I grew up in a rural community in central Manitoba near a town called, Ashern. I was born the third of four sons to parents who were mixed farmers, and fairly new in their Christian understanding and faith. Our family participated in a small Mennonite Brethren Mission church in that community. My memories of growing up in that secure environment are mostly positive. I learned the basics about caring for a variety of animals, as well as the mechanics of grain-growing. Until Grade 5, I went to a rural school for Grades 1 – 8. As a young boy of 4, or 5, I came to understand the need for a personal faith in Christ and remember praying to trust in Jesus Christ as the Saviour and Lord of my life.


In 1981, we moved on to Saskatoon where I became pastor of the Westgate Alliance Church. The size and culture of the church there made pastoral service considerably more challenging. Though our time there was short, we saw the church start and finish relocation plans. Our next assignment was the Lakewood Alliance church in Prince George, British Columbia. In almost twenty years of service we saw significant progress including the establishment of another Alliance Church in the city.
While in Prince George, my wife, Carolyn, became a public-school teacher and our four children completed their public school education, moving on to further study in other places. Each of them have married and had children of their own providing us the blessing of eleven truly wonderful grand-children. Carolyn and I are now living in Calgary, Alberta, serving our family, the community, and the church from there.