On November 21, 1914, a meeting was held to consider building a church at Glen Leslie. A subscription list was drawn up with cash donations and volunteer labor promised. Alfred Olson was hired as the carpenter for $4.00 per day. The 20’ x 30’ log church was built on ten acres allotted for a church and cemetery on SW 6 72 3 W6. By March 1915, the logs were hauled and construction began after spring work. Total cost of the Church was $468.00. The first church service was held on October 30, 1915 and continued until 1964.
The following web page shows a list of the weddings at Glen Leslie that we know about.
We will add more as we get info. Please let us know of others to add. ♥
Glen Leslie wedding

GLEN LESLIE CHURCH AND CEMETERY
  On November 21, 1914, a meeting was held to consider building a church at Glen Leslie, on 10 acres allotted for a church and cemetery, in a survey made in 1910, on the southwest corner of Sec. 6-72-3 W6th.
  The decision was made to procure logs, in the winter months, to make a log church. Also, a subscription list was drawn, with cash donations and labor promised by all present. The building committee consisted of Dan Michin, Alex Milne, Lewis Fowler, Bruce Leslie and Norman Leslie.
  By March, 1915, the logs were hauled and construction began soon after spring work. Alf Olson was in charge, with pay of $4.00 per day; his most able assistant being Nels Myres.
  Nick Altman made the chimney. The entire neighborhood helped and the job was completed in the autumn.
Cost:
Building material from Cook & Boyd mill .. ....... $117.64
Nails, windows, etc. , from Harold Peebles .......    46.73
Buffalo Lakes Co., flooring . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .    55 .40
Labor ................. ..... ..... .. ....... ... .. .... .... .....  248.23
Total cost of the 20 by 30 foot church .. .. .. .. .. $468.00
  The first church service was on Oct. 30, 1915, and continued until 1964. The church is still used on special occasions. It was renovated and reshingled in 1942 with spruce shingles (the original were pine) and again in 1976, with cedar. A cement foundation was laid in 1970.
  The church was also used as a school from 1918 to 1928. The first teacher was Marion Morrison. She had seven pupils; I was one.
  The first to be buried in the Glen Leslie cemetery was Mrs. Parker, in 1914. The county took over the cemetery in 1928, and surveyed the lots. Today, there are over 200 of our pioneers and their descendants, forever resting on the quiet, pastoral hillside. The graveyard is well kept and the church, with its original hand made pews, large church Bible, plus an added organ, has never been locked. And may it never be.

Glen Leslie Church 1976
The above from:
Smoky River to Grande Prairie
ISBN 0-88925-036-7
1978
Publishers
The Golden Years Club of Bezanson
Ralph Girvan, R.R. 1, Grande Prairie, Alta.
Douglas Clarkson, R.R. 1, Grande Prairie, Alta.

Printed and bound in Canada by
Friesen Printers
5720 Mcleod Trail S.W.
Calgary, Alberta
T2H 0J6
Head Office: Altoona, Manitoba


This from before the formation of the Preservation Group (September 11, 2017)
 Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group
   In 1915, people south of the Kleskun Hills banded together to build a log church near the homestead of Thomas Leslie. Work was completed that fall and on October 30th, the first service took place in what became known as the Glen Leslie Church.
   Since that day, the church has withered the ravages of time and remains one of few pre-World War I structures left in the area. In 2010, it was designated a Municipal Historic Resource by the County of Grande Prairie.
   The Church, however, is in need of repair. Matching funding for restoration work is available from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, but it can only be accessed if a restoration group can be formed to oversee operations.
   For this reason, several people from east of Grande Prairie intend to meet this spring to consider forming a society, albeit informal, to see what we can do. If you would like to see this church preserved, we would like to hear from you. Please call: Wanda Zenner (780-538-2702) or Irene Gitzel (780-539-3884)

Sandra Shepherd, Web Administrator,
County of Grande Prairie No. 1
Phone: 780-532-9842 Ext  208
 
