Tribute to Allan B. Harper at FCA National Convention and on 100 Huntley Street

On April 22, 2010, Roger Armbruster paid a tribute to the legacy of Pastor Allan B. Harper of Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba, at the National Convention of the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies in Red Deer, Alberta. Two of Allan B. Harper's daughters--Eileen and Dorothy--were in attendance.



A short time earlier, David Mainse of 100 Huntley Street also paid a special tribute to the memory and legacy of Pastor Allan B. Harper.

Pastor Allan B Harper participates in Sacred Assembly 1995

Tribute to Pastor Allan B. Harper, April 15, 1925 - March 16, 2010

This tribute to the memory of Pastor Allan B. Harper, father of Elijah Harper, and spiritual father to many in northern Manitoba, is being posted on April 15, 2010, which would have been his 85th birthday. He passed into the presence of the Lord that he loved just one month ago, on March 16, 2010. This great man of God pastored the Red Sucker Lake Full Gospel church, and was in active ministry for over 54 years, and had an open heart for reconciliation with all people, of all races, cultures, denominations and generations.

He will be sadly missed, but he left a great legacy behind, and a great role-model for the younger generation to follow.
Red Sucker Lake is located in the north-eastern part of Manitoba, very close to the Manitoba-Ontario border, some 350 air kilometers north-east of Winnipeg. The language is Oji-Cree, and this First Nation was a signatory to the 1909 adhesion to Treaty #5.

Here is an aerial view of Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba, a community to which there are no land linkages except by winter road.

Here are Allan B. Harper's parents, John and Juliet Harper. Even though they may not be personally well known, their descendants have made a huge impact on the nations of Canada.

Here is Allan B. Harper as a young father, together with his wife Ethel, and his family.

Here is the church building where Allan B. Harper first became a believer. This was a decision which greatly influenced his life, as he testified at the Sacred Assembly in Ottawa on December 6, 1995, right before the Prime Minister and other dignitaries that "God has helped me throughout my life! It has been many years."

Here is Pastor Allan B. Harper preaching in the early days. His life never wavered. He was always faithful in being there for the people, and never looked back, even when others did.

This is Pastor Allan B. Harper's first church building.

And here, from another angle, is the first log church building in Red Sucker Lake.

And this was the fresh winter trail that led to the church.

And here is a shot of Allan B. Harper's first snowmobile in the community of Red Sucker Lake.

Inside of the church building, here is a picture of one of the early church meetings. Pastor Allan B. Harper would always be faithfully there, no matter how many showed up.

Here is a baptismal service in the early days. In Red Sucker Lake, they baptize "in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." This is how Pastor Allan B. Harper welcomed the participants (including the Prime Minister) at the Sacred Assembly on December 6, 1995. His words in Oji-Cree were translated by Wally McKay to say, "Upon this Assembly we invoke the blessing of God, and of His Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

Here is Allan B. Harper with some of the believers from Red Sucker Lake standing in front of the new tent for summer campmeetings which had been purchased after fundraising.

Here, we see Allan B. Harper singing under the tent at the annual summer campmeeting which was usually held in early August.

And here we see him preaching under the same tent at the same summer campmeeting. He was always encouraging, always uplifting, never condemning.

During the summer campmeeting of August, 1994, which I, Roger Armbruster, was privileged to attend, you see here Allan B. Harper on the platform (back row centre right) leading in a worship song along with some of the elders from Red Sucker Lake. It was during this campmeeting that Allan requested special prayer for his son Elijah who was very sick at the time with a very mysterious sickness.

During that same campmeeting, Allan B. Harper is here praying with a young man by the name of Mike Monias, who had just entered into a personal relationship with Christ during that tent meeting.

This is the latest Red Sucker Lake Church Building which was completed by the early 1990s.

By the summer of 1995, Elijah Harper had been healed in answer to prayer, and he called a Sacred Assembly for Ottawa from December 6 - 9 in that year. Standing on the platform here for the opening ceremony from left to right are Allan B. Harper (pastor from Red Sucker Lake), Ovid Mercredi (Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations), Jean Chretien (Prime Minister of Canada), Elijah Harper (MP from Churchill), and Ron Irwin (Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development).

