Once again as in earlier decades this congregation had purchased land and built in a sparsely populated area of the city. Many lots were vacant in the immediate vicinity and housing was limited to small pockets of development in Falconridge and Castleridge. Within a few years this corner of the city experienced a housing boom and the population rose from about 1700 in 1980 to almost 22,000 in 1990.
The congregation continued to prioritize outreach into the community and developed several programs which targeted specific needs within their community. Sunday School, with classes for all ages, remained a vital part of the church as it always had. A vibrant youth program ministered to both church and community young people. The clubs program introduced a new format and underwent reorganization in order to better reach boys and girls for Christ. "Ladies Time Out", the brainchild of Marg Gordon and Alice Wilson, was introduced with the express purpose of providing a time where young mothers could put busy schedules and small children aside and engage in activities that interested them. The final program implemented was "Project Moses". It's purpose was to assist children who were or had been in abusive situations. All of this was only possible in a church that was committed to understanding and fulfilling the "Great Commission". This required the consistent teaching of God's Word which was the responsibility of Pastor Wilson. For ?? years he provided the consistent, committed leadership that was essential in maintaining a unified church that was both willing and able to impact their community for the kingdom of God.
The Brewers began their ministry in March, 1992. The thread of evangelism that was displayed in the Reule's concern for the lost kids in their neighbourhood continued in Pastor Wade Brewer's concern for the lost souls of Falconridge.
The Statement of Faith and the Declaration of Incorporation of the Falconridge Full Gospel Tabernacle present a clear indication of the goals and objectives of this organization as well as the mechanisms necessary to achieve those goals. Striving to achieve these goals and objectives has not always been easy and there has been heartache and heartbreak in the process but through it all the congregation has remained unified and the body of believers has matured. The willingness of committed Christians to stand with godly leaders has enabled this church to affect the community for Christ. The vision that was planted in a small Sunday School in Forest Lawn has grown into the vision of a congregation of 700 in Falconridge.
Staffing
| Pastors | Dates of Service |
| Irvin Ellis | 1955 – 1957 |
| Norman Worth | 1957 – 1962 |
| Merv Switzer | 1962 – 1969 |
| Edward Kurtz | 1969 – 1971 |
| Robert Wilson | 1971 – |
| Wade Brewer | 1992 – 1993 |
| Assistans Pastors | |
| Jack Gordon | 1977 – 1984 |
| Cal Dean | 1984 – 1988 |
| Ben Kirkpatrick | 1988 – 1989 |
| Youth Pastors | |
| Rick Parkyn | 1968 – 1970 |
| Lorne Heistead | 1971 |
| Garth Knapp | 1971 - 1976 |
| Doug Newman | 1977 – 1978 |
| Marcel Carpenter | 1979 – 1982 |
| Jerry Price | 1983 – 1984 |
| Jack Toth | 1983 – 1993 |
| Dave McLeod | |
| Music Ministers | |
| Ed Doverspike | 1980 – 1981 |
| Dave Black | 1982 – 1986 |
| Daryl Wilson | 1986 – |