Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 38, No. 1 Home Page
"This is the Lord's doing--and it is marvellous in our eyes." These words by Erna Martens summed up the essence of the jubilee celebration in Gospel Chapel in Grand Forks, B.C. during the Thanksgiving weekend.
Responding to a call of God, George Martens brought his wife Erna and their young family to Grand Forks in 1948 to begin a mission to Russian-speaking people. Since there were no church and no finances available, the Martenses began holding services and Sunday school classes in their living room.
During the jubilee, Ben Schmidt, one of the early members, recounted stories and showed slides of those early years. Many children and grandchildren of those in the slide show now attend the church.
In the five decades the church has grown in numbers, programs and accommodations. Currently, 300 people call this their home church. The first church, constructed in 1954, is still at the heart of the Gospel Chapel building, which saw additions in 1977 and 1993.
Martens served the congregation for 34 years, followed by Rey Nickel and then by Henry Klassen, who arrived in 1995.
The jubilee service was attended by a large crowd; old and new attenders worshipped together and praised God for His faithfulness for over 50 years. The congregation was treated to a chorale sung by the pastors and their wives. Rey Nickel was the guest speaker. Erna Martens, better known to many as "Grandma Martens", addressed the Saturday evening session with a testimony of God's grace and goodness. She said, "We did not come here to start a church, but to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. My husband's motto for serving is found in Ezekiel 3:15: 'I sat where they sat.'
"When we look back as a fellowship", she said, "how God has led and blessed us, we can only say: How great has been Your loving-kindness towards us, O Lord."--Gospel Chapel
Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 38, No. 1 Home Page