News articles
Pioneer Church To Be Preserved
   A little Presbyterian church, its crumbling foundation laid over a half a century ago, is to be preserved by the pioneer district from which its first congregation was gathered for worship.
   Grande Prairie County council at its July session, visited by a delegation from the Glen Leslie church board of which Neil McLaughlin is chairman, was advised of plans for the old church, its grounds and adjacent cemetery.
   The delegation requested that the county acquire an additional six acres needed to enlarge the cemetery and provide a road into the grounds.
   The Oct. 26, 1915 issue of the Grande Prairie Herald announced opening of the church by Dr. Alexander Forbes, pioneer Presbyterian missionary.
   "The new Presbyterian Church at Glen Leslie will be opened for regular service on Sabbath Oct. 31. The church is situated seven miles due east of Cecil Johnston's of Deep Creek. Services will begin at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The hour, it is hoped, will be convenient for all parties interested, especially any who may drive from a distance and who will be anxious to return home before dark.
   Today's church board plans to restore the old church with new cement foundation.
   In 1924 the original four acres of cemetery was transferred to the Crown for consideration of 1$ and in 1929 was taken over by the Municipal District of Grande Prairie No. 739.
   Council also approved in principle undertaking a site for a new Hythe cemetery.
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada - Fri, Jul7, 1967 Page 12
 
Group working to restore Glen Leslie church
Aaron Hinks
Herald-Tribune Staff
   The Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group is working tirelessly to have the rural community’s old Presbyterian church recognized as a provincial historic resource.
   The church and its cemetery was declared a municipal historic resource in spring 2010. The organization is now taking it to the next stage.
   It will apply, Sept 1 for a grant from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation for funding to restore the building consecrated in October 1915 by pioneer minister Rev. Alexander Forbes of Grande Prairie.
   The church needs to meet a few requirements in order to be considered for the grant: It has to be some sort of important aspect of Alberta's national history, has to be situated in its original location and has to retain the physical sight features necessary for its significance.
   “There will be no problem with it getting registered, however, I think you can appreciate whenever you’re dealing with the government it's a time-involved process" said preservation group president Wanda Zenner.
   If the church was to be approved for the Alberta grant the government will match any funds the GLCPG puts forward to restore the building.
   "I always tell people when I'm soliciting funds, every dollar you give me consider it two dollars Zenner said.
   The group is fairly confident of being approved.
   "It does need a lot of work" she said "We have gone through all the other hoops, this is last stage"
   Zenner is amazed the church is still standing It’s one of the few pre-World War 1 structures left in the area.
   Besides serving the Glen Leslie community about 20 kilometres east of Grande Prairie on the Crystal Creek Road (Highway 670) the church was also utilized as the Somme School from 1918 to 1928. After 1928 the community built a separate frame school.
   The church was also used for functions such as weddings.
   “Once the church is restored to its original state I’m quite certain there will be more events taking place.
   People banded together to originally build the church, Alfred Olson was the hired contractor who worked on the project for $4 a day.
   To fund the building, community members pledged money and time for the much-needed facility.
   Zenner dug through archives for the original subscription list. She recognized some familiar names in the long list of donors, noting her grandfather and great uncle both pledged to build the church.
   "It's very close to my heart" she said.
   The preservation group wants to begin laying a new foundation and replace certain logs, which cannot be salvaged.
   On top of that it needs to find a builder who's trained for log structures.
   "Even finding a log restorer has not been an easy process, it's became kind of a lost art.
   People interested in helping sponsoring the project can make donations payable to the County of Grande Prairie (Glen Leslie Restoration Project). The group's annual membership fee is $10.
   Board members in addition to Zenner (780-538-2702) include secretary-treasurer Theresa Moon (780- 532-9168), Irene Gitzel, Ray Boyer,Grant Bulford, Melvin Bulford, Gayle Moon, Jim Robertson, David Sorensen and BobVetsch.

Glen Leslie Church, located east of Grande Prairie
on Highway 670, is being restored by a local group.
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada • Wed, Aug 17, 2011 Page 9 
 
