The Larry Woelke Story

Larry Woelke should have pain written all over his 53-year-old face.
Instead, his smile is of the 400-watt variety.
After all, Woelke is the enthusiast pastor of Vernon's growing Cornerstone Bible Church, without a worry in the world, you might say.
Wrong.
Woelke has seen the upside and also the downside of life, particularly within his own family, in which his sister, Marg, was murdered by his nephew and the aftermath, all because of the "consequences of sin."
The youngest of eight, Woelke evolved from being a poor dirt farmer's kid in central Manitoba to an extremely talented singer, hockey player, building contractor, and then, at the age of 36 he and his wife, Eunice, and family of four -- two boys and two girls -- moved into a house trailer. Four years later, he emerged with his BA in religion and pastoral ministeries from Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Saskatchewan.
However, his becoming a pastor in Vernon had some dramatic twists and turns.
Those boyhood years found Larry Woelke on the move with his family -- from Neewapa, Manitoba, to Kenora, Ontario, for his father, David, tried to keep his brood afloat by operating heavy equipment while moving place to place.
With sister Diane on accordion and young Larry on guitar, the duo were sought after in churches, and even gained much acclaim in a popular talent contest in Winnipeg with the hymn, "How Great Thou Art." Then the offers came in from clubs, but the Woelke brother-and-sister act turned them down.
At age 13, he made a life-changing decision.
It was done in quite dramatic fashion.
He was torn about playing hockey on Sundays and listening to his conscience about keeping the Sabbath Day "holy."
While at home, and in full gear for a Sunday game, he committed his life to Jesus.
As a centre, his hockey talent was unquestionable and the next step up the ladder was training camp with the 'Let's Get Rowdy' Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League. One of his teammates and future star was Darcy Rota.
However, another turning point for Woelke came abruptly with him breaking his ankle in the major junior 'A' camp.
"I lost interest. I lost heart," said Woelke, remembering the past.
With a broken ankle taped up, he started shooting baskets and gaining his strength back, and since he was attending Grade XII in Prince George, he made a decision to turn out for his school's hockey team -- the Prince George Polars. He not only made the team, but was its MVP and most inspirational player as well as being the PGSS ' athlete-of-the-year.
After high school, his life seemed to take another turn and he took his apprenticeship in carpentry in Prince George and met and married his wife, Eunice. Both were in their early 20s. She was the daughter of well-known missionaries, who had been stationed in Ethiopia.
All of their four children were born in Prince George as he and Eunice built LBW Construction into a major force in the industry, specializing in "middle-class homes."
However, the high interest rates in the 1980s seemed to settle a pall over the construction business so it was time to move on from Prince George. With the 1988 Olympics looming, the Woelkes moved to Calgary and started contruction on Signal Hill, building a house for his nephew.
It was another turning point.
"My heart just wasn't in it," remembers Woelke.
He was driving on Calgary's Deerfoot Trail when the words to the song, "Never Look Back" came rushing to his mind. "It was a divine moment and I wrote those words as a cry from my heart." His writing utensil was a well-used carpenter's pencil.
He shifted directions, slowly, as he managed Sunbrooke Homes out of Calgary and continued its operation in Whitecourt, Alberta. There was immediate success, "but I wasn't being fulfilled."
It was in 1986, and there was, as he recalled it, "a brief stopover to rebuild our souls" at a marriage encounter in Edmonton.
From that, the Woelkes left Whitecourt to a small house trailer in Caronport, Saskatchewan and after graduation they spent 12 years in Melfort, Sask. The church grew from 150 in attendance to 300.
During the mid-80s, his then-15-year-old nephew, succumbing to "evil pressure" from an older woman, stabbed to death Woelke's sister, Marg, and then blamed it on Marg's husband.
"The young man ran off to his girlfriend's and phoned up the cops.The brother-in-law, who had been sleeping, was awoken when the cops slapped handcuffs on him."
However, their story quickly broke up and the nephew eventually spent three years in juvenile detention in Burnaby, B.C.
Woelke recalled with sadness that today his brother-in-law's life is very sad while his nephew is "out there" and has never apologized to the family.
"We continue to pray for him."
Woelke then continued, "The greatest lessons I have learned in life that has prepared me for pastoral ministry have been in the trenches of adversity. I have found my Saviour to be totally sufficient for all my needs and my heart's desire is to bring Him glory."