Mine was an idyllic life, growing up in the fifties in the little hamlet of Springvale, Ontario. I grew up in an old, spacious, yellow board and batten house graced by a large verandah with gingerbread trim, which had been purchased from Dad’s cousin, Clarabelle McCombs Teal. I was the 2nd child and daughter of Merlin and Naomi Heise Marr and was born with an inherent ability to view the world through rose-coloured glasses, usually seeing the glass half full, rather than half empty, and thus my story unfolds.
My world was uncomplicated. Family and church were the greatest influences that I dealt with in the first decade of my life. The 2 room school house was at the corner, just yards down the road, across from the general store.
My friends were my sisters, Lucille and Phyllis, and Marjorie Hall, the only other young girl who attended our church. We spent many hours playing with our little brother, Ronnie. The Brethren in Christ Church we attended was less than a quarter mile from our home. Having been born in 1950, our denomination was already in the flux of gradual change, which began after the NAE convention in Indianapolis in 1950 where the church fathers had made some decisions, which were about to relax much of the legalism which had marked the church.
Growing up in our home, our Brethren in Christ roots were undisputed, for my father, Merlin, came from Sider, Mater, and Marr roots, with the Sider roots being traced to my great, great grandparents, Christian and Barbara Sider, founders of the Wainfleet Brethren in Christ Church. The Marr family was grafted into the church when his Dad, Wm Marr, was saved at a revival service. My mother was a decendant of the Davidsons, and the Brechbill clan in Indiana, with several well-respected Brethren in Christ pioneers in her family tree as well. Henry Davidson, first editor of “The Evangelical Visitor”, our church periodical, had been her great grandfather, and his daughter H. Frances Davidson, who along with several others, founded the Brethren in Christ Mission work in Africa at the turn of the 20th century, was her great aunt. Mom’s parents, Clarence and Ruth Brechbill Heise, had been missionaries in India, where she was born in 1921. It was clear to me, who I was and where I belonged.
Church played a dominant role in the life of our family. My parents were committed and loyal members of the well-established Springvale Brethren in Christ Church. It had been the original site of Ontario Bible School, established in 1932, the church institution that is now known as Niagara Christian Community of Schools, and is located along the boulevard near Fort Erie, Ontario. I attended this church from the time of my birth, at that time still under the leadership of church father, John Nigh. He died tragically in the fall of 1951 and his son Paul, who had been sharing the responsibility with his father, took over and was my pastor throughout the rest of the years I attended. He was a kindly man, and encouraged me personally as a child, about to be baptized, by telling me he had noticed that I “listened, really listened” during the services. I enjoyed our church. Paul Nigh was easy to listen to. I don’t recall sermons on complicated theological themes. He was punctual with closing his sermons. We as a family attended on a weekly basis, the Sunday morning and evening services as well as the Tuesday night prayer meeting, where we’d turn and kneel in our pew for a “season of prayer”. So loyal were my folks to the prayer meeting, that on one occasion when our public school was participating in the rare event of a music festival, when it was determined that is would be on a Tuesday night, the answer was clear. We would attend prayer meeting instead! We also attended several nights of any series of Revival services, conducted in the spring and fall in our church, by popular evangelists of the day such as Henry Ginder, JN Hosteter, Luke Keefer, Bishop Charlie Byers and Bishop EJ Swalm. These preachers were usually quite understandable in their approach to salvation, sanctification and the predicted end times, which was almost always preached upon on the last night of the campaign. By times, however, we did hear other evangelists, although not at our church, who spoke of the evils of open-toed shoes, decorative clothing and an impending communist takeover. Despite frightening dreams on at least one occasion, of communism in our town, I managed to keep a positive perspective and didn’t spend an abundance of time and energy mulling over these things. After one particularly stirring message, I recall mother coming over to our bedroom to offer reassurance despite the disturbing content of the evening message. Over the years as my understanding increased, I would often step out and go down to the altar at the time of invitation to surrender my life once again to the Lord. I had already given my heart to the Lord at a very young age, of which I did not remember, but had been told, and never doubted.
