A Glance at the Past
By John-Paul Stewart
Nearly every month this newsletter contains an article and photos documenting the activities of our current youth group. Did you know that youth groups of one form or another have been fixtures of this church for more than 140 years?
The first “Young People’s Society” at First Baptist began way back in 1884 under the leadership of the minister at that time, Rev. Turnbull.
By 1891 a group was organizing across the United States and Canada called the “Baptist Young People's Union” (BYPU). They first met in Chicago with only a handful of Canadian delegates. However, the following year more than 800 Canadian Baptist youth gathered in Toronto to form the BYPU of Ontario and Quebec. One of our church's delegates, R.E. Gunton, was a great-uncle to Jay Hoover. That meeting in Toronto led to the establishment of our local BYPU chapter in the fall of 1892.
Back Row (left to right): Bruce Wallace, Dorothy Crabb (Fort), Irene Wentworth (Crabb), Sarah Wallace, Herman Dreher, Helen Crabb, Eva Bennett, Gladys Price, Harry Collins
(Click/tap image to view full sized)
Unlike the youth groups of recent years, the BYPU was highly organized and international in nature. The local chapter elected a president and others from within their own membership. Those local executives could then participate as delegates in the larger conference for Ontario and Quebec. It sounds a lot like the modern CBOQ Assembly, but strictly for youth. The church website has a photo from the 1928 convention in Hamilton. The nine people standing at the back are the delegates from Simcoe. The Crabb and Wallace families are both well represented in that group from nearly 100 years ago.
Back Row (left to right): Ron Dalby, Judy Crabb (Stewart), Sharon Judd, Dorothy Post, Barb Judd, Pat Pineo, Raymond White
Middle Row: Doreen Post, Lloyd Wilson, Jack Wallace, Ron White, Barry Yeager, Bob Wallace, Wayne Pineo, Lana Howting (Wallace)
Front Row: Margaret Mills, Valerie Collver, Carolyn Grigg, Judy Casselton (McCrory), Miss Agnes Lee, Karen Walker, Janice White
(Click/tap image to view full sized)
By the late 1950s, the BYPU was still going strong. A group from Simcoe First Baptist won a provincial proficiency award in 1959. That photo shows the next generation of some of the same families as the 1928 picture. Other names that stand out are Lana Howting (later, Wallace) and Judy Casselton (McCrory – Karen McKay's mother). Also in the picture is Barry Yeager who has recently been attending worship services here again!
It is unclear how long the BYPU remained active at First Baptist. Historical documents show they were still going strong in 1961, nearly 70 after their founding. In the 60 years that have passed since then, its former members have still been heavily involved in the life of this church.
The BYPU is just one example of a long-running youth group. You'll be able to read about more, and their connections to today's congregation, in next month's newsletter.
