On February 3, 2025, a very special person celebrated a very special birthday. Earl Nixon turned 90! I’d like to tell you a bit about this remarkable man and what he has meant to our church for so many years.
Earl has been a fixture at Grace and Graceview church for a very long time. He is an elder and at one time was active on session. However, he didn’t like what he viewed as “the politics”, so he retired from active session duty sometime after our amalgamation. He told Rev. Jan, who was minister at the time, “I can serve God best by working with my hands.” He has done exactly that for more than 60 years. As far as I know he hasn’t received a raise in all those years.
Earl first came to Grace church in 1963, and soon found himself involved in the maintenance of both the church building and the manse. In 1971, he served on what was then called a Vacancy Committee, which resulted in the call to Grace of Rev. Cam Taylor.
In the 1980’s, as co-chair of the Property Committee along with John Wright, Earl oversaw many capital improvements to the church property – converting the oil furnace to gas, re-tiling the basement floor, re-shingling the roof, effecting needed repairs to the entrance and front door, and improving the parking lot. In 1980, he arranged for the sale of the property behind the church, where Centennial Park Place is now, which eliminated the serious financial woes of the time. In 1984, he co-ordinated the construction of the addition at the front of the church. Throughout the life of the church, the list of things that Earl initiated, co-ordinated, caused to happen, and/or did himself, is extensive:
· fans in the sanctuary;
· AC units in the sanctuary, the lounge, and the offices;
· dishwashers in both kitchens;
· elevator;
· original screen and projector in the sanctuary;
· cushions on the pews;
· tiles and stair treads in the landings and on the stairs;
· carpeting in the halls and sanctuary;
· insulation and shingles on the roof;
· with help from Dave Taylor, removed the pews and had the oak floors sanded and revarnished;
· painting of the entire church;
· first sound system;
· replacement of the eavestroughs with larger ones;
· automatic door opener.
Sometime during the early years, to save the expense of a caretaker, Earl and Ted Wallace volunteered to take on caretaking duties, seeking help from others as needed. When Ted passed away in 2017, Earl simply carried on. Looking at the list above and the magnificent investment Earl has made of his time and his talents, is it any wonder that he views our church building as his own, and lovingly takes care of it as he would his own house?
On Sunday, February 2, we tried to convey our love, our thanks and our appreciation for what Earl has done for us over the past sixty years. Tipped off by his wife Julia, many of Earl’s family members, having fêted him at their family birthday celebration the night before, surprised him by turning up at church on Sunday morning. Kathy Twynam, who was responsible for the announcements that morning, didn’t stop there but continued on to speak about Earl from the lectern in the sanctuary. Downstairs after the service, Dave Taylor said a few heartfelt words of appreciation and presented Earl with a beautifully framed picture of the church, which sported an engraved plaque.
And of course there was a cake! It was a wonderful opportunity for our church family to share in Earl’s 90th birthday celebration, and personally thank him for his many years of faithful service to Grace and to Graceview.