LPC 40th Anniversary Celebration 2018
It was a joyous day! On November 18th, 2018 Langley Presbyterian Church held a special Worship Service and Luncheon / Program to celebrate LPC’s 40th Anniversary. A reunion of former ministers and others who were part of LPC throughout the years joined us. Festivities included choir anthems, a sermon on grateful remembrance, displays, speeches and tributes, a luncheon, cake cutting, the LPC Timeline, and the LPC 40th Slideshow.
Special Guests included former LPC ministers: Rev. John Rhoad & Bunny, Rev. Dr. Glenn Inglis & Linda, Rev. Bob Garvin & Carol, Rev. Dr. Terry Hibbert & Nancy, Rev. Betty McLagan, and Rev. Dennis Howard. Rev. Bruce Cairnie and his wife Beth and family sent their wishes to LPC via e-mail, which was read to the congregation at the start of the service.
The Worship Service sermon by Rev. Dennis Howard was entitled “The Anniversary of Your Departure from Egypt” found in Deuteronomy 16:1-18. He spoke to the celebration as a time to engage in remembering “God’s past blessings, and working with God into the future He holds for us.” The LPC Choir sang two anthems, Here in the House of the Lord and Give Thanks during the service. Rev. John Calvin Rhoad, LPC’s first minister, spoke to LPC’s 40-year history in his comments during the service. The LPC 40th Church Bulletin included the LPC Timeline Mission, Purpose, and the list of LPC Ministers from 1977 to present.
The Luncheon and Program in the Main Hall included trays of sandwiches, croissants, fruits and vegetables, with baked goods provided by church volunteers. A special “LPC’s 40th Anniversary” cake was displayed on a table together with a floral arrangement. Decorations and handcrafted centerpieces for table settings were in colours of royal blue and turquoise.
A display table of LPC Archives was set up in the Main Hall with photos of all LPC Ministers, several photo albums and other historical documents. An Open Mic time was held and several people shared personal stories and tributes, or reminisced about LPC’s history. The choir sang another anthem, Bless This House, during the luncheon. The LPC Cake Cutting ceremony was performed by our first minister, Rev. John Calvin Rhoad, and our current minister, Rev. Dennis Howard.
A photo album of the LPC 40th event has been created as a testimonial to our memorable event. Photos of the event, as well as a copy of the Church Bulletin for the day are posted on the LPC website. Framed LPC minister photos displayed at the event are now affixed to the wall in the church narthex.
Thanks to many LPC members who worked behind the scenes to make this a very special day. A very special thanks to the LPC 40th Committee members, for their work on compiling the LPC 40th Slideshow and for their coordination of Catering, plus many other details to make this a joyous day!
View our LPC Timeline and photos at: http://langleypresbyterian.ca/welcome/about/
Marianne Lazaro, LPC 40th Chair
Committee Members: Rita Ames, Mona Bridgen, Allie Dale-Johnson, Marg Garratt, Nancy Hantke, Lori Hastings, Audrey McGregor
| Date | Event | People |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1977 | The Vision: To establish a strong, vibrant ministry in Langley, BC. (Murrayville Congregation and members of Presbytery of New Westminster) | Ministers: |
| Rev. Gordon Bastedo | ||
| Rev. Dr. K. C. Doka | ||
| Rev. Fred Metzger | ||
| Rev. Hugh Appell | ||
| Spring 1977 | Application made for appointment of Church Extension Minister to help establish new work and provide pastoral ministry to Murrayville. | |
| September 21 st , 1977 | New minister arrives in Langley | Rev. John Rhoad, wife Bunny and 5 young children |
| September / October 1977 | 3 Assessor Elders appointed; met with | Assessor Elders: |
