Jim McConnell's Autobiography 1877 - 1957Canadian pioneer farmer in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia |
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24. true preachers. Time moved on, and 1929 slipped away. In July 1930, the Gospel preachers returned to Terrace. We listened to them again, opening up to us from the Bible, God's way as revealed to us by His son Jesus. By this time I was convinced beyond any doubt that the religion I had been taught and had followed for fifty-two years of my life was man's way and had just come down to us by way of tradition. For here were the New Testament Ministers preaching and teaching as Jesus had done and as He had sent them out to preach. It was clear to me now that I could not just drift into God's Kingdom; I had to first turn away from the wrong way and accept and receive God's way as Jesus had taught in the Gospel and as his disciples and preachers had taught in the New Testament. This I decided to do -- turn away from the wrong way and accept the right way. At the next Board Meeting of the Church I took courage and stood up and told the Elders and the Minister that I had heard these Evangelists who were preaching the Gospel here, and I believed they were God's true preachers sent into out district. And as I believed in them, I would like to resign the office of trust given to me by the Church. I was given a vote of thanks for my services in the Church during the past years. As I walked out of the meeting, I realized that I was free from another world entanglement that had prevented me from walking the lowly way the Master trod. Although much time had been spent in Terrace preaching and man ifesting Christ and His perfect way, only three made a decision to join: our boy Elmer, another lady who had three little boys , and myself. To the lady, Mrs. Jones, goes the credit of opening the first real church in the home in Terrace. In this home, we gathered once a week until 1932, when Mrs. Jones moved with her family down south, near Vancouver. Six years were to pass from the time I decided before I r eally looked upon God's way lived out by His people. That was in 1936 when I attended the first Convention at Prince George. God's great abundance of everything was there, plenty of food free to all. God's way with His people was freely spoken of between the meetings, which were held morning, afternoon and evening during the four Convention days. In those meetings, God's homeless preachers, living the Christ life, opened up to us all God's way and God's purpose for our lives. Now it was easy far me to see and understand that I had not just joined a church or another sect, but that I had really entered into a fellowship -- a world wide fellowship (1 Car. 1:9 andEph3:9). I had taken hold upon God's word of promise and received the earnest of the inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14. ) However, the great depression that began in 1929 had continued its demoralizing effect on the whole country. We still had some cows and managed to sell some milk. In the Fall, we could kill and sell some beef and pork. In the winter months, the Government gave me work on the road which brought in $17.00 a month, which had to be handled rather carefully to make it go until the end of the month. Elmer had stayed with us up to 1935 when he went down south, getting what work he could around Hammond. When he returned north in the Spring of 1936, he had married. And so Elmer and his wife took over the farm at Terrace. We moved into town, and I worked on the farm for George Little that summer. The great depression became worse each year. Young able-bodied men, some well educated, were travelling around the country on the top of freight cars. The year 1937 was a discouraging one everywhere, and with us at Terrace, it began to look hopeless. We talked of moving south where living costs would be a little less. By June 15, 1938, we had finished our 17 years of living at Terrace and moved to Hammond, BC. Mr. Alf Thorp gave us rooms in his house, and we began to feel a little more comfortable. Living costs were lower. Gertrude, our youngest, was living with us. She got a job doing housework on
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