S3 HISTORY

A SHORT (FAIRLY ACCURATE) SURREY 3RD WARD HISTORY (taken from a talk by James Olson in 2019, not updated to present)

Disclaimer. While I will never do it justice and I may get a few details wrong and omit some vital details and people, I still feel to share insights and stories from a series of interviews I did about the history of Surrey 3rd Ward. I have prayed that some of the stories will help us all appreciate where this ward has been and the tremendous faith-promoting legacy right here in Surrey 3rd.

Surrey Building. In the mid-to-late-1960’s my wife Cena’s parents, Reid and Fae Ann Gregson, lived in Surrey (population @ 80,000) for a brief time and my father-in-law was one of those tasked with finding a location and managing the finances for a Surrey building, which was built on 140th Street. The first phase included not much more than the current Primary room and the hallways that includes the baptismal font, offices and classrooms.

Ten years later (population @110,000) when Cena’s family was long gone and my family showed up in Surrey from Michigan, a chapel and gym were added. In total, the 140th building today was constructed in approximately five phases.

Intro Dennis Wright. In 1976, Brother Dennis Wright took a work assignment as a Church Education System administrator for our area and moved his family to the North Shore. He and his wife Kay saw that there was a trend of more and more families moving out of the Vancouvers, Burnaby, and Coquitlam to Surrey. “It was the ‘happening’ place to be!” In 1980-ish (population @150,000), his family moved into the Surrey Ward, which was busting at the seams with families, many seasoned members and new converts (one of these being Cassidy Peters’ family, pre-Cassidy).

Different Time. Life was different. Without more than a handful of television channels, commonplace home video game systems, internet and social media, and a slower pace of life, many members spent a lot of time socializing and the activities and traditions of the Surrey Ward were very entrenched. There were large committees to orchestrate the simplest of potlucks. They had huge fundraising efforts to be able to fund the new and growing building construction. Members from that era, such as the Burgart’s and Grieve’s who are still in Surrey 1st Ward, will tell you.     

Stake Divided. The Surrey Ward was part of the Vancouver Stake, which extended from approximately Squamish to Hope. It was not long after that time that the stake was divided to include both a Vancouver Stake and Vancouver South Stake (which was Surrey eastward). Richard Bulpitt was the first stake president and Cheryl (Verhagen) Bunker’s father was a counsellor. Brother Wright described that particular stake presidency as “young, exciting, very organized ... probably the best stake presidency I’ve ever witnessed”. 

Surrey 2nd / Immigration. It took no time for them to form Surrey 2nd Ward, which covered a lot of Delta and was instantly full of strong families, including at various points Bishop Tambre’s family, the Hardy’s, the Watson’s, and the Walton’s. You’ll note that all of that sampling of families are very Canadianborn and Caucasian - representative of Surrey and Delta’s populations at the time. The 10 years that followed the formation of Surrey 2nd Ward, the population of Surrey ballooned by an additional 100,000 residents during an incredible explosion of immigration, thanks in part to the area’s exposure to the world from Expo 86.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  FORMATION OF SURREY 3RD

Dennis Wright was called as the second stake president of the Vancouver South Stake and served until 1995. Midway during his time in the calling, it became abundantly clear to him that Surrey needed a third ward. More of Surrey was being developed, and many of the existing and new families migrated to the newer Newton, Panorama Ridge, Fleetwood, and Sullivan neighbourhoods. Many of the newer housing in these areas introduced basement suites, houses on smaller lots, and townhouses, all of which provided additional housing options, attracting a plethora of young families, singles, upsizers, downsizers, and newcomers to Canada.

“Surrey 1st and 2nd Wards had lots of good people and were full of families”, President Wright recalled. In particular, Brother Wright recalled Ray Dykes, an import from New Zealand who was on the high council at the time, as a champion for the cause of forming a third Surrey ward. “He was able to effectively articulate and demonstrate how Surrey/Delta was ready for an additional ward.”

According to a ward original, Sara Herrington, whose youngest son was the first baby blessed in the ward, in approximately September 1991, Surrey 3rd Ward held its first meeting and Alan Kilistoff, a dentist living in Delta, was called as the bishop. The ward met in the White Rock Ward building. It was not uncommon for people to show up to church and report that they got a speeding ticket en route on the highway trying not to be late. 

The congregation was so large that the priests would typically stay sitting on the stand during sacrament meeting because there was nowhere else to sit in the chapel and overflow area.

ENGEN’S

Eden and Tonya Engen were Surrey 3rd Ward originals until they moved to Langley in 2001. They shared, “The ward was a mix of young families and some older couples.  We moved to Surrey from New Westminster (Vancouver Stake) with one child and left nearly 10 years later in 2001 with 4 children. … The ward grew rapidly and quickly became the largest ward in the stake.  The growth was, in large part, due to the influx of young couples and families moving from Vancouver/Burnaby to Surrey where housing costs were more affordable.”