Sunday School teachers such as Norma Nigh and Alvin Hall faithfully taught me as a child, imparting within me the Biblical truths I still hold dear. Later, as a teenager, I also had opportunity to teach in the Sunday School.
During these years the rendering of the "holy kiss" was still in practice and to young watching eyes, seemed perfectly in order.
Temperance Sunday was observed on a regular basis, with an emphasis on the evils of tobacco and alcohol being addressed in our Sunday School classes.
During these years, the church was a small group of several dedicated families who served and gave financially to keep the work afloat. I don’t recall any new family or individual joining the church nor do I recall any individuals leaving. It remained the same.
Along with the spiritual foundations that were being laid, our social life was being cultivated. As an extrovert, I enjoyed the times of Love Feast with the predictable menu and aroma of wieners, red jello with fruit cocktail, Nettie Teal’s wonderful potato salad, and homemade pies, accompanied by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The foot washing ceremony with the slight odor of feet and with the deacon’s wife guarding the end of the pew with a large towel and passing the large aluminum pail along, was usually part of the day as well. Then there was opportunity to partake in the communion service. The elements were always the same – our deacon’s wife, Marion Hall making her special recipe of buttery, tender strips of communion bread with the fork prick trademark, along with the grape juice. As children we always harboured the unholy desire to hope that there would be plenty of the delicious bread left over, so that we could have some to eat as a snack after the service.
I particularly enjoyed this, and any event, when folks from neighboring Cheapside or other churches would join with us. Our family received hospitality from other families in the church. We loved visiting and playing with the Hall family and watching TV when we visited Orland and Nettie Teal. These folks were like family to us.
After years of listening to four-part harmony only during the singing of hymns, the church acquired an organ in the early ‘60’s. Having taken piano lessons for a number of years, I had the opportunity to play at church, being that we didn’t have a line up of musicians in our congregation. On one occasion, I was asked to play for a wedding. The couple were not too particular, and I was told one song only, would be needed for a short prelude. However, the wedding got started very much later than anticipated, and I had no choice but to play “O perfect Love” over and over again until the wedding party arrived and were ready to start.
Our church was involved in outreach. Each Sunday my father and others would drive out to the Indian Reserve and pick up children and some adults to bring to our Sunday School. Annually, during the hot, humid month of July, the church held a Vacation Bible School in the local Springvale Hall to which many children from the neighboring concessions, were brought in cars and even in the open back of a pick-up truck. Bible teaching, singing, memorizing Scripture, and making crafts were enjoyed at our VBS. A crowd of excited children would march in to the musty hall lustily singing “Onward Christian Soldiers” with the staunch members of our peace-loving BIC Church barely taking notice of the irony. Later, I was given an opportunity to serve in the Bible School in my teen years.
Many missionaries visited our church telling of adventures of faraway India and Africa. I was always particularly interested in the medical stories, and the sometimes graphic pictures. I believe that along with my mother’s encouragement, as she was a Registered Nurse, that these tales influenced me into my own Registered Nurse profession.
When I was a teen, I enjoyed our annual Watch-Night services on New Year’s Eve. I’d often pick out some new clothing received at Christmas to wear to this most enjoyable event. Guests would be invited to sing from local and far-away congregations, even un-Brethren in Christ Churches. We’d often have the Martins from Ohio join us. Our leadership was open-minded, for we were aware that even folks “who smoked” were allowed to sing at this event in our church. A particular high light was awaiting the mounds of honey-dipped donuts that would usually be there for the snack afterwards.
My parents exposed us to the larger Church, as we often attended Camp Meeting at the NCC site, and were able to go to General Conference which was held at different locations such as Messiah College in Pennsylvania and West Milton in Ohio. I was able to participate in the Canadian Quiz Team on a couple occasions. Being privileged to attend NCC through my high school years also contributed to my spiritual formation. It was there that I met a wonderful young man, Tom Harper, from the Amherst congregation in Massillon, Ohio, who was doing his 2 years of volunteer service and whom I later married.
