05. Through Crisis 

Through Crisis...

                1967—an exciting year for Canada and for Bethany.  It was the year of the Canadian Centennial, the year of Montreal’s Expo and the year in which Bethany Lutheran started afresh with a new minister.  In a letter dated July 10, 1967, Arnold Campbell, the Church Council chairman, penned this letter to Reverend Clyde Wentzell in Spryfield, Nova Scotia:

                “Dear Pastor Wentzell:

It is indeed a great pleasure and pride that I can use the heading ‘Pastor’ and, God     willing, it is my sincere hope that it will remain ‘Pastor Wentzell’ for a long time.”

                It did.  Pastor Clyde Wentzell remained at Bethany from 1967 to 1985, a stretch of 18 years.

 

As an interesting aside, an earlier issue of The Canada Lutheran had featured on its cover the four young men who had graduated and been called.  They were Reverends Clyde Wentzell, Vernon Cronmiller, William Kruschinski and William Huras.  Each of them was to be somehow associated with Bethany in later years.

 

                For 11 of those 18 years, Pastor Wentzell was also to serve as editor of The Canada Lutheran, a post from which he retired in 1981, with these glowing comments from Bishop Huras in Pastor Wentzell’s final issue:

“...For the past 11 years The Canada Lutheran has been faithfully put together by Pastor Wentzell.  It is most appropriate that we pause and say ‘thank you’ to this man who from 1970-1981 gave of himself so unselfishly that the magazine might appear in the homes of synod.”

Bishop Huras went on:

“The task of editor of The Canada Lutheran is one that demands faithful adherence to timetables, schedules and deadlines.  Clyde has done this well and deserves the thanks of all of synod.”

As an additional admonishment, the bishop wrote,

                “We also need to say ‘thank you’ to the congregation of Bethany Lutheran Church, Woodstock where Pastor Wentzell has served as pastor throughout this 11-year period.  Many pastors and members of congregations serve the church at large through synodical committees or task forces and we are most grateful for this.”

                Through those years, Bethany conducted business as usual—as often as possible.  Perusal of the minutes from council and committee meetings of those years produce a variety of emotions:  most material, while informative, is dull and pedantic, reflecting the routine of church administration.  Some is fascinating and suggests the vibrant and individual personalities of these people, so dedicated and so involved.  Some could fertilize crops.

                The landscape of routine often means highs and lows.  In March of 1968 Woodstock churches faced a newly-proposed taxation of church property.  In the council meeting of March 22, Arnold Campbell informed the meeting that “...tax would be in the region of $6,000.00 per annum.”  It would be, in his words, “almost impossible for a new congregation to build a place of worship with such a tax load.”  His concern was that the active church-goer, already taxed on income, would now be paying a church tax as well, whereas the non-church-goer would pay no tax but would “never-the-less expect the church to ‘be there’ in time of personal need, and at no charge...”

1968 was also the year in which Council learned that the Luther League, traditionally a training ground for social and moral standards, was to be disbanded and that “in its place a Central Youth Committee would promulgate ideas only, leaving each Congregation to organize its own Youth program.”  Under “New Business” in the May 2 council meeting of 1968, the pastor recommended that the five youth of the confirmation class “...be accepted for confirmation.  The pupils [were] Benta Nielsen, Pamela Schneider, Elizabeth Vinnins, LouAnn Klein and Glenn Schwartz.

 

              By the fall of the year Bethany found itself in financial straits, a situation not unknown to many churches.  An Every Member Visitation was planned but later modified to an Every Member Response evening in the form of a “prepared programme for presentation at a Congregational Dinner,...a group discussion and distribution of pledge cards...”  The council meeting of Nov. 7, 1968 changed that format to a Dessert and Coffee Hour.  The minutes read “At this time the congregation will have the opportunity to enjoy fellowship, listen to the presentation of the program committee and be offered the chance to pledge their money, time and talents.”  At least two new members would have been offered that enjoyment; correspondence from that meeting included a “letter from St. Paul’s in Niagara Falls requesting transfer of membership for Mr. and Mrs. Gary Tubbe”.

By June of 1969 the crisis had not abated.  The minutes of June 5^th contain this concern from the Finance Committee:

“Mr. G. McNabb reported to Council that the finances of this congregation were in a critical state...Basically on the rate of income from the congregation as now received, we could not afford to maintain this church nor meet our mortgage commitments and unless drastic action was taken, ‘closing our doors’ would be a very real possibility.”

The urgency of that situation was partially overcome by this approach:

“a letter outlining the situation, requesting a special financial response of $10.00 per member for the three summer months over and above regular giving...”

Councillor Dick Mackenzie suggested the future use of post-dated cheques as a means of maintaining equilibrium once our finances were improved—a suggestion providing value even to the present day.

 

 

Bethany managed to keep an even keel into 1970. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bond and family were re-instated from St. Phillips Lutheran Church in Toronto in January of that year and were welcomed into the Bethany congregation.  In April, however the church’s financial position showed a deficit of $1,594.49...and Bethany was still looking for a full-time organist to replace Mrs. Bennewies who had resigned in September of 1968.

