It came as a shock to his flock.
Sunday morning, during the services at Westwood Church (there are two there each Sabbath morning) Mel Fehr stood at the front, where he had stood so many times before.
Over a 25-year tenure, to be precise.
The senior pastor at Westwood announced his resignation, his time leading the congregation to come to an end in a month.
In an uncommon response for a Sunday gathering, he received a standing ovation.
Pastor Mel Fehr, raised in Vanderhoof with Biblical training in Saskatchewan and Texas, was added to the staff in the early days of 1985, serving first as youth pastor, then promoted to senior pastor barely a year later. And until Sunday, he was the constant rock which the congregation could count on in good times and bad.
During his time serving Westwood, Pastor Mel married countless couples, then often counseled them through the tough times that befall us all. He consoled the ill, the dying, until it came time to eulogize them.
He saw youth grow up to become pillars of the community, and he saw the pillars of a new building go up at the church's current site on Ospika Boulevard -- along with pillars that came with the significant addition that was christened less than two years ago. The growth of the congregation, and the expanded integration into the community, is indisputable through Pastor Mel's time serving his church, and many city residents have been touched by his service in one way or another. He realized that a church that does not extend into its community, and welcome those around, it is not long to be a church.
Notably, Westwood Church is getting ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary, with a special weekend planned in May.
Pastor Mel guided the church through tough times that included the tragic passing of associate Pastor Bill Cram, hit by a car in 1997 while out for a ride on his bike.
Not a shy personality, Pastor Mel has played competitive basketball, served on countless community committees, and even acted as chaplain for the Prince George Cougars junior hockey team.
Pastor Mel, viewed by many in the community to be a like-souled soul but a taller 'brother' to Rev. Lance Morgan, the long-serving former pastor of the First Baptist Church, has not divulged his future plans, and he may not even know yet at this point, but it won't be a surprise if he doesn't go far from this area, his home.
As is the case for many people who do so much positive work in the community, Pastor Mel has a spouse who is integral to a project that is so important to the region. LaDonna Fehr is part of the group guiding the formation of the new cancer clinic, and she will no doubt stay the course until that program is completed -- and, who knows, perhaps beyond that.
The resignation comes at a tough time for the Fehr family, with Mel's brother David in rehabilitation in Vancouver following a stroke, and so many family members at David's side to help his every step. But, with the fruits of Pastor Mel's 25 years of service, it's hard to imagine the Fehr family not emerging from these times with grace and strength.