Among other callings, Tonya was a Primary and Young Women’s President while Eden served as a counsellor to three separate bishops, and highlighted his experience as a hometeacher. “I had the privilege of home teaching some wonderful families including the Haysom's and Jim & Edna Rowley. Many of the older members of the ward will remember Sister Rowley who often taught Sunday School as well as Seminary for many, many years despite her debilitating arthritis. Sister Rowley's arthritis often prevented her from walking, so she would literally drag herself across the floor, out the door and to her car every morning so she could teach seminary. There were many others in the ward who were equally dedicated disciples of Christ who went about doing good and who served quietly without seeking personal recognition or accolades.”

JP TREMBLAY

10 Missionaries. From 1993 - 1995, at least 10 young men chose to serve missions from Surrey 3rd Ward, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to four continents. While there were many amazing leaders who supported the efforts of parents and helped the youth of that time, Brother JP Tremblay’s impact was unparalleled to most of these boys, as well as others from Surrey 2nd. 

JP’s Story. In the early 1980’s, nonmembers JP and his wife Sylvia were transferred to the Lower Mainland as an RCMP officer where they continued their investigation of the church. After being baptised in the early 1980’s, they drifted into inactivity until he felt compelled to really try to gain a testimony, a challenge he took very seriously albeit somewhat reluctantly. Thanks to surefire spiritual experiences from prayer and scripture study and ministering experiences from loving and persistent hometeachers, JP gained a strong personal conversion. He served as an Elders Quorum President not long after becoming engaged in the church. He then served as a deacons quorum adviser and then followed the same group of boys as a teacher quorum adviser and then as their priests quorum adviser. He was then called as the Young Men’s President.

Given the time and commitment that he put into creating the RCMP Venturers program, co-coordinating service activities at Riverview Mental Hospital, and going the extra mile on many meaningful activities, hikes, and camps, you’d think he was unemployed and had nothing else to do with his time.

To me, JP was not a “cool” guy but he provided many, many opportunities to do cool stuff. He taught us by example about serving. Two of "JP's boys” make up the Surrey 3rd’s bishopric today. There are so many parallels to the Saviour in how JP served. 

RAY DYKES

In 1995, Alan Herrington replaced Dennis Wright as stake president, but not before Dennis Wright went through the process to get us approved for the building we have today. He credited both my dad (Lorne Olson) and Brother Dave Terry for helping the stake to find and acquire the site. 

Ray Dykes followed Alan Kilistoff to become Surrey 3rd’s second bishop in 1995.  

Particularly while Ray Dykes was the bishop and thereafter, Surrey 3rd Ward became a very multicultural ward. In fact, Italian was the second unofficial language of Surrey 3rd Ward for a long time! A large contingent from Costa Rica immigrated here. When I would visit the ward, I loved seeing the beautiful array of saris as an increased number of Indian members joined the ward. As time went on, my dad would tell me about attending amazing Filipino parties (I think he was rubbing it in). 

Bishop Dykes attributes the area’s increasing international population at the time as a likely factor for two of his sons marrying women from South American families.

Delta Ward was formed and Bishop Dykes became the first bishop. At the time, Surrey 3rd Ward was the biggest and strongest ward in the stake and the split resulted in two much smaller wards. “Operating a much smaller ward was a lot of work compared to what we had in the original Surrey 3rd,” confessed Brother Dykes. 

Sala. Sonny and Shaina Sala were one of many high-energy young married couples in the ward. In fact, they were among those who were most instrumental in bringing Anil, Veena, and Ashlynn Kumar into the church. Shaina wrote: “I can honestly say, especially in those beginning years without kids, serving others in the ward made life have meaning and deep purpose and left us so fulfilled. We would invite nonmember investigators and less actives over all the time and always tried to go to any discussion the missionaries invited us to. … We didn’t have a nice place and good food but what we learned was, when it comes to opening your heart and home, the guests do not care if your place is small and the food is bland; it’s all about the fellowship and the love.” She promises, “Dedicate your home and heart to the LORD and HE will fill it up...money, status, house size - it doesn’t matter.”

BISHOP JP TREMBLAY

It was not a surprise to many that JP Tremblay became Surrey 3rd’s next bishop (and, honestly, I really don’t think he ever went to work after that - I thought of him as a 24/7 bishop). A Young Single Adult Branch was formed and Surrey 3rd Ward’s population shrunk again during the time it was in operation.

BISHOPS DAVIS, OLSON, ORTOLANO
Bill Davis. Bill Davis, whose wife Karen was a former Surrey 3rd Relief Society President, was called as the next bishop. However, with a boundary realignment in 2004, Bill Davis became the bishop of Delta Ward. 

Lorne Olson. My dad, Lorne, was called as Surrey 3rd’s bishop within a week or so of our wedding. After serving as a counsellor to JP and being semi-retired, he put his heart and soul and time into serving. My mom, Myrna, was the Relief Society President immediately preceding my dad’s call as bishop and she reported how serving in that capacity helped her better understand how to support him as bishop and have a better understanding of the inner workings of the ward.

