(Submitted Photo/First Baptist Church Prince Albert)

By Derek Craddock

A CENTURY AND BEYOND

P.A. church marks 120 years serving the city and beyond

Oct 23, 2023 | 5:00 PM

As he sits in the library inside a church building he helped build, a 91-year-old Prince Albert man reflects on what this particular church has meant to him and so many in the community.

Frank Moore spoke to paNOW as First Baptist Church marked 120 years in the city just last month. The current church community celebrated the occasion during a special service on Sept. 17^th.

Moore remembers when he first got involved with the ministry of First Baptist as a child in 1940.

He attended Sunday School at the West End Mission, an extension of the church at the time. When he was older, his parents encouraged him to walk to the main church building, which once stood on 11 Street East and Avenue B.

In the 1970s, the City of Prince Albert would buy the downtown church property and tear it down to make way for what is now City Hall. Eventually, Avenue B and the intersection where the church once stood would be no more.

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The day that the old church building came down was bittersweet for Moore, who along with other members witnessed that moment, saying goodbye to a treasured piece of the community and their childhood.

Right beside Moore, on the table of the church library, sits the original minute book, which dates to the church’s origins in 1903.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

The current building on 28th Street East opened in September of 1979 and eventually amalgamated all the separate missions that were scattered throughout the city.

At one time, the church had an extension on 14th Street West, the West End Mission, and on 25th Street East, the Alder Mission. The church denomination still operates the Quest Camp at Christopher Lake.

Moore mentioned that the current building still pays homage to the old church structure. Three light fixtures from the old property sit outside the main doors. The old steeple rests in the foyer as you approach the main auditorium of the church.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

The church was also built using stones from each province, thanks to local veterinarian Harvey Henry Just. Three stained glass windows hover beside the church pews, representing Saskatchewan, Canada, and other countries that First Baptist Church has been a part of.

Several prominent figures from P.A.’s history also attended the church including former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and renowned Canadian Tenor Jon Vickers.

Many pastors have stood behind the pulpit of the church including names like Gerald Ward and Rev. William Bonney to current pastor Jim Galbraith.

When asked about his fondest memories of the church, Moore said the church had a profound impact on his life, adding that he also sought out a Baptist church when he was out of town or in his university days.

His involvement with the church came full circle after graduating from University in Architecture. He was brought on to design the new church building in the 1970s as well as the addition to Wesley United, Calvary United Church, and St. David’s Anglican Church.

“We’re holding our own. We’ve got space to grow here. Many churches are decreasing in membership, and some are closing but we seem to be doing okay.”

Moore pointed out that the church, which was mostly filled with white Europeans back in the day, now has a diverse group of people including First Nations, Ukrainians, eastern Africans and the Karen people of Myanmar.

Not long after Moore finished his conversation, the church’s Associate Pastor of Youth and Worship came to the library to share his thoughts on the church he’s proud to serve in.

Chris Neudorf, originally from Meadow Lake, has only been a part of First Baptist for the past nine years. He completed his internship at the school after studying at Nipawin Bible College and was eventually hired full-time.

He told paNOW that what stands out to him the most about the church is how they’ve reached out to the community through events like the annual Fall Carnival and its Reachout Ministry which provides food to the city’s homeless every other Sunday.

When asked what he sees for the future of the church, Neudorf said it’s hard to really answer that as life and culture seem to change on an almost daily basis.

His hope though is that the church will continue to thrive, especially as many congregations suffered during COVID-19 and the lockdowns.

“I think if we can be a place where we are a community of Jesus followers who just reflect his love to the world where we live starting in this little area…I think we’re doing what we’re called to do.”

“There’s been more people coming back to church and I wonder how much there was a desire of missing community and not just a place to go on Sunday morning but a family to be a part of.”

Neudorf noted that Prince Albert will soon be host to hundreds of youth from other Baptist churches in western Canada.

The Canadian Baptists of Western Canada (CBWC) will host its annual SERVE campaign in the first week of July where around 300 young people will come to P.A. to engage in service projects such as gardening, visiting senior’s homes, making meals, and helping on the First Nations Reserve.

First Baptist Church holds services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at its building on 28^th Street East beside Longworth Park.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com