An Englishman went traveling through the hamlet of Smith, Alberta in the year 1936. He took an immediate liking to the place and made a decision that would change Smith forever. He said that he would donate money to the town if it would be used to build a church. That is how Smith’s Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd came to be.
Fast forward to 2005 and the Church of the Good Shepherd is now the property of Noni Graling, resident and business owner in Smith. Having stood empty for approximately 15 years, word came from the Anglican Diocese that the church was going to be officially closed.
The church means a lot to Graling and her mother, Vera McConaghy, and four years ago she started the long and, often, arduous process of buying it.
“I was married there,” says Graling. “My two sisters were married there. My children were baptized in it.
“It was really important to my mother that the church wouldn’t rot away. We didn’t want to see it become a granary. In April 2002, I wrote the Bishop in Peace River and asked if I could buy it. A month later, there was a public meeting in town with Reverend Chuck Mortimer. Fifteen people attended the meeting and nobody objected.”
In July of 2002, Graling officially acquired the old building but that was not the end of the road. A search began to find a reputable company that would move the church from its original location to its final resting place next to Graling’s restaurant and antique store, Needful Things.
“I was trying to move it ever since then. I would like to thank my friend Danny Schmode at ATCO for telling me about Peace Country Movers from La Crete. They really knew what they were doing. They came and sized it up and they could do it. They slid the trailer right under there and just moved it. It sat overnight, waiting for ATCO to raise the power lines so the bell tower would pass under.”
Graling does not plan to restore the church to its original condition. Her goal is to preserve it – to keep it from falling further into disrepair. It will not serve as a storeroom or display area for antiques or supplies.
“I’m not hooking up power in there. I’m going to clean it up a little, maybe paint it because there’s not much history in Smith. It’s probably the oldest building in town. I want to put (Smith) historical items in there. I’ll leave it open in the summer a few hours each day because a lot of people come back to Smith after many years and would enjoy visiting it. I might put a copy of the history book (Echoes Along the Athabasca River) in there.
Even though the building now belongs to Graling, it should be noted that it is still a church. People can still use it as one if they wish.
“People can still be married, buried, and baptized in it,” says Graling.

Copyright © 2000 The Lakeside Leader. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.

View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster