WESTLOCK - Tim Gurnett, a fixture at the Westlock Gospel Chapel for the past three decades, is moving on to the next chapter in his life.
Tim, his wife Liz of 29 years and the youngest of his 10 children are picking up stakes and moving to Edmonton to be closer to his three oldest kids — the Gurnett clan ranges in age from eight to 27. Family, his passion for working with youth and his love of God, have been hallmarks of his ministry in Westlock.
“We have really loved being a part of this community and getting to know people from all walks of life. It’s really bittersweet leaving. We’re looking forward to what is new, but at the same time we know that we’re going to miss what we were a part of and all the people and our friends. But change is a part of all of our lives,” he said.
“Of my original congregation, about half of those are still around. And to see those kids in the congregation grow up and enter positions of leadership within the church after all those years is great … it affirms that we did what we were supposed to do.”
Originally from the Peace Country, Gurnett, then 30 years old and single, moved to town in September 1990 to begin work at the church, which at the time was located about a block east of R.F. Staples School.
“The retreat centre that we (his family) had was at the point of closing. I had a lot of connection to Westlock due to Bethel Bible Camp — I had been a part of the camp for many years before,” Gurnett, now 60, reminisced. “So I knew a lot of the people at the chapel and they were at a point of transition so they were looking for someone too.”
When he started at the chapel he was the only pastor, but over the years they added a second and at one point even added a third, while at times having additional paid staff. Meanwhile, the congregation has more than doubled in the past 30 years, from around 90 when he started to at least 200 on most pre-COVID-19 Sundays.
And physically the gospel chapel circa 1990 pales in comparison to the new one built in 1995 and then added to in 2008 — an accomplishment he credited to the entire church community.
“The congregation coming together to build the new building and then the addition — both were done without incurring a mortgage. People really stood behind it and those were exciting projects.”
And while the new building is a gem, Gurnett, a modest, soft-spoken man by nature, said he’s especially proud of the church’s commitment to youth outreach like the regular movie nights, sports night and Awana, a national program dedicated to serving the local church and providing them with resources that engage children and youth in long-term discipleship, relationship and mentoring. He also looked back fondly on the religious studies class that used to be offered at Westlock Elementary School.
“The church has been a part of all kinds of different things in the community. From my perspective people respect the chapel and think highly of it and that’s a testament to the people who were a part of it and their desire to reach out into the community,” said Gurnett.
“Almost half of what I do is with children and youth … it’s been a big part of our life. And one of the reasons (it’s important to me) is that they have their whole life in front of them and you can have a significant impact on them.
“There are so many kids whose lives aren’t positive. So it’s nice to have one, bright thing that gives them a reason to keep going.”
Gurnett’s last local sermon came at the end of June and since then he’s gotten a chance to tour other area churches on what would have been his busiest day of the week. His successor, Tim Wilson, has been in town since the start of the year and worked with Gurnett until his last day.
“We’ve had the opportunity to visit some other churches which is kind of different … it’s something we haven’t been able to do in the last 30 years,” he said.
“There’s a good church community here and we know people from every church so that’s given us an opportunity to say goodbye to other people as well.”
