This past Sunday Carol and I were invited to and attended the 90th anniversary celebration of 10th Avenue Alliance church in Vancouver, where we spent 7 years of pastoral ministry in the 90’s. Here is a quick story of a church.
The Baumans were an Alliance family who moved from the prairies in the mid 30’s and who wanted to see an Alliance church planted in Vancouver. They began prayer meetings in their home and pursued this vision. A Methodist church on the corner of 10th and Ontario burned down and the denomination was happy to sell this one-acre property for $825. This group had grown enough to build an Alliance church on this corner. At this time, the Mount Pleasant area was served by a number of great churches and was called ‘holy hill.’
W.H. Brooks was a pastor from Regina who hosted a regular radio program that went all across the prairies. Many people were saved under his ministry. He came as pastor in 1948 and many people who had moved from the prairies started attending 10th Avenue. He pastored the church for 27 years and the heyday of the church happened during this time. A new sanctuary was built in the 50’s and a CE wing with gymn in the 60’s. A strong missionary program meant that both morning and evening services were packed full at 650 – you had to hurry to get a seat. The church was known for a large children’s ministry.
As a sidebar, the Entz family were Alliance people from the prairies who moved to Chilliwack and had a desire for an Alliance church here. They made the commitment to trek into 10th Avenue once a month and when Pastor McGarvey wanted to visit in their home, they told him how far they had travelled. He said – “I’ll come out, but you have to have a group there for a bible study” – which they did. This was the beginning of our church – one of 50 that point to their roots from 10th.
Vancouver and Mount Pleasant in particular were undergoing demographic and ethnic change in the mid sixties. Many churches were being planted in the suburbs. “White flight’ was underway and the appeal to classic mid to upper middle-class ministry was on the wane at 10th. Leadership continued to engage well known Alliance pastors in an effort to regain momentum, but it ended in repeated discord and failure until by the 80s morale was very low and attendance was a third of what it had been. Meanwhile the suburban churches were exciting and growing, drawing more people away from the city. Things had to change, or 10th would die. There was much discussion about moving out of the city.
The turnaround started with my father Harald Throness, who was pastor here in Chilliwack at the time. D.T. Anderson, an Alliance leader filling in at 10th told my dad at a denominational meeting that he should go to 10th. What a crazy idea! But dad told me he wrestled with God for three unhappy nights before he said he would go. He talked to me and invited me to go with him. He would stay for two years and leave the church in my hands – and that is what we did.
Vancouver was largely a spiritual wasteland in the 80s and 90s. The bright lights were First Baptist, St. Johns Shaughnessy and Granville Chapel. A very discouraging time.
The Vancouver Fire Department chief was retiring and being a Christian, wanted to see a new chaplain appointed who loved the Lord. In the end I was chosen, and it began to put our church on the map, with departmental funerals at the building, the annual VFD band Christmas concert, the annual Appreciation Sunday and a general ownership of the department by our people (“we had a fire in our neighbourhood and I stayed up and prayed for our boys”).
Because we had a building, we hosted a Chinese church, a Filipino church, a full-time daycare, East Vancouver Youth for Christ, and outreach to Sikh people, gospel nights – as well as the main congregation. It was a busy – exciting time. We began to love who we were as a church and to love where God had placed our church. Afternoon outreach cruises on the Malibu Princess, baptisms at Stanley Park, church picnics in local parks, missions conference with 16 flags representing the countries of origin of our people. We were increasingly “In the city for the city.”
It was coming clear that it was time for the Thronesses to move on. Ken Shigematsu was a young pastor who had grown up in the Surrey church and had a heart for the urban church. We would have lunch whenever he was up from California. When I told the elders I would be moving on, I encouraged them to take Ken seriously. They did so and Ken has now been the lead pastor there for 28 years. It’s a new day for Tenth.
Both services at the main house are full. They have planted four satellite churches, including one at UBC. They have chosen fields of missions focus and are doing so many things that fit in well with the urban vibe while holding tightly to the Biblical message and salvation found in Christ. These are exciting times for 10th (and for Vancouver churches in general) – things we could have only dreamed of!! To God be the glory!
You can see through this story that God works through individuals to further the Kingdom. Our job is not to be ‘successful’ but to be faithful to His calling. What is the Spirit saying to you? Can you see an area of need or an open door that He wants you to walk through? Who knows where it will end up?
Pastor Leon Throness