Historic Glen Leslie Church to be restored
 Aaron Hinks
Herald-Tribune staff
One of the oldest church buildings in the South Peace will begin a second life this summer.
The Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group is happy to announce renovations of the 1915 Presbyterian church will begin as soon as the snow melts.
The Minister of Culture and Community Development designated the church as a provincial historic resource last year.
The preservationists recently met with community members regional historian David Leonard and Gary Chen, heritage conservation advisor for the provincial government.
‘It was more of an informational meeting. The reason is we wanted to update the community and our board members on what’s happening as far as funding that we’ve applied for said Wanda Zenner, president of Glen Leslie group.
“We got what we applied for and that was absolutely wonderful"
Peace Country Log Builders will take on the renovation project which will be ongoing until 2015.
"I'm really hoping that we can have it done by 2015, so we can have the 100th centennial celebration, like a reopening of the little church" said Zenner.
Almost everything needs to be renovated.
The contractor must reconstruct the church the way it was built in 1915 to save the integrity of the building.
Contractors will start with the frame.
“When the little log church was built, what the settlers had done was set the frame on large rocks, that was the foundation so to speak." said Zenner.
"We Found out that we must preserve these rocks. They're really an important part of the construction from 1915. We're going to implement these rocks into some of the landscaping."
The construction is an expensive process that involves a lot of rules and regulations.
"We have to replace the bottom logs all the way around the building because they’re rotted to the point beyond return. When these logs are replaced, Peace Country Log Builders actually have to mimic the cuts and saw blades that were used." said Zenner.
Since the church was recognized with a historic designation, the preservation group is eligible for matching funding from the provincial government.
"You have to raise $5 to get $5 from the province" said Zenner. It will be an ongoing process. I may even be a little too optimistic saying I hope we’re done by 2015. It all matters on how much we can raise.
"The little Glen Leslie Church needs your help."
The church and its cemetery was declared a municipal historic resource in spring 2010.
Besides serving the Glen Leslie community, about 20 kilometres east of Grande Prairie on the Crystal Creek Road (Highway 670), the church - dedicated by pioneering Presbyterian minister Rev. Alexander Forbes - was also utilized as the Somme school from 1918 to 1928. After 1928 the community built a separate school.
The church was also used for functions such as weddings.
Donations can be made to the Glen Leslie restoration project through the County of Grande Prairie administration building located in Clairmont.
aaron@dailyherald-tribune.com
twitter @dhtaaron
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada • Fri, Mar 30, 2012 Page 12 
 
Glen Leslie Church renovations underway
Kirsten Goruk
Herald-Tribune staff
Work is underway to restore the Glen Leslie Church to its former and safer glory.
   Restorations on the church, a designated Alberta Historical Resource, have been in the works for a couple of years. The project is a partnership between the Glen Leslie Preservation Group and the County of Grande Prairie, with the support of the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.
   It was built in 1915, so there are not to many buildings around that are left from that long ago, it's almost a 100 years, said County Councilor Harold Bulford.
   "It’s stood the test of time; it’s a fairly decent building for being that old. It’s going to take a little bit of work to get it back to stand the test of time, but it's weathered the storm pretty good."
    Construction has already begun on the church and work will probably plug along until the end of the year. In addition to some roof work, crews also have to tackle upgrading the church’s foundation.
    "They started a couple of weeks ago to get the building ready. They have to move it off the foundation and then they’re going to redo the foundation and a couple of the bottom logs and move it back on" Bulford said.
   Back in the day the church served as a school house and community centre, among other things. The cemetery which had its first burial in 1914, services a large area in the county. Wanda Zenner, president of the Glen Leslie Preservation Group said that the start of restoration is a very exciting moment for the group's members.
   "It' been a long time coming. We as a group have been working really hard to gather donations. The community support has been really wonderful," Zenner said.
   The current estimate cost for the work is about $90,000 although that could go up depending on the issues that might arise as the work is completed. All of the money for the construction is being raised through fundraising efforts and grant applications and those efforts are far from over, as the group is still looking for more support.
   While work is being completed, people are encouraged to stay away from the actual site and to exercise caution when driving near the construction area.
   "It’s probably best if they stay out of there. There’s going to be some cranes and stuff there. They'll need quite a bit of room to move it around there," Bulford said.
   Once the church is back in its usual spot, everyone is encouraged to drop by and visit the historical site.
   "It’s a pretty good landmark, with the cemetery being there. I think once it gets fixed up they’ll probably even have some weddings and stuff in there, like small weddings." Bulford said.
   "It's a neat building, but it's Just getting kind of unsafe to be in there right now."
   The Glen Leslie Church is located about 20 km east of Grande Prairie cm Highway 43 and then about 3 km south of Range Road 40.
kirsten.goruk@sunmedia.com

The Glen Leslie Church will be under construction this
summer as renovations are done to restore the structure.
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada • Fri, May 17, 2013 Page 5 
 