July 8, 1971.  Under Business Arising from the Minutes, the Finance Committee was asked to “investigate fully possibilities of disposing of some of church property” that is, consider selling some of the lots to attain funds.

The agenda for the Annual Meeting of 1971 named Mr. Ray Koopman of Principal Pipe Organ as our new organist.  By October he had been replaced by Joel Pye but he too resigned by year end with the reason that “the organ was in poor condition.”  Obviously another problem was looming.

Still, there were highlights.  In August of 1971 Pastor Wentzell reported regarding Swing Bowling “that the pole has been prepared and moved to church property for installation.  Approximately 30 persons have indicated interest in [Swing] bowling.”  Chorally, Bethany Singers won a ‘First’ at the Woodstock Music Festival and the Liturgical Choir achieved a ‘third place’ finish.  The Otterville Park was used for the church picnic and the baptized membership was appraised at 517 persons.

 

Financial difficulties persisted and Bethany compromised with cost-saving measures.  In 1972 the desired “pigeon-hole” newsletter rack would have cost $125.00 to have made but through the efforts of Earl Chambers and Morris Mortimer, other means (namely a high-school shop class) were used to procure a less expensive model.

 

 The cost of the 1-foot high church name facing Springbank Avenue was reduced in a similar fashion; the 24 square feet of plastic @ $2.25 per sq. ft. was ordered, helpers made letter templates, cut out the letters with jigsaws and glued them into place.  Total cost--$64.26 for material and $2.62 for glue.

 

 

 

 

  Henning Hansen recognized the need for a chart to facilitate monthly use of church rooms and facilities, created one and submitted it through the Stewardship Committee.  It is in full use today and hangs opposite the bulletin board by the coat rack in the narthex.  Families had been delegated for janitorial duties over the past year as another cost-saving attempt.

 

This example may be the epitome of Bethany (or Lutheran) canniness, taken from the Youth and Parish Committee minutes of Oct. 4, 1973:

“Present electric broom is glued and back in service.  The best buy on a new broom is at Canadian Tire.  Moved by Richard Vinnins, seconded by Barb Mortimer that we collect Canadian Tire money in a ‘poor box’ to purchase a new electric broom.  Carried.”

And to follow up, this notation from the Council meeting of March 7, 1974:

“Business Arising from the Minutes:  E. Fromback moved, B. Vik seconded, the money in the ‘Poor Box’ be applied toward the purchase of an electric kettle.  The electric broom has been repaired and seems to be working satisfactorily.  Carried.”

Nor was Bethany the only Lutheran body facing financial constraints.  The February 1 meeting of 1973 included this note regarding Waterloo Lutheran University: 

“The Pastor [Wentzell] explained the apparent planned change-over to a provincially-supported school instead of a church-related school.”  Although retaining the same letters, WLU, Wilfred Laurier University now came into prominence.

                Funding the operation of a church is an ever-concerning task and we at Bethany have been so fortunate to have those among us who are sufficiently astute as to recognize needs and opportunities  and still others capable of completing tasks.  This entry from the minutes of the Dec. 1973 Church Council meeting will serve as an illustration:

“Moved by Ev. Doherty, seconded by Bernt Vik, that Council approach Ed Horman re[garding] his setting up a new set of financial records for us as of Jan. 1, 74.  Council to meet with Ed Horman to see just what we are trying to accomplish.  Carried.”

 

And the follow-up posted on Jan. 3, 1974:

“Ed Horman discussed our accounting system; described a system which he felt to be an improvement, and offered to oversee such system for a period of three months.”

 

 

 

With the arrival of 1974, Bethany Lutheran Church had arrived at another watershed year.  It was to be an exciting time.  The Pastor’s Report from February 7 of that year provided this recommendation:

                “Recommended that we appoint an anniversary committee charged with the responsibility of arranging 40^th Anniversary celebrations for Bethany Lutheran Church.  ...Suggested to serve on this committee and to be contacted by the pastor:  Mrs. Mae Otto, Arnold Campbell, Earl Chambers.”

      

          The committee did not disappoint.  The Bethany Lutheran Church 40^th Anniversary Celebrations culminated in three special services on Sunday, September 15^th, 1974 and were followed by an Anniversary Dinner on the 25^th of that month.  For many of the dignitaries it was a homecoming.The guest preacher for the 11:00 a.m. Homecoming Service was Rev. George Orth, the first pastor of the congregation.  He was assisted by Rev. Victor Monk, one of Brantford’s itinerant pastors who had ministered to Bethany in the hall above the A & P store in downtown Woodstock.

             

 

 

Former pastors of Bethany also participated in the 3:00 p. m. Community Service.  Rev. Norman Lange preached and was assisted by Dr. Norman Berner, both men having been pastors of Bethany in earlier years, Rev. Lange from 1957 to 1960 in the Graham Street church and Rev. Berner in the Parish House/Chapel before that in 1940 to 1945.