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Queen Street

280 Talbot St. E.

History of FGT Family Church


Full Gospel Tabernacle, like most Pentecostal churches in Ontario, is the result of Divine Outpouring of the Holy Spirit which occurred during the late 1800 and early 1900's in many parts of the world.

LATE 1920'S
    Tent revival meetings were being held in many locations in South-western Ontario.
SUMMER OF 1931
    On an empty Elliott St. lot, revival began in Leamington. The meetings were sponsored by the Pentecostal Church in Windsor (today Parkwood Gospel) under the direction of Rev. & Mrs. Alfred Scratch of New Westminster, BC. Mr. Scratch was the eldest son of Edgerton Scratch of Leamington. These revival services concluded with a baptismal service at Seacliff Park with Rev. Scratch officiating.
FALL OF 1931
    The congregation moved into the Hall over Vanidour's Grocery Store on Erie Street North. The first pastor was Rev. Earl Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were newlyweds during whose short pastorate a number of people were added to the church.
    Rev. Allan Mallory was the first to hold evangelistic services and is well remembered.
    The second pastors were Miss Connor, an able Bible teacher, assisted by Miss McCullough, the sister of  Mrs. Dr. C. M. Wortman, our first P.A.O.C. missionaries to Argentina, in 1932.
AUGUST 1932
    Rev. J. W. Morrison took the pastorate following a tent meeting and faithfully ministered until December of that year.
1933 to 1935
    Rev. Harry Harris followed, ministering from 1933 to 1935, when Rev. and Mrs. Carl Moffat came.
1936-1946
    Rev. & Mrs. William Fitch became the pastors. Under their ten year leadership the church on Queens Avenue was erected in 1941. The first trustees were Mr. Beauvreau, Mr. Norris Sudds, and Mr. Glen Bradt.
1946-1968
Ella B. Giles succeeded Rev. Fitch as pastor. She Ministered faithfully for 22 1/2 years until 1968.
1968-1976
Rev. and Mrs. Earl Young pastored the assembly for two years. Under their ministry the present church constitution was established. They resigned to take charge of the Pembroke Assembly in Eastern Ontario. In January 1971, Rev. Guy Holmes and his wife, the late Della Homes came to the Leamington church. They began the project building the church at 280 Talbot St. E., relying on their experience of building six churches previously. They built and saw each of the churches paid for in full. The parsonage was also built during their ministry. The church was dedicated in January 1973, and in April 1976, the mortgage was burned. They pastored until May 1976.
1976-1988
Rev. and Mrs. Steve Johnstone who were pastoring in Grimsby, Ontario became the tenth pastors of Full Gospel Tabernacle. In January 1979, Pastor Keith Schwindt came to assist Pastor Johnstone. Pastor Schwindt is the son of Mrs. Ross Schwindt and the late Rev. Ross Schwindt of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In July 1981, Pastor Schwindt and his wife Shela accepted the call to pastor the church in Echo Bay near Sault Ste. Marie. In June 1982, Pastor Fred Brett joined the staff of Full Gospel Tabernacle as Minister of Youth. Pastor Brett previously was Assistant Pastor of the Grimsby Pentecostal Church. Under Pastor Johnstone's ministry the church grew and flourished, developing a Music Ministry which touched lives in the community. Pastor Johnstone went to the University Gospel Temple (now Parkwood G.T.) in Windsor as Music Minister in 1983.
Rev. Harold House was Director of Development at E.P.B.C. before he & Mrs. House became the Senior Pastors in Leamington in 1983. Under Pastor House's ministry, the present church was built. It was dedicated in September 1985. Fred Brett left to become the Youth Pastor in Brantford in 1986. Paul Snow came as Youth Pastor with his wife Sharon, then in 1988 went to be on staff in the Orillia church. In 1988 Pastor & Mrs. House went to Cobourg and are now very active in the supply ministry. Pastor House also works with the Seniors at the Cobourg church.
Under the leadership of Pastor & Mrs. Carlos Macchiavello a Spanish Ministry began in 1987 with Services being held in the Youth Room. In 1991 Pastor & Mrs. Guillermo Goertsen joined with Carlos to assist in this rapidly growing work.
The congregation of the Bethel Community Church, which was the German speaking P.AO.C. Church in Leamington, amalgamated with F.G.T. in 1988. Their Pastors, Rev. & Mrs. Paul Schellert went to assist at the German Pentecostal church in Harrow.
1988-1999
Rev. & Mrs. Victor Grieco accepted the call as Senior Pastors in December 1988, coming from Haileybury. Pastor Dan Toner, also from Haileybury, joined Pastor Grieco as an Assistant Pastor & Youth Pastor when he and his wife Naida came in February 1989,Pastor Lyndon Stratton was added to the Pastoral staff as an Assistant Pastor & Music Minister in October 1990. He and his wife Lori had previously ministered at Falls Family Church, Niagara Falls.
Rev. Victor Grieco went to Waterloo in September of 1997. During Rev. Grieco's ministry, Brad & Barbara Grey, Jay & Jackie Black, and Rev. Lin & Doreen Albrecht also served this congregation.
In January of 1998 Rev. Mark & Wendy Collins accepted the call to be Senior Pastors. They along with their children Skipp and Elise moved here from Brantford, New Life Assembly. Rev. Lin Albrecht stayed on as Assistant Pastor, and Rev Alan & Sonya Heath   joined the Pastoral team in February 1998 to oversee the Youth and Christian Education Departments. They have one daughter named Summer.
In the Fall of 1999 Rev. Collins and Pastor Miguel Lazo of the Spanish Congregation agreed it was time for the Spanish people to have their own place of meeting. They had been using Full Gospel facility for over ten years. A building was purchased in downtown Leamington, and totally refurbished with volunteer help. Today a healthy Spanish-speaking congregation is thriving in the downtown core.
2002
In the spring of 2002 Rev. Mark Collins accepted the call to join the Western Ontario District of the Pentecostal Assemblies Of Canada as Director of Missions and Communications.
Pastor Roy Davis and his wife Gerda joined FGT to serve in the position of Interim Senior Pastor.
Rev. Alan & Sonya Heath accepted the call to New Life Assembly of Brantford in the position of Assistant Pastor.
Tim Nuttall  joined FGT in the position of Interim Youth Pastor.
In the Summer of 2002 Rev. Lin & Doreen Albrecht accepted the call to London Gospel Temple in the position of Assistant Pastor.
In the summer of 2002 Rev. John & Beverlie Stewart accepted the call in the position of Senior Pastor at FGT. They along with their children Thadeus and Meredith came to us from Barhead Alberta.
In September of 2002 Rev. Brian and Jenna, Booth accepted the call to fill the position of Assistant Pastor at FGT family church. They along with their children Mathew, Caroline, Laura and Jen came to us from Central Tabernacle Church in Edmonton Alberta.
In the Fall of 2002 Rev. Scott and Susan Corkill accepted the position of Youth Pastor.
2003
From January of 2003 to May of 2005 Connie Kuchta served in  the position of Children's Ministries Director .
2004
In January of 2004 Maureen Carder accepted the position of Assimilation Director. Maureen and her husband Carmen have been part of FGT family church.
2005
In February of 2005 Rev. Scott and Susan Corkill resigned the Youth Pastor position to pursue another career direction.
In July of 2005 Pastor Nathan and Racheal Albrecht accepted the call to the position of Youth Pastor.
In September of 2005 Pastors Mark and Cindy Rose accepted the call to the position of Children's Pastor.
2007
In Spring of 2007 Rev. Brian and Jenna, Booth resigned from the position of Assistant Pastor at FGT.

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