Raising the roof
Glen Leslie Church restoration progressing well
  CARYN CEOLIN
Herald Tribune Staff
     Restoration of the Glen Leslie Church reached a climax Wednesday when construction workers were able to remove and reposition the original garble roof clad in wood shingles.
   “It’s definitely challenging" said Ken Boon with Chinook Log Homes. We ended up with more rotten logs than we originally thought, so there were that many more logs we had to replicate from before and that's always interesting."
   In addition to the roof work crews still have a lot to tackle This includes restoring the brick chimney at the rear of the building and its five-panel door flanked by windows on either side.
   Construction on the historic site began in May and is slated for completion in 2015 for the church's 100th anniversary.
   "It’s definitely an ongoing process —there’s no two ways about it" said Wanda Zenner, president of the Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group. “When you think of this whole set up what amazes me is that (the construction crew) can restore this building by moving it piece-by-piece inch-by-inch."
   According to Zenner, the : church now a designated Alberta Historical Resource once sat on large rocks. However, overtime the rocks settled into the earth, causing the structure to shift. It was then moved off its original foundation so that the base could be upgraded and the walls stabilized log-by-log. It has since been moved back on. We think if we weren’t able to preserve it here in this time, it probably would have been falling down in a few years." Zenner said. "The history of this area is really hinged on this church so it was really Important that we try to preserve it at all costs."
   The rural church approximately 20 kilometres east of Grande Prairie on Secondary Highway 670 served the county in many ways back in the day," Zenner said. While built as a place of worship for homesteaders the approximately six-by-nine metre church also doubled as a school and community centre.
   "It really was the hub of this entire area but it was getting a little iffy in terms of the integrity of the building, so we really needed to do something with it.
   "The value of the church’s heritage not only lies in its rich history, but also in its architecture," Zenner said.
The style of construction used to craft the church from squared logs with exposed exterior  walls is now rare throughout the province.
   "It’s supposed to be one  of the very few un-relocated buildings of this age  in northern Alberta." said Zenner,   who’s hoping the church will get the official designation of  a Provincial Historic Site once construction is brought to fruition.
Challenges to restoration of Glen Leslie Church
     Refurbishing the Glen Leslie Church to its former glory has posed a fair share of challenges, Boon said.
   Walls were torn down due to a high number of rotten logs that needed replacing. This means new logs need to be matched with former ones.
    "We’ve done quite a few restorations in the past but this is an interesting one because it's one of the older (buildings) we’ve worked on and just the nature of how we’ve had to do things" said Boon
   "Sometimes we just tear the building right apart and then rebuild from scratch. Building new is straightforward. With (restoration) you're dealing with twists and issues that have existed since the first time it was built."
   For instance Boom said dovetail joints on the original structure weren't constructed at a unanimous angle back in 1915. But while combining the old with the new might be challenging it'll make it that much more rewarding in the end.
    "One of the most fascinating things about this job is working with the original flooring" said Boom who thought the floors would be entirely rotten once they had sunk at the comers "When we flipped (the floors) everybody was amazed at how sound the wood was underneath so the decision was made to try and reincorporate it into the new foundation and that worked out really well."
   The eight original pews have also stood the test of time.
   "There really is something to be said about capturing part of your history." said Zenner. "Hopefully the building will last 100 more years once construction is complete."
   The restoration project is a partnership between the County of Grande Prairie and the Glen Leslie Preservation Group with support from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. Construction is currently being funded through fundraising efforts and grant applications.
 Caryn.ceolin@sunmedia.ca
 Twitter;@DHTCaryn

The Glen Leslie Church restoration is still underway. Construction workers have been able to preserve the original building, and put the roof back into place while upgrading the foundation on Wednesday. Construction of the historical site is slated for completion by 2015 to commemorate the church's 100th anniversary.
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada · Thursday, July 04, 2013 Page 8 & 9
 
Restoration fund for Glen Leslie Church receives boost
 JOCELYN TURNER
 Herald-Tribune staff
   The ongoing restoration project at the Glen Leslie Church located on Highway 670 Just east of Grande Prairie received a $30,000 grant last week from the Alberta Historeical Resource Foundation. The church as well as other buildings deemed historical resources around the province received funding in order to continue with needed repairs and restorations to the sites.
   "I’ve been working with the (Glen Leslie Preservation group for quite some time and the building is in bad condition” said Heritage Conservation Advisor for the Northern region Gary Chen about the church who has been in the restoration process since May.
    In his time working with the preservation group Chen said they were able to take out the rotting logs and replace them as well as put down a new solid foundation that will prevent the new logs from touching any moisture and causing them to rot, which would mean more repairs for the church in the future.
   "The funding can go a step further and allow them to even finish the windows and the doors," he said. "And I know they're repairing all the original windows right now and they have somebody right now going to fix the rotten door... by the time It’s finished, we can see the maturity and original integrity of the building."
   The church is associated with Reverend Forbes who, Chen said, was very instrumental in the northern area's history. Because of the building's historical value, to not only the region, but to the province, it was awarded the grant to finish the repairs and restoration.
   County Coun. Harold Bulford said he recently visited the site and most of the log work has been completed. Workers has set the roof back onto the building and set it back onto the new foundation.
   'It's looking really good; they did a really good job," he said.
   Restoring important landmarks such as the church, Bulford said is important to the community and county as it keeps the history alive and provides the public with the physical piece of history they can visit and learn about.
   "I think it's really important for the county to preserve history whenever they can. You know, there’s a saying: 'You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you come from or where you've been' so I think it's important to keep that history alive as much as we can," he said.
   "In the county there's so pretty unique buildings in the area and I think most of the county council agrees that we got to work on that stuff and keep it in as good of shape as we can so we do have those pieces of history for other people."
   The restoration to the church is expected to be complete, by 2015 just in time for its 100th anniversary.
   The heritage grants were awarded to over 70 projects throughout the province through the foundation’s Heritage Preservation Partnership Program and Municipal Heritage Partnership Program.
   For a full list of recipients, amounts, project details, visit culture.alberta.ca/ahrf
 Joselyn.turner@sunmedia.ca
 Twitter; @DHTJocelyn
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada · Monday, July 22, 2013 Page 8
 