Significantly, Elijah had asked his father to give the opening welcome and opening prayer of invocation to invoke God's blessing on the Gathering.

With Wally McKay translating for Allan Harper from Oji-Cree into English, he boldly declared before the Prime Minister and all of the dignitaries present: "God has helped me throughout my life! It has been many years!

"And it is the Commission that we have received that we do everything in God's Name, and upon this Assembly we invoke the blessing of God, and of His Son, and of the Holy Ghost!"

Elijah Harper declared, "I have a vision for this country we call Canada...Above all, it is a vision that acknowledges and embraces the supremacy of God, our Creator." Later, he added, "We must open the door for the presence of the Holy Spirit."

I do not recall another time in Canadian history when the political leaders from all parties, and the main denominational leaders from all churches came together like this before with a common purpose to repent, and to deal with the heart issues that needed to come out and to be healed on the part of both Native and non-Native people.

Later that day, Allan B. Harper was able to meet personally with Prime Minister Jean Chretien. In his earlier remarks, Jean Chretien had declared, "I think, Mr. Harper, that you have found a new way. Spirituality is missing a lot in our society, and spirituality is absolutely needed to find the right way!"

Here, Allan B. Harper is on Parliament Hill with two of his sons, Elijah Harper on his right, and Fred Harper, the former chief from Red Sucker Lake, on his left.

This is another shot of Allan B. Harper with some of his family members, including Elijah, on Parliament Hill.

Thereafter, with Wally McKay again translating, Allan was able to share on 100 Huntley Street the testimony of his wife Ethel's visitation of angels.

Back in a home setting, here is a picture of Allan B. Harper's sons and daughters, of which he had many, both physically and spiritually.

In the spring of 2006, a special celebration was organized in Red Sucker Lake by Leonard and Eileen McDougall (Allan's son-in-law and daughter) to celebrate the anniversary of 50 faithful years in ministry for Allan B. Harper. Here he is testifying to God's faithfulness over the years, with Gordon Disbrowe translating.

I was privileged to attend that very special occasion, and to bring greetings on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies Church in Canada, with whom Allan has had his ordination for many years.

Near the end of the 50th Anniversary Celebration, Pastor Allan B. Harper announced for the first time his successor, George Disbrowe. Today, George is the new pastor of the Full Gospel Congregation in Red Sucker Lake.

Today, there is a strong sense that not only will George Disbrowe continue the spiritual legacy of Allan B. Harper, but that the anointing will get even stronger in the next generation through Allan's spiritual sons and daughters.

During his last years, Pastor Allan B. Harper grew steadily weaker in the flesh, while his faith grew steadily stronger, even though he had to at times sit down while sharing.

Here he is after a Sunday afternoon service in September of 2006. Notice, he is now using a cane, with a four-wheeler close by the entrance to the church. This was the vehicle that he rode faithfully to and from church.

Allan B. Harper was awarded a Certificate of Honor at the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies National Convention in Cranbrook, B. C., in October of 2006. Glen Forsberg, the presiding elder of the FCA in Canada is here presenting the certificate to Allan while Elijah Harper and Norbert Flett (Allan's son-in-law) look on.

Glen and Allan's relationship goes back many years, to the mid-1970s, when Glen was still pastoring in Steinbach, Manitoba, and his congregation became the initial covering in Manitoba for the Red Sucker Lake Full Gospel Church.

Here, Alan B. Harper displays his Certificate of Honor Award from the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies in Canada. Earlier that evening, Allan and 23 other friends and relatives from Red Sucker Lake led a procession into the service to a standing ovation.

One of the men from Red Sucker Lake said later that he had never felt so honored as a First Nations person, or ever before treated with such dignity and respect. The last time that I was in Red Sucker Lake, the people up there were still talking about this, and how it deeply touched them.

Pastor Allan B. Harper has now finished his race, and left the familiar spot in the church that he filled so faithfully. He was truly a great man of God who will long be remembered in northern Manitoba and beyond.

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on,

that they might rest from their labors, and their works follow them"

(Revelation 14:13).

Allan B. Harper: April 15, 1925 - March 16, 2010

The Governor General meets Manitoba First Nations