Church at Tomslake B.C.

Proposal for the Church at Tomslake

Soon after their arrival at the beginning of World War Two, the Sudeten people erected a church in their community at Tomslake. The church was erected by the community on their behalf and later given to the Roman Catholic Diocese for use as a catholic church. This is a community that has Christian roots for back into history but lived through one of the moist devastating community experiences  in human history. Part of the devastation was the relationship with the church which for many families was damaged in the historical circumstances of Czechoslovakia in the crucible of war . For some years after the establishment of the church, a congregation was operative but rarely flourished. Some years ago now the building was closed and the people have severed their connection to the Roman Catholic Church.

The Sudeten community is characterized by a social concern which has political, community and perhaps religious ramifications. Some members of the community have recognized in the United church of Canada a kindred spirit in terms of social activities. There has been a recognition of the role of the Methodist Church (an early part of the United Church) in the founding of the Liberal Party as a reform party many years ago. The Methodist Church actually released staff under the direction of the Reverend Edgerwing for the purpose of political organization over a period of 18 months. That role as reform movement, was then involved in later years in the formation of the C.C.F under the leadership of the reverend  M.J.Caldwell. Later, under the leadership of many other we were involved in the founding of the New Democratic Party. At the present time there are both clergy and lay people of the United Church sitting as ambers in the Federal Parliament as well as the legislature of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

It would be wrong to suggest that such a broad national church as ours is exclusively involved in reform political movements. Such is not the case and there are many United Church people involved in other political groups. The point to be made here is that the Social Democratic Concerns of the Sudeten people have had a very strong relation in the reform movements in Canada that have been established with strong support from the United Church. Indeed, the Protestant  Reformation itself was an attempt at social reform as well as church reform and sought to make the church more truly catholic in its concerns.

I the five years of my ministry in the South Peace area I have been privileged to officiate at the marriages and funerals of several families from the Tomslake area.

Over the years as families have moved to the urban settings of Dawson Creek a number of them have actually joined the United Church and continue active today. Recently an increasing number of members of the Sudeten community have sought spiritual strength in the United Church and have come to use to ask if there is some way fot he weddings and funerals and other activities to be resumed at Tomslake by the United Church.For a number of historical and individual personal and community reasons the people are adamant that they do not wish to return to the Roman Catholic Church. I would be unwilling to conduct a ministry amount them if it were otherwise. However, there is increasing sincerity in their request and the community of Tomslake in sufficiently remote from Dawson Creek to justify the carrying out of services in that community. The United Church in the South Peace has need also of a retreat centre for its city congregation and so there appears to be a coincidence of factors which might lead to the establishment of United Church activity in Tomslake.

The people of the community have suggested to me that they could acquire their own church building for these purposes since it is no longer used for any purpose by the Roman Catholic Church and has stood empty for several years. Rather than establishing a United Church immediately, I have suggested to them that they proceed to acquire the building if possible. If not, we will begin slowly to undertake those activities that we desire in another facility. I would propose an initial series of meetings in the community between myself and those families who are interested in re-establishing the life of the church. The animosity in some quarters will make this difficult and so it is my experience that we would proceed slowly and avoid high expeditions.