Mould discovery stalls Glen Leslie restoration
  JOCELYN  TURNER
 Herald-Tribune staff
   The discovery of mould has caused some minor delays to the Glen Leslie Church restoration project.
   The church located approximately 20 kilometres east of Grande Prairie has suffered some minor damage potentially due to the amount of rain that fell on the region over the summer causing mould (Stachybotrys) to grow between the floor and the sub-flooring.
   What had happened is that we removed the top three logs from the roof all in one piece. They took the logs down and of course removed the ones that were beyond being repaired and took the floor off and set the floor on blocks out beside where the roof was, and unfortunately after that happened we have three weeks of rain” explained Wanda Zenner, president of the Glen Leslie Church Preservation Group.
    Zenner said when they were putting the roof back on the historic church people began to notice a musty smell. She said workers were called in to do some sampling and when the results came in  sure enough it was mould.
   Thankfully, Zenner said,  because they had started  the restoration project early enough the mould will be taken care off without putting a glitch In their plans to have the building finished by 2015, the facility’s centennial.
   Thank goodness we, those of us who have been involved in other projects, know we need to start these things early because typically there Is always something that takes longer than what you had anticipated.
    Because of the issue the County of Grande Prairie council awarded an additional $85,000 from the CAP levy reserve, in order to remove all of the mould and lead paint from the building during its regular meeting on Monday.
    Once the mould and lead paint have been taken care of, Zenner said it’s mostly cosmetic work left to be finished.
    "One half of the shingles still need to be replaced. The company that was actually doing the shingles for us ran into some delays as well. In fact he had thought that perhaps this week since the weather has been nice that we would be able to get the rest of that done,” she said.
   Local business steps up for Toys for Tots campaign 
   "My understanding is when the mould (and paint) is removed there will be some minor touch ups as far as painting goes and it would just basically be some cosmetic work."
   The hardwood flooring however is a bit of a different story, Zenner explained that once the mould and lead paint Is removed the floors will need to be sanded and varnished.
   “So if they do (the removal) now we would be starting on that relatively soon," she said. "I am just so thankful that we started it when we did because... something could come up and we still have, you know the summer as a window of when we can finish off these things." The project is expected to begin within the first two weeks of December and wrap up within two weeks.
Jocelyn.turner@sunmedia.ca

During the course of the Glen Leslie Church restoration workers have discovered mould in the structure While the problem will cause some delays efforts should still allow for completion in time for the buildings 2015 centennial
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada • Fri, Nov 29, 2013 Page 8
 
Exerts from:
County hands out more than $2 million in capital grants
JOCELYN TURNER
Herald-Tribune staff
Various sports recreation and cultural facilities and organizations in the County of Grande Prairie are set to benefit from $2,080,734 in capital grants Council announced on Monday that approximately $1,580,834 of the total amount is going toward major capital community projects (more than $50,000) and $487,400 toward capital assistance grants (between $5,000-$50,000). Another $12500 was allocated for 100th anniversary celebration projects.
...
On the list of recipients was the Glen Leslie Church Preservation Society. The organization received funding for the church's 100th anniversary celebration. ‘We’re supporting them in the restoration of the church there too," said Sutherland. "I believe they're getting $12,500... they’re having a homecoming type of celebration (for the milestone) so hopefully it will help the locals to provide a really nice homecoming for the people who comeback.”
...
The Daily Herald-Tribune
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada • Tue, Jan 6, 2015 Page 5