Dan and Connie Driedger
Dan:
Connie:
Home Church Kindersley Alliance Church
Saved age 11 in my home church.
Home Church Dalmeny Bible Church
Saved age 10 through a Billy Graham movie.
We met at the Salvation Army Men’s hostel in Regina while on Christian service for CBC. To that
point we had been totally unaware of each other (it was near the beginning of the year). Dan was
to lead the service and Connie was to sing (arranged by another student). Connie sang and I
forgot to take up the offering immediately following. That was a God-moment but hardly profitable
for the Salvation Army.
Following Canadian Bible College graduations (Dan in 1970 and Connie in 1971) we were married
and then attended Brandon University as a husband/wife team. Those were incredible days of
both happiness and needing to trust God for finances as we were both full time students. It
seems incredible that those were the days that God taught us to tithe. As we lived in obedience to
Him we were given a brand new car from an individual who didn’t even own a car at that time.
After University we entered Alliance ministry in Churchill, MB – the candidating was very simple a few phone calls and an agreement that we would accept them and they would accept us .
Our ministries took us from Churchill, to Moose Jaw, back to CBC as Dean of Married Students
(one year), Ottawa (Cedarview), Stoney Creek, Saskatoon (Westgate) and the National Ministry
Centre as Charitable Gift Planner. The ten years in both Moose Jaw and Cedarview were the
highlights of our careers. (The one year in between these two pastorates proved to be God’s gift
to us because during that one year both of Connie’s parents passed away and the change in
responsibilities allowed for time to minister to family matters.). Those years were also years of
stability that we enjoyed while raising our two daughters. In 2011 we retired after 38 years of
ministry. Concurrently, we enjoyed 27 years participating in a family farming joint venture, and 13
years participating with Connie’s family in joint rental housing ownership.
Dan’s focus in ministry involved a high sensitivity to people needs. His motto frequently was,
“Find a Need and Meet It.” For Dan many of the highlights included leading people to Christ in
unique settings: a man in a blue jacket on the other side of the street – but I had to be obedient to
cross the street and share with a total stranger; the barber who cut my hair; the town alcoholic; the
CEO of a winery; the lady who insisted that she wanted to accept Christ right now – five minutes
before the service was to begin; and a young man who has spent years in fruitful lay ministry in
Toronto. We saw a number of people move from lives of comfort to fruitful lay ministry and full
time ministries. The key has been Eph. 4:11-12. Other highlights included: a radio ministry
across the North West Territories (two years); cable T.V. opportunities in Moose Jaw; two years of
ministry to a group of alcoholics and spouses; a wide variety of small group ministries and
mentoring; many years on DEXCOMs; 26 interns; and the birthing of the First Cambodian Alliance
Church, Stoney Creek. During the years as a Charitable Gift Planner I thoroughly
enjoyed helping Christians with their personal finances. I frequently felt that there was
convergence of ministry and my natural inclinations and abilities at that point.
For Connie, as a young girl of 12 reading about the life of Hudson Taylor, I experienced a call to
ministry. In response to that call I attended CBC, my mother’s Alma Mater. Often her example of
church planting in Peace River, AB was my inspiration during our ministry life. (Of note is that 14
members of our immediate families attended CBC.)
A Bible study in my neighborhood, inviting people to church, women’s ministries that were
outreach focused, teaching the Word for life change, leading people to commit to Christ and
become friends of God – these were priorities in my ministry life.
Upon completing my Master’s in Sacred Literature, I pursued the possibility of “bringing the
missionary model of couple ministry home to Canada.” I was the first Senior Pastor’s wife in
Canada to be licensed for ministry which began a ten year experience of serving on church staffs
with Dan – Pastoral Care for Women (Cedarview), Director of Women’s Ministries (Stoney Creek)
and Pastor of Ministry Development (Westgate).
Over the years I had many opportunities for involvement in Area, District and National women’s
ministries. I was elected to the position of President of Alliance Women in 1996. Those years
were marked by extensive travel – usually one major trip each month; presentations at all District
Conferences in Canada; speaking in churches and women’s groups; conducting training events;
teaching classes one week each year at CBC/CTS; writing training materials;; speaking at retreats
in MB, SK, PQ and the Maritimes; calling women to participate in Canadian Projects – to Muslim
women, women of Cambodia (that project exceeded $200,000 and coincided with the birth of
Canada’s first Cambodian church in Stoney Creek, ON), spear heading a push into Tibet; and
introducing a training program for women through Sonlife.
I am thankful for the experiences such as serving on the World Relief Canada Board of Directors,
the BOD of the C&MA and the Board of Governors of CBC/CTS; an advisory capacity to Sonlife
as women’s training programs were developed; a credentialed leader with Vantage Point 3 –
Growing Emerging Leaders; and Alliance Prayer Team.
I have been blessed with a rich heritage in family and church; have been touched in the move of
God in revival in “71; have walked with a committed husband and father of two treasured
daughters; had the encouragement of a man who enabled me to become what God had in mind
for me; enjoyed many experiences of travel; and had the incredible privilege of being invited into
people’s lives.
We have never been led to do things as others would. As the first couple to be a staff husband
and wife team in the Alliance, we felt our joint role was the best thing any church ever did for us.
Our lives have been a reflection of some good advice during our marriage counseling given to us
by Robert Rose – then Dean of Students at CBC. He told us that Connie was to be able to do
everything that I did by way of finances and management of business matters. It was almost as if
that was prophetic. Three times for unique reasons beyond our control Connie had to go ahead
and purchase a property where we would live. She even bought the farm on which we now live.
My extended
family couldn’t believe that I would ask Connie to go check out buying a 73 acre farm I had never
seen. My response was, “If Connie buys it – it will be great!” And it is!
“Retirement” is anything but boring! We both enjoy Worker Emeritus status with the C&MA but
are as involved as we want to be in the local Wesleyan Church. (Alliance Churches are all too far
away). I (Dan) work 10-15 hours per week as Director of Spiritual Growth doing church
assimilation, seminars, oversee the greeters at three morning services etc.
At this point in life as Zoomers our delights are all things growing – from grandchildren to gardens.
Our story will not be like another – retirement consists of logging trees for lumber or firewood,
haying fifty acres, maintaining a 200+ young tree orchard, picking 300-600 pounds of blueberries
per season, growing asparagus for sale, maintaining a large garden, raising virtually anything that
God created – cattle, llamas, dogs, turkeys, chickens and ducks, blowing snow or mowing lawns
for neighbors, selling fruit and veggies, and generating more electricity than we use. Being a
pastor in farm disguise creates unique opportunities with people who would never come to a
church office. Connie calls me “the gentleman farmer.”
We are delighted to be back in the Ottawa area – especially to be able to constructively build into
the lives of our three grandkids here. Our oldest grandchild has William’s Syndrome and is the
primary reason why we wanted to come back to this area.
We continue to be amazed at God’s goodness to us. During the first two pastorates I would
always say “The important thing is not how much we are being paid but if God has called us.”
God has turned even the hardest times in our lives into times of blessing. The last move we
made Connie journalled everything that happened and recorded more than 20 different points in
which we saw the hand of God uniquely at work – some of those points were totally beyond our
control. God is good all the time! In the early years of college and ministry I (Dan) used to often
think “If only I could own a war time home by the time I retire.” I have often walked around our
rural home and think “How did we ever come to enjoy this?” God gave us so much more that we
continue to marvel.