By this time, many of the most established members had moved to the new “happening places to be” (Abbotsford stake communities, Alberta, the USA, among others). To boot, most of the kids of the early Surrey 3rd Ward members moved out of the area and are raising families elsewhere.

The Lord has always blessed Surrey 3rd Ward with people to serve, though often at great sacrifice of time. Also, a lot of people received an education in church service younger and with less seasoning than they may have in years previous.

Flavio Ortolano. Flavio Ortolano, a then-recent immigrant from Brasil, was called as bishop when my parents left to serve a mission in 2008. He brought a special energy and fun. 

BISHOP PRASAD / HINDI

An ultra-friendly Fijian accountant, Jaynas Prasad, followed Bishop Ortolano. During his time as bishop, Surrey 3rd Ward hosted the first Hindi sacrament meeting in the world and continued those for around a year. That Hindi "twig" continues as a Sunday School class today. Based on the growing number of new members from India and Fiji, it is not hard to anticipate that the day will come that Surrey will have a Hindi-speaking congregation full-time.

An interesting factoid is that Bishop Prasad is the only former Surrey 3rd Ward Bishop presently in our ward (Editor's Note: accurate at the time of the talk). The rest have moved away and one has passed away. By contrast, White Rock Ward has four or five of its prior bishops remaining in the ward, as well as multiple former bishops from other wards. As a bishopric, we really appreciate Bishop Prasad’s counsel and support. 

BISHOP TAMBRE

I don’t want to bring the details of Surrey 3rd Ward up to yesterday afternoon, but I will mention the obvious: Ashton Tambre was called as bishop after Bishop Prasad and continues to serve Surrey 3rd Ward just as he has for years in many capacities. 

As a youth and young single adult, I always admired his brashness and honesty. You never had to wonder if he was giving you a true opinion. You also didn’t have to like it. As my YSA Elder’s Quorum President sometime after his mission, I got a great insight into his love and genuine desire to make decisions according to the Spirit. That continues many years later as we serve together in the bishopric.

MOVE-INS / CONVERTS

Move-Ins. Heaven has blessed Surrey 3rd Ward with move-ins from time-to-time - some temporary and some long-term - like the Borgogno’s, the Tondevold’s, the Calder’s, the Nilsson’s, senior missionary couples, and many others, who bring years of church service experience.

Converts. In the past few years, a growing number of new and returning members have been the lifeblood of Surrey 3rd Ward, and of most of the other wards in Surrey Stake. Surrey 3rd Ward wouldn’t be the same without Janet Hoffard, Georgina Minty, Mark Alonge, and so many others who have joined the ranks of our ward family.

WARD FAMILY

Throughout its history, Surrey 3rd Ward has been and is a family! I think experience tells us that families can be dysfunctional and relationships can be hard whether under one’s own roof at home or in these walls. Over Surrey 3rd’s 28-ish-year existence, history speaks of members who swindled others out of money, grudges and in-fighting, painful gossiping, in-crowds and out-clubs, misunderstandings, offence and offensiveness, unmet expectations, and outright terribleness. If you see this now or are part of it, I exhort you to follow President Uchtdorf’s counsel and “Stop it!”

Everyone who has come through the Surrey 3rd Ward’s chapel doors has a collage of spiritual, emotional, physical, mental trials, some great and some small, some apparent and some hidden. Sometimes the only things we share are the facts that we possess a pulse, have a desire to know Christ, and happen to live in the specified geographic boundary that constitutes Surrey 3rd Ward. There is no guarantee of compatible personalities and backgrounds. Here, you may not find your best friend but hopefully you feel like you’ve found a brother or sister.

Just as less desirable and down-right negative has taken place in our ward family, I hope all of us here has experienced and heard and observed, as I have, quorums coming together as brothers to aid and lift each other and their furniture, teenagers mentoring those younger than them, acts of service and kindness, forgiveness, sisters using the power of the priesthood to lift proverbially sinking sisters to dry ground, people trying to magnify their callings, new baptisms and recommitments to faith, caring, mourning with those that mourn. That’s what families do!

As mentioned, many different personalities and backgrounds exist in Surrey 3rd Ward’s membership and I hope all feel welcome to join us and to bring themselves into the mix and not an artificial version of yourself. Just as at other times in its history, we largely have a happy ward family despite the bumps that come to every family. The quickest way to happiness, and in some cases healing, is through serving each other, which is why our ward theme for 2019 and perhaps longer is “I’ll lift thee and thee lift me, and we’ll ascend together”.

One of the happiest times in the scriptures is the account in 4th Nephi of the coming together of the Nephites and Lamanites after Christ’s ministry in the Americas. How close is Surrey 3rd Ward to this? What can each of us give or stop to get to this?

“The people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.

And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.”

That we can all feel a connection with the saints of Surrey 3rd Ward’s past, lift each other and ascend together in the present, and look forward to Surrey 3rd Ward’s future with excitement, optimism, and love is my prayer,

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.