Evangelist to the Canadian Prairies

Dad was born on March 2, 1944, to Jim and Evelyn Ronald, full-time gospel workers in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. From his early years, Dad desired what his family had – God’s salvation – and at the age of 12, feeling utterly lost, he realized Christ had suffered “the just for the unjust” (1Pe 3:18). He was baptized the following year, and at the age of 14 was received into the fellowship of believers who met at River Road Gospel Hall in Portage la Prairie.

From a young age, Dad was interested in missions. He would regularly save money from his paper routes to send to missionaries around the world. Between attending a local assembly that was involved in supporting missions and having two older sisters who were missionaries in El Salvador and Chile, it was not surprising that Dad would be interested in serving the Lord abroad.

Dad became a high school teacher, and so he had time during the summer months to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. In 1970 he married Florence Hall, a nurse from Minitonas, MB, who had similar life goals and was a support to him. Dad was a faithful husband and spiritual leader in the family. He was a loving father to the four of us kids and our spouses and a proud grandfather of 26. He rejoiced when each of us received Christ as our personal Saviour and encouraged us in our service for the Lord.

A couple of years after Mom and Dad were married, Mr. Rey from Dad’s home assembly saw that he was serving the Lord during the summers and encouraged him to go into full-time ministry. In 1972 his local assembly in Minitonas wrote Dad a letter of commendation, and his home assembly in Portage la Prairie added their endorsement on it as well. This was the start of over 50 years of serving the Lord in faith. He aimed to follow 2 Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed.”

Dad and Mom considered serving the Lord abroad; however, their focus changed after seeing the need in their own community. They began sharing the gospel at home in Swan River, MB, before moving to a few towns throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They settled in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where Dad started helping his father with children’s clubs in rural towns. He and Grandpa would go into a town and park the large meeting room on wheels they built to use for the services. They visited the communities and invited people to the meetings, where many heard about the Lord Jesus.

Dad made regular trips from Prince Albert to Saskatoon, SK, to visit contacts. It was evident that God was calling him to this new area of service, and in 1984 he moved our family to Saskatoon. Our home was a great example of hospitality. After six years of having Bible studies in the home, a school gymnasium was rented and a small local assembly established with 13 believers meeting to break bread. The Lawson Heights Gospel Hall in Saskatoon was built in 1995 and the local church was relocated. Dad always loved sharing the gospel with children, so the Sunday school and children’s work grew. He regularly visited them on Saturdays, encouraging them to come out and helping the families whenever there was a need.

Eventually, a school bus was purchased and refurbished to use for the children’s meetings. Throughout Saskatoon, the “Good News Messenger” was parked in the summer to hold week-long kids’ clubs. Dad had a way of connecting to the kids and many families heard the gospel.

As the children’s work grew, Dad and Mom had a desire to start a camp work. Mom had received Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour at a Bible camp when she was a young girl, and they wanted to give children a chance to eat good food, receive love and hear the gospel. For 30 years they organized family camps with up to 200 people at a time. Dad and Mom valued the support of many believers from near and far. This camp work inspired others to build relationships with youth and start camp work in their own communities.

Through the camp work, Dad and Mom met families of immigrants who had recently arrived in Saskatoon from China. The children and teens often heard the gospel for the first time while also learning English. Dad continued to foster connections with many of the campers and their families through Bible studies and teaching sessions at the Chinese church. He was thrilled to play a role in their spiritual growth and the baptism of these new Canadians as they began following Christ.

Dad also worked with a group of Arabic-speaking immigrants in Saskatoon. He and Mom met with these believers in their homes for Bible studies, working together with a brother who spoke their language. After a few years in this ministry, seeing many baptized and the group of Arabic-speaking believers growing, they started gathering as a local church.

Over the years, Dad met men and women from the Hutterite colonies and began to share the gospel with them. These connections enabled him to visit over 90 colonies in Saskatchewan each fall, delivering over 2000 gospel calendars each year. Many stops would include an invite into their home for a meal and discussion about salvation and the goodness of God.

There are many things that we appreciate about our father and we have learned from his example. Despite being a full-time evangelist, he made the choice to not be away from home for long periods of time, and even when away, he often took his family with him. He was disciplined, taking time each day to study God’s Word and pray. Dad and Mom lived simply, and were generous to many, supporting missions and helping others who needed a meal or place to stay. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Ti 4:7).

Well done, Dad! You were a spiritual father and a great example.