I
would have liked this guy. He was everything to this movement
and when he died on February 9th, 1937 at the age of 75, he
had achieved such great things in his service for God that
no one since has been able to come close. William Pascoe Goard!
Even the name summons up visions of grandeur. He was such
a stalwart in the movement that The National Message of February
20th, 1937 was dedicated to his life. They began their message
with the above passage and although it is used when other
noted individuals close their lives, it could easily have
been written for this man.
He began preaching at 14, came to Canada from England at 18
and was promoted to Captain in the Salvation Army at 21. He
had taken two years of law school in England but his heart
was set on preaching the Gospel and in the early 1880’s
he moved to Winnipeg where he was ordained in the Methodist
Church. For twenty years, he traveled the dirt roads of Manitoba
and Saskatchewan opening churches and establishing many causes.
Then, in 1906, he arrived in Vancouver to pastor the Grandview
Congregational Church and it was in Vancouver that God really
tapped him on the shoulder, probably saying, “Pascoe,
you are now going to open the eyes of so many of your brethren
that it will surprise you.”
Still, first, Dr. Goard had to have his eyes open and this
happened when two other great men, Professor Edward Odlum
and Reverend Mark Jukes, came into contact with him about
the time The Association of the Covenant People was formed
in 1909 under our original name, “British Israel Association
of Canada.” Dr. Goard became identified with the movement
shortly thereafter and these three dynamic lecturers, preachers
and authors, aided by such other stalwart men as Jacob Parker
and William Savage, crisscrossed Canada and the United States
opening eyes and attracting tens of thousands to the Israel
Truth. Organizations sprung up everywhere and for awhile,
it looked as if the truth would be universal, but that was
before the Esau dominion.
In 1921, Dr. Goard left for a visit to England, not knowing
that God had plans that he remain there and organize a world-wide
movement. There was no better choice, he loved the message
and he followed his calling. A good example of this is in
a letter he wrote to Jacob Parker on June 22nd, 1921, as he
was sailing to England on the Empress of France. He wrote,
“Dear Mr. Parker, Have had a busy and interesting time
and we are leaving a sowing behind us that means great things.
One bishop, presiding, declared that, our teaching being true,
the church would have to revise seventy-five per cent of its
modern teaching. He proceeded to put to me a series of rapier
like questions, which called forth the best rapid fire presentation
I ever achieved. I believe he is now with us heartily, and
will influence his diocese. The club men are tumbling over
each other to get this truth and have given me no rest. I
also had a day with Henry Ford and Mr. Cameron of the Dearborn
Independent. He seems to be wholly convinced and I think Mr.
Ford is also. On the boat is a college professor, American,
in a chair of sociology. He has the next seat to me at table.
We began to discuss matters at dinner last night, and carried
on the conversation tramping the deck afterwards until nearly
midnight. The most startled and interested man you could ever
run across. Professor Odlum is also busy. He has a heavyweight
Jew merchant in tow, and has him convinced that Britain is
Israel. He had met the matter before from some Jewish Rabbi.
So, after a long talk with Odlum, and then me, he is of the
opinion that this is right. So the matter goes off at every
hand, with every sign of an universal awakening….. Sincerely
yours, Wm Pascoe Goard.
Anyway, Dr. Goard became a Vice-President of British-Israel-World
Federation and over the years, re-organized the federation’s
two magazines into The National Message, helped establish
the Harrow Weald College (serving as principal for three years),
lectured extensively around the world, authored many books,
editorials and leading articles. He did it all, yet, despite
the human temptation to live a life of opulence, as so many
of today’s televangelists do, he remained a modest man
concerned only with furthering the Israel Truth. This is plainly
seen in his very last writing and I quote part of it. “From
many quarters and many lands there has come an insistent request
that I should write a story of my life. I have always set
my face against such a thing as that. I remember always that
there are in this world some eighteen hundred millions of
persons which constitute the human family. I am only one of
all that vast number. What is there in my puny experiences
which could warrant the thought that they could be of sufficient
interest to all my fellows……..My life has been
an average one….I have circumstantial evidence that
I was born. I have no recollection of the experience. Things
have been told to me regarding my advent into the world. My
old nurse use to say, “I could pu “en into a pint
pot. He wanst worth a rearin. Laws bless my sawl, jes zee
what a fine boy hes got to be now.” My earliest recollections
are scenes of beauty. I have a few recollections of the original
home into which I was introduced when I made my debut into
this world. Chief among the memories are the vast chimney,
the wide hearth, the blazing fires, the snug stool in the
chimney corner. The circle in which the family ranged themselves
after the work of the day was done, the friendly neighbours
or workmen who came in for evening talk, the flying sparks,
the leaping flames, the murmuring voices as they related tales
of west-country folk lore, discussed the daily happenings
of the farm and parish or brought out the family Bible and
read verse about some of the wonderful chapters, and discussed
them with all sincerity and earnestness.” [Unfortunately,
this is all I could locate of this letter but it’s enough
to visualize the kind of man he was].
From time to time, someone will query the title “Dr.”
Upon publication of one of his books entitled, “The
Law of the Lord,” he was called to the Law School of
Chicago to lecture and there he received the degree of Doctor
of Legislative Law. He was always very honoured to include
this designation in his title, “The Reverend Doctor
William Pascoe Goard.”
Dr. Goard holds a warm spot in the hearts of everyone in this
organization and I hope this small article will create a warmth
in yours as well. For surely, according to Samuel 3: 38, “…a
prince and a great man fell that day in Israel.”
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