This time Pastor Sandra McIntosh has created a dilemma for me! How am I supposed to choose the person who has had the greatest influence on my life? At my age I’ve had many.
My father of course, stands tall among the list. His constancy in his Christian life, coupled with his pure and simple love for Jesus I’ll always be grateful for. His support all through my life growing up, his love and loyalty I saw in him not only for me but also for my mother, I’ll always treasure. His education ended at Grade 8 due to the fact that, being the only son with 5 sisters, he was needed to work on the farm. Perhaps his most valuable instruction to me (I can still hear him telling me) was, “Stewart, nothing, nothing deserves a lie.” That has so stayed with me and I’ve tried to instill the same advice in my two kids. And from what I’ve observed in them (they’re now 54 and 50) that advice took root and now I see them passing on the same principle to their children.
My very first Pentecostal Pastor was a huge influence too. I was 15 years old when my parents and I left a mainline church for the little PAOC church in my hometown in Western Ontario. God’s call was on my life and he nurtured that. He gave me such practical advice on a myriad of pastoral issues. For example, after the very first worship service that I led in our small church he advised me, “Two things Stewart. First, always announce the hymn numbers at least 3 times (hymnbooks were used back in 1957) and take your hands out of your pockets!”
However, the man I’ve chosen to share with you as the one who has had the greatest influence on my life was not a pastor, he was not a theologian, he was not a Bible College instructor, he was basically a businessman who loved God with a passion and who rose to national and international prominence in his vocation. Basically, Leonard was a “Pickle Salesman!”
I first met him in 1968 when candidating for a lead pastor’s position in south western Ontario. The date was October 31, yes, Halloween night. He was scheduled to make a long trip across Canada starting the next day, so he encouraged the Church Board to meet with me that evening – at his beautiful estate home on the shore of Lake Erie. Leonard was a gifted leader and I witnessed that skill for many years right up to his death at the age of 93.
The scripture verse that describes Leonard best, in my opinion, and reveals his profound influence on my life is found in Proverbs 27:17. The writer declares, “You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.” (The Message). The NIV says the same verse this way, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” From that first encounter with Leonard in 1968 and right up to his passing in 1992, that verse accurately describes the positive influence he had on me. In 1968 I was 26 – Leonard was 69. A difference in our ages of 43 years, but he and I just “clicked”. He taught me to question, encourage, coach/mentor, and challenge, all of course, in a caring, gracious way.
His full name was Leonard Denithorne Crimp. He was born in England and came to Canada with his parents in 1911 – the very same year that Ottawa Bethel became recognized as a Christian Charity. (More about that near the end of this blog). The family located originally in Calgary. His education took place here and he had many part-time jobs as a teenager. When WW1 broke out, he went into
farming and ranching because the thought that was the patriotic thing to do. Grow food! In 1925 he bought a grocery store. An HJ Heinz company salesman who met him suggested that Leonard apply to the company for a position. He followed that lead, and for 39 years he worked for the HJ Heinz Company as the company’s Vice-President in charge of sales! LD, as he was affectionally called, married Julia in 1925. They moved to Toronto in 1926 and he became head salesman as well as a troubleshooter in locations that needed his skills across Canada. Two daughters were born in these years, and in 1932 the company moved the family to Montreal where LD became the branch manager of the largest branch in Canada. He and his sales staff sold rail carload orders in such quantity that he became known as “Carload Crimp!” I called him the “Pickle Salesman.”
In 1952 he was moved to Leamington, Ontario, the headquarters of the HJ Heinz Company. It was here that he became VP of Sales for the company and a member of the Board of Directors. These positions he held until his retirement in 1964, and just 4 years later we met and became fast friends.
Here are just a few examples of how he impacted my life.
LD always took the long view of life. He was mindful of the present, but he planned and strategized for the future.
The church was experiencing significant growth from the 150+ in attendance when we arrived. Leonard spoke to me one day saying that in his view we simply had to expand in order to be able to serve the growing needs. Our church building from the outside looked like the storefront buildings one would see in an old Western movie – flat front with step-like construction up to the top. “We should tear that useless architecture down, and add to the front of the building. That will increase our capacity in the sanctuary and give us a decent foyer and nursery. Plus, we need a carport for young families to let off their children safely and it will be useful too for seniors to gain access. Our climate here is very muggy and hot in the summer, so it’s time to get air-conditioning installed, and while we’re at it I think we should install padded pews.” WHEW! OKAY, I guess. “And by the way,” he said, “We can finance this internally by borrowing from the congregation. We’ll offer the going interest rate, and we’ll have the debt paid off likely before the due date.”
