Great Oaks and Little Acorns
Every Fellowship Baptist Church has a history. Some are short, others span centuries. Some are glorious, some not so much.
On November 1, 1964, Hannah Leutbecher (one of Fellowship International’s first missionaries), turned in a paper to her church history professor, Charles Tipp (another famous name from The Fellowship’s past). The paper was titled Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow, and was the history, up until the mid-60s, of Waverley Road Baptist Church in Toronto. It makes for fascinating reading. Let’s let Hannah tell the story.
“Philip Whitelock came from Plymouth, England in 1883 with his family, his wife, and four children. They settled in Toronto on Yonge Street just north of College Street… Here Mr. Whitelock opened a store which God prospered. But a cloud, or so it seemed, came across the horizon. The health of Mrs. Whitelock and one of her daughters was not good and did not appear to improve. A doctor’s advice was sought, his orders were that the Whitelock's had to move out of the city… He and Mrs. Whitelock prayed much that the Lord would undertake and show them where to go. One day their prayers bore fruit.
“A customer came into the store asking, ‘I’m going out way over the Don, Mr. Whitelock, and I’m building a store, way, way over the Don, would you like to go?’ The reply was enthusiastically in the affirmative, and one day in April, Mr. and Mrs. Whitelock went to visit this store east of the Don Valley on Queen Street and Elmer Avenue. There were no paved roads in those days, nothing by ‘clay-dirt, that’s all it was, you just sink right down, it sticks to your shoes and your rubbers.’ … Their new home was of true pioneer character with no running water. The water had to be carried by one of the Whitelock boys from a spring which was located on Kenilworth Avenue.
“At this time, this area of Toronto was a busy resort centre and many cottages could be found along the lakeshore… also several summer camps were found. Beyond the beach area there were few houses, for little else could be found than bush and forest. The city transportation system at that time went only as far as Kingston Road. This was in every sense a rural district outside the city of Toronto.”
There was no permanent evangelical ministry in the area. The Whitelock family couldn’t find a place to fellowship, so they decided to start a Sunday School in their home. Eventually, growing numbers led them to rent a building in the area now known as Kew Beach. Still, the Whitelock's missed “church.” Hannah continues the story:
“In order to attend an occasional service in a Baptist church, Mr. Whitelock and his daughter would walk all the way to Walmer Road Baptist. They wanted to hear ‘something wonderful.’ But Miss Whitelock recalls that they did not walk back the same day but stayed overnight in the city… A ‘dear saintly couple’ came to live in the area and joined the Whitelock's in the work… In 1891, the small group decided to hold services… As the work grew… the people decided to approach the Home Missionary Society for a student minister to fill the pulpit… The first service was held on November 29, 1891…”
By 1893, Kenilworth Baptist Church came into being. Mr. Whitelock acted as Sunday School superintendent for twenty years. In 1908, the church bought property north of Queen Street on Waverley Road and on July 1, 1908, the sod was turned for the new building. A succession of pastors came and went and the church continued to grow.
“In the fall of 1952, Rev. J. F. Holliday came to fill the pulpit and during his pastorate the church was a very busy one…. Under his dynamic ministry, Waverley Road progressed and circled several red letter days on its calendar.
“The Sunday School had continued to grow and had in its enrollment at this time 300 scholars. During an executive meeting in 1953, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Hughes, the need of the teenagers of the church was discussed… Out of the discussion Sky Force of Canada was born… Another very remarkable day… is the day the mortgage was burned, November 21, 1954. On this day Waverley looked back over 63 years of ‘joys and triumphs, struggles and sacrifices’… Four hundred thirty people joined in the chorus of rejoicing that morning.”
At the time Hannah turned in her paper, Reverend Vincent Trimmer was the pastor of the church, partnered with his wife, Ellen, a well-known author and teacher. The Christian Education program flourished and renovations were done to the sanctuary. Waverley Road Baptist Church continues to be a lighthouse to this day in the Beaches area of Toronto.
Hannah finished her report with this quote from Mr. Whitelock’s daughter: “Some poet once said, ‘Great oaks from little acorns grow.’ My father planted a little acorn down there. God led him to do it. He planted it and he planted it well, he planted it upon the Word of God and it was watered with much prayer and often with weeping. Because everything didn’t go any better in those days you know that it does today. Satan is always busy and yet the Lord prospered us and the tree has grown into a great oak tree.”