Gerry Epp

“They were truly salt and light,” says Blaine Lake (Sask.) Gospel Fellowship treasurer Terry Rapsey. “Gerry and Eleanor set the example as individuals, as a couple, as a family; they walk the talk.” On Aug. 15, the congregation held a special service and afternoon open house for members of the congregation, community, and sister church Waldheim MB to say farewell to Gerald and Eleanor Epp who would end their 26-year ministry in the town at the end of August.

With Saskatoon predicted to double in size by 2020 due to the development of oil fields and mines, small towns like Blaine Lake 80 km away are heading for a change. “With the boom, the atmosphere is different,” says Gerry Epp, who’s pastored Blaine Lake’s Gospel Chapel for the last 24 years. He and his wife Eleanor have been a constant presence in the town of mostly Russian and Ukrainian nationality.