| Rev. Dr. Doka, Superintendent of Missions | 1) Ian MacGlashan (Whalley) | |
| 2) Robert Stephens (St. Andrews & St. Stephens) | ||
| 3) James Munro (St. John’s – White Rock) | ||
| November 6 th , 1977 | First Worship Service held at Langley Civic Center | |
| November 6 th , 1977 | Neighbourhood Canvassing: 1,500 homes in Brookswood and Langley Neighbourhoods were canvassed in the afternoon to introduce them to the newly formed Langley Presbyterian Church. | 85 visitors from area Presbyterian Churches knocked on 1,500 doors |
| January 1, 1978 | 3 additional Assessor Elders appointed | Assessor Elders: |
| January 1, 1978 | 1) Dr. Wilfred Sinclair (1 st Presbyterian Church) | |
| January 1, 1978 | 2) Angus MacDonald (Gordon Presbyterian) | |
| January 1, 1978 | 3) Vic Anderson (Knox Presbyterian) | |
| May 11 th , 1978 | Children baptized | 11 children |
| June 1, 1978 | First Church Picnic held at Williams Park, Langley | |
| August 1, 1978 | First Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) held | 88 children enrolled |
| November 19 th , 1978 | Service of Erection – Official Start of Langley Presbyterian Church | 44 Charter Members |
| December 17 th , 1978 | First Church School Concert | |
| December 24 th , 1978 | First Candlelight Service | 85 people present |
| January 1, 1979 | First Board of Mangers (Interim) | |
| October 21 st , 1979 | First of many committees formed to plan for the future of the church | |
| December 4 th , 1979 | Approximately 1.55 acre site off 44 th Avenue purchased for $80,000 | |
| January 1, 1980 | Election of first 3 Elders | Elders elected: |
| January 1, 1970 | 1) John Mitchell | |
| January 1, 1970 | 2) Cecil McCarter | |
| January 1, 1970 | 3) Terry Ames | |
| February 10 th , 1980 | First Board of Managers | Chair, Fred Chivers |
| May 13 th , 1980 | Congregations of Murrayville and Langley amalgamated | |
| May 21 st , 1980 | First meeting of Building Committee | |
| September 1, 1980 | Building site is cleared | Cleared by Jim Jamieson |
| December 14 th , 1980 | Congregation approves the hiring of architects and designer for church building | Buckely, Graham (Architects) & Kim (Designer) hired |
| January / February 1981 | Design of building by Kim begins | |
| June 28 th , 1981 | Sod Turning Ceremony | |
| March 21 st , 1982 | First Service held in the new sanctuary; | |
| Vision Statement presented | ||
| March 28 th ,1982 | Door Knocking Ceremony to officially open newly constructed church building before the Church Dedication Service. | Rev. Ian Morrison |
| March 28 th , 1982 | Langley Presbyterian Church Dedication Service | |
| April 7 th , 1991 | Congregation adopts Vision Statement | |
| April 28 th , 1991 | Burning of Bank Mortgage | |
| May 1, 1991 | Minister leaves Langley Presbyterian | Rev. John Rhoad |
| May to December, 1991 | Interim Minister | Rev. Bob Garvin |
| January 5 th , 1992 | Induction Service for New minister | Rev. Dr. Glenn Inglis |
| 1995 | Review of Vision Statement | |
| December 1, 1996 | Minister leaves Langley Presbyterian Church | Rev. Dr. Glenn Inglis |
| December 1996 to December 1997 | Interim Moderator to fill pulpit vacancy | Rev. Betty McLagan |
| January 1, 1998 | New minister begins ministry | Rev. Bruce Cairnie |
| November 1, 2003 | 25 th Anniversary of Langley Presbyterian Church | |
| September 1, 2009 | Minister leaves Langley Presbyterian Church | Rev. Bruce Cairnie |
| October 2009 to August 2013 | Interim Minister to fill pulpit vacancy | Rev. Dr. Terry Hibbert |
| March 2013 to mid-June 2013 | Interim Moderator | Rev. Dr. Glen Davis |
| Mid-June 2013 to August 2013 | Interim Moderator | Rev. Francis Savill |
| September 1 st , 2013 | Ordination and Induction Service for new minister | Rev. Dennis Howard |
| November 18 th , 2018 | 40 th Anniversary Celebration of Langley Presbyterian Church |