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Flowerday, William G.
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REV. TvJILLIAl\1 G. FLONERDAY
Rev. William G. Flowerday, Pastor of the Oak
I
Park Methodist Church was born in Great Ya rmouth,
England, October 27, 1894 of David a nd Martha
Flowerday.
~e
received his grammar education in
England. In Montreal he pursued his academic work at
Stanstead Vlesleyah College and his seminary w·orkat
McGill University.
In the first
~vorld
War he served in the Canad-
ian army, 6eing commissioned
a~
captain, just prior
to his honorable discharge.
On June 19, 1918 in Paris, Ontario, he was
joined
in marriage to
~liss
Sadie Mary Topley. Two
children were born to them Max and Rosemary. He
held suceeful pastorates
i~
Battle Creek circuit,
Augusta, Grand Rapids Trinity, Ludington, Coldwater,
Michigan Ave. , Lansing, Holland in the fvlichigan
conference
and Oak Park Flint, in the Detroit Con-
ference.
At Augusta he built the church, and while at
Ludington he built the parish house. His latest
I
construction ve nture was the rebuilding of the Oak
Park chur ch aft er t he disasterous fire of March
1943.
The sanctuary was a srry sight having been
gutted from the ins i de .
During the interimt period
0
s ervices wher e held in the nea rby Drt School.
2
The task of rebuilding the sancutary fell to Rev.
I
Flowerday during the second world \Afar v;hen 'ii& was very
difficult to get materials and labor.
buckled in
But he
\'lith a profound f a ith in Almighty God
and tackled the thing that couldn't be done - and he
did it. Night and day he v'las on the job, going far
beyond his strength.
Gradulally,
out of the black-
ened ashes of the fire, through the sacrifices of the
membership and the superb leadership of their pastor,
their appeared one of the most worshipfull sanctuaries
of all IVIethodism •• It was dedicated on July 23, 1944,
Every cent of the total cost of more than $ 73,000
\'las paid at the time of dedication.
The Rev. William G. Flowerday died in the early
morning of Thursday,
Nov. • 16, 1944 jast ba fe,..,. days
after celebrating his fiftieth birthday. Death was
caused by cerebral hemorrhage.
~e
\'la s a stirring prea cer of the Word, a faith-
ful pastor, a devoted husband, and lover of men.
The world was greater because he lived.
I
/Ill . C.A·
'-I? 1 '~ If
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Funeral ser vices, in charge of his
district superintendent, wer e h eld on
- - - ld
Saturday· afternoon, November 18, at
By WiUiam Clyde Dona
3 :30 o'clock, from the san ctu ary h e