Thankfully, LD was a Board Member and also the Treasurer; he was known and respected by the congregation, and remember, he was a skillful “salesman”. The whole plan went to the Board where it received unanimous approval and then to the congregation. The concept became a reality about a year later, and the debt owing to the investors was paid off prematurely. It wasn’t in the millions like today, but it was a few hundred thousand dollars. And while all this was going on, LD who for years had been a leading force for GIDEONS in Canada, was travelling world-wide setting up Gideon “Camps” especially in the Asia region. When he retired
from the Heinz Company in 1964, he and Julia spent 9 months and visited 26 countries promoting the ministry of The Gideons. He might have been elected to the office of International President of Gideons in 1969, but he graciously declined. Imagine having a close friend and confidante like LD, and I was just in my late 20’s – early 30’s!
After serving as pastor in this church for just one year I noted that tithes and offerings had reached just over $28,000. In my previous church the total income was about $15,000. To me $28,000 was a huge sum, and I wondered out loud to LD how we could ever match or exceed that the following year, 1970. His response was vintage Leonard. “Pastor, you preach the Word and keep loving the people, and God will do the rest.” When we left that church in 1974 the annual giving had risen to $80,000! LD and I both had a real heart for missions. We’d have week-long Missions Conventions. Global Workers would be there nightly with their displays and stories. It was mesmerizing. On one such occasion a national Kenyan brother was in the group that came with the missionaries. He was billeted
with the Crimps. LD learned that this brother had not been able to amass enough money to pay the dowry for his wife. They had been married for a few years and it was embarrassing for him to not be able to keep his word to his in-laws and pay the dowry. Leonard told me, “He needs to provide for his in-laws two bulls.” I fully agreed that this need should be addressed and that the congregation should be able to meet the need. Crimps had in their home two huge bookends that were carved in the form of bulls. So, on the Sunday morning I had LD come on the platform and hold up the bookend bulls and ask the folks to be generous to provide sufficient money for the two bulls our Kenyan brother needed to meet his long overdue obligation. There was lot of laughter and of course, more than enough money was given. Proverbs 11:25 informs, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others, will himself be refreshed.”
As an aside to this blog, I mentioned earlier that for several years the Crimp family lived in Montreal and were leaders in the downtown Evangel Pentecostal Church. The pastor for at least some of that time was none other than “Daddy Baker”, who moved to Montreal from Ottawa following the founding of the current Bethel Pentecostal Church where he was the initial pastor, opening Bethel in 1911. The years rolled on, Julia passed away, and to be closer to his daughters LD moved to the Elora-Fergus, ON area. My family and I stopped in to visit him in his ground floor apartment. At over 90 years of age he had just learned how to do rug-hooking, and he was so proud of his work in progress and it was a very large rug he was working on. If I live to be 90, I want to be like LD Crimp.
I have many other stories of LD Crimp but they will have to wait for another day. So, I’ll close with this Scripture.
I Corinthians 16:13-14 Paul admonishes, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”
That’s exactly how I remember this outstanding Christian gentleman who so greatly impacted my life. And I’m still experiencing the influence of Leonard Denithorne Crimp in my life and will until the Lord takes me home.
PS. Cute story:
In 1974 when our second child arrived, we wanted to have the District Superintendent officiate at the dedication but he was booked up for months. So I said to my wife, “I know exactly the people to do it” – Leonard and Julia! I approached him and he was almost stunned. “But I’ve never done that before pastor”. I replied, “No problem Leonard, you’ve seen me do it lots of times. I’ll lend you my Minister’s Service Manual. Just follow the script.” He and Julia agreed. The Sunday came and as did the time in the service. For some reason our little girl, about 2 months old was very upset, crying her heart out. LD was doing his best while Julia held the baby. Finally, in some degree of frustration he leaned over to his wife and whispered, “Im sure glad you had our babies when you were young!” Priceless!

Stewart Hunter (Monthly Contributor)
Stewart lives with his wife Gudrun in Stittsville, ON. For over 55 years Stewart has served as a pastor as well as in varied positions in The PAOC. Stewart and Gudrun are members of Bethel Pentecostal Church, Ottawa.