I remember our home usually being a place of peace and harmony. My parents loved each other very much and we children knew that we were loved as well. My parents practiced hospitality. We often had guests invited for roast beef dinner, with homemade pie, getting out the good dishes, and making sure the table was set just right.
We often invited friends to our home after evening services for delightful snacks of sandwiches, date bread and the like, where with mother’s instruction, I learned how to serve, using the good china teacups, with some finesse.
We knew that being raised in our church, we were a “separate people”. At the local field day events, it was hard being different, not being allowed to wear shorts as did the other girls. We were not allowed to play organized softball with the other neighborhood girls or attend the occasional Valentine’s dance at school. Activities thought to be appropriate, however, were encouraged. I attended the young girls’ group, “Explorers”, at the neighboring United Church as well as the local 4-H clubs in the area. I must admit, I always found it distressing when folks at some of these activities outside the church, referred to our church as the “Tunker Church” which was actually the name by which our denomination had been known in previous generations. I just didn’t like the sound of that name!
After being united as members in the church and baptized at a young age, the covering was adorned and we would walk to prayer meeting on summer evenings through the little town of Springvale carrying our Bibles and wearing our coverings.
I remember well, that in 1962 our church ran a campaign called “Read It through in ’62”.
My Dad and I at age 12, picked up the challenge and read the Bible through that year. I was later told that my paternal grandmother had read the Bible through 40 times in her lifetime.
We witnessed parental involvement in Church with Dad being involved on various church boards, teaching Sunday School and being church treasurer. I have many memories of him counting the offering at the kitchen table as we Sunday dinner was being prepared. Mom served as Nurse at church functions. Both Dad and Mom were involved in the early work of the church camp efforts both at Fraser Lake Camp and Camp Kahquah taking us with them from our earliest recollections.
They made an effort to comfort the bereaved by visiting funeral homes and attending funerals. They didn’t believe in shielding their children from the reality of death. I remember when one of the very young Sunday School boys drowned, that we as children were taken to the viewing, fascinated by what we saw.
My parents often visited other Brethren in Christ Churches for various reasons. Oft times, we visited Cheapside for their special services, and others for funerals. When visiting the relatives at Wainfleet, we’d often visit the church as well. It was much larger and I was fascinated seeing the men and women sitting on opposite sides of the church. In later years, I particularly enjoyed hearing James Gilmore play the organ, and the music of the Wainfleet Gospel Four.
My love of music was fostered from my earliest recollections. For sitting on my parent’s knees in church as in infant, I heard the clear bass of my father and the sure alto of my mother’ voice. Both my paternal and maternal grandmothers played piano. My mother was able to purchase a stereo with a record player in 1959 and promptly bought “The Messiah” which she played frequently. In later years, there were other styles of gospel music in our home. Mother joined the Niagara Choral Society at one time, and we as family went to hear the rendition of classical and sacred music presented. For several years Dad, Mom, Norma Nigh and Orland Teal sang in a quartet.
Indeed it is true that there has been a great influence on my life resulting from being raised in my Brethren in Christ family and attending the Springvale Church during my childhood and teen years.
I learned loyalty, commitment, and steadfastness by watching the example of my parents' life in the church. I have learned to love the church, the home church as well as the church at large. I had sound teaching about the privilege of tithing and financial principals. The importance of prayer has been foundational in my adult life. I now read the Bible through yearly, as do other siblings of mine. Comforting the bereaved is a duty and privilege that I hold to. Music is near and dear to my heart and soul. I have played piano and organ in church, enjoy singing alto in congregational singing, love to listen to the Messiah, as well as other gospel and classical music.
The interest and the influences of the people in our small church were nourishing to me as a young girl. I was encouraged to begin to use the talents that God had given to me. Parental example has spoken louder than words could ever have spoken.
Most importantly, it was these influences that have begun a lifelong quest to know Christ ever more deeply and to love Him with my whole being.
Surely I can say with the Psalmist:“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”Ps 16:6
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