Vernon Stake History- Merritt Branch 2012-2014

Submitted by Ronald Garry Raynor

On June 10, 2012, my wife, Denise, and I were called by President Andrew L. Draper, Vernon BC

Stake President, to preside over the Merritt BC Branch of the Church, effective September 2nd,

2012.  We moved to Merritt and I was set apart as the Merritt Branch President with responsibility

to strengthen the local leaders and membership.  

Merritt and the surrounding area has a very large Native population, the culture quite different than

in a non-Native area.  Church attendance was exactly 50% First Nations and 50% Caucasian.  

When we arrived in Merritt, the branch was struggling, even though we had one of the finest

meeting houses in the town and the glorious message of the Restoration for the people.  Five to

twelve local members of 97 on the church roll were attending sacrament meetings regularly.  With

visitors and high council speakers, two full time missionaries and ourselves, sacrament attendance

was 15-20 members.  

Several young single adults and a few families had moved away from Merritt just prior to our arrival.

This seriously depleted the leadership and affected previous membership attendance. Thankfully, a

few faithful souls remained to help with the work. Rob Jensen, Nickolas and Hyrum Peterson, their

families and Jerry Rowley come to mind. Soon new converts assisted and together we struggled to

continue forward, striving to build the faith of each member by meeting with them often

individually, in groups, and mainly by involving them in service to others (callings).

Nickolas Peterson was called to be 1 st Counsellor. He was absolutely faithful in assisting with the

work of the Lord. He was enjoyable to work with – a First Nations member, a BYU graduate and a

faithful temple recommend holder with a fully supportive wife and family. A few years later, after

my release, Brother Peterson became the Branch President.

Merritt eventually became the favourite place for missionaries to serve and was called "Miracle

Merritt" by the missionaries and the Area mission leaders. On one occasion, there were six fulltime

missionaries serving in the branch! After fourteen months of working in Merritt with Denise, I

recorded the following in my journal: "I truly see the Lord's Spirit upon the people.  Membership

attendance has almost tripled.  After three years without a baptism, ten persons were baptized this

year (all adult converts), all priesthood quorum presidencies have been fully formed for the first time

in the history of the branch (to my knowledge), auxiliary leadership is strong and many more

members are participating in supporting the work of building the branch. The youth program needs

to be strengthened, however, there is a very strong primary children's program." 

Much to our disappointment, there were no baptisms during the second year of our mission. At

first, I wondered why we were not baptizing, nevertheless, we continued our service with faith and

had many prayers with our missionaries. In our search for those that would be willing to listen to

the message of the Restored Gospel, and to our amazement, we found 34 baptized members that

were unknown to us because their names were not on the membership roll of the branch when we

arrived.

Finding so many less active members in a small town was literally another small miracle!  They were

added to the membership roll. Two of those found returned to the temple to renew covenants. Two

of our new converts were sealed in the temple. Our attendance increased to an average of forty-

eight for one three-month quarter and forty-two for another on the last two months of our mission.

 Our highest attendance was fifty-nine members in sacrament meeting. On one special evening for a

First Nations event, we had over one hundred people in attendance. On that special evening we had

a medicine man (a relative of one of our members) offer a prayer on our behalf, a member sister

perform a special drum song and another a hoop dance. A weekly volleyball game was set up in the

multipurpose room. We were having good success as the Spirit of the Lord touched the hearts of

the people.

After we were in Merritt for only a few weeks, I was invited by the chair of the local Ministerial

Council, a United Church minister, to join with them for a monthly meeting. For several months we

discussed ways to help the needy, as well as plan for other community events. I was invited to offer

occasional input and seemed to be accepted on the council by the other ministers, until I was asked

to give a short reading from the scriptures (Isaiah 61:1-11) at a 2013 combined faith Christmas

program.

I read the passage from the King James Version of the Bible, exactly as it is written, with no extra

words or explanations. I did give emphasis when impressed to do so. After the meeting, a group of

United Church ladies and others came to me and eagerly expressed their gratitude for the reading.

They told me of good feelings they had as the passage was read, stating that they had not heard from

the King James version of the Bible in years! It seemed that they singled me out because I was a

“Mormon”, one whom many had been taught by their ministers was "not a Christian."

Soon after, I was asked by the chairman of the Council to not attend the Ministerial Council

meetings any more. He was very apologetic as he explained that two of the ministers objected to me

being on the Council inasmuch as in their opinions I should not have read the scriptures publicly

because they considered that I was not a Christian! The Catholic minister, Father Ken, was so upset

with the decision to exclude me from the council, that he denied the use of his meetinghouse, the

largest in Merritt, for use by the council for the Christmas dinner the next year. He considered the

decision by the ministers to exclude me from the council an unchristian act. Father Ken did not

back down and the dinner had to be set up in a civic building the following year. The organizer of

the dinner also refused further participation in organizing the massive dinner that would feed almost

500 persons. I discouraged their action but they held fast to that decision.

Much more could be written about wonderful supporting Church members, the converts who

remained faithful and active (nine of ten throughout 2012-2014) in Merritt and many social activities.

To be sure, there were situations to be corrected but there was a great gospel spirit in Merritt.

We concluded our mission and returned to our home in West Kelowna, BC, on September 7, 2014,

two years and five days after our arrival in Merritt.

Respectively submitted for the Vernon BC Stake historical records.

Ronald Garry Rayner