Most Sundays, we went to church dressed in our best. Easter was especially good, because I usually had a new dress, hat and purse to show off. Mom was an expert seamstress, so most of my clothes were homemade or hand-me-downs from Sharlene and Wayne. Sunday was a time to show off the dresses.
The church was smaller than I remember. I went back about 14 years ago for Shannon’s baptism and was very surprised at how small it was. Back when I was little it seemed big. We never sat at the front, and rarely at the back. Always in the middle somewhere. Carol and Donna were in the choir sometimes. Rev. Ferrier ended up running for an NDP political office, as Mom & Dad would always vote NDP. The next one baptized Tim or Christine (maybe both).
Dad sometimes fell asleep during church. When we had to stand to sing, Dad moved his lips but no sound ever came out. Mom always sang loud and clear, without a care. She loved The Old Rugged Cross.
While Mom is not an overly religion person, she’s a believer in God and Jesus, I’m not sure about Dad. Dad was brought up Anglican, his mother being very pious. But when Mom & Dad got married, he started going to her church, which was United. So even though there was a real religious part of us going to church, I feel there was a equally important community part. All of my parents friends went to the same church. So it was a weekly chance to catch up on the local gossip and news. Dad, I think was a treasurer for a while, and he was always part of taking up the collection.
Mom was a member of the UCW, and may have been president. I know she held a lofty position with the Womens’ Institute and the 4H. She taught many-a Rutherglen girl how to cook and sew.
Dad was a member of the Mattawa Lodge of masons so I’m thinking he had to have had a firm belief in something as the rituals one goes through in the Masons are not for the skeptical.