The Jim & Lydia Graham Family
by Jim and Lydia Graham
We moved to Cochrane in the fall of 1975 and first attended All Saints at Christmas 1975. The church building, although small, was warm and friendly.
A more important factor to us was the welcome we received from Frances and Canon Hill and the rest of the congregation.
Very quickly we became part of the congregation.
Our children, Russell and Beth, attended Sunday School at the Rebekah Lodge (there were toilets at their hall). Lydia helped with Sunday School and became involved with the ACW. We attended socials, camping trips organized by Peter Hunziker and Tom Ashton.
Talent nights featuring Leah Blackwell and Frances Hill were always a great deal of fun.
Russell and Beth were confirmed, and Lydia was accepted into the Anglican Communion by Bishop Goodman.
Jim was a Warden in 1980 when Bishop Ford led the congregation in building an addition to the original church.
The addition included space for Sunday School, meetings and—at last—washrooms on the property, making the trek across the street to the Community Hall with panicked small children unnecessary.
Once Ford Hall was completed, the small office, chancel and nave were incorporated into the sanctuary and "the pew crew" made eight new pews in Jim's garage, following the pattern of the old.
Jim served on the vestry and as a warden on a number of occasions. A "semi permanent" building committee looked at a number of options for building a new church.
Jim worked with the Department of Environmental Design on one of the more interesting projects that had students prepare designs for building on the 2nd Avenue site. The students' ideas varied from the fairly traditional to taking the bottom out of the old church and using it as a cupola on a new building!
Lydia remembers working with Jean Blackwell, Robin Harvie, Ava Lewis, Frances Hill and Betty-Lou Gilbert on numerous teas, pie-making and social events.
Many of the people we've met at All Saints have become life-long friends.
Lydia and Jim remain active in the church community. Lydia is a lay reader and server, and helps with arranging social and other events. Jim is a warden and is involved with the purchase of Saint Mary's.
We are looking forward to a new era as we move into a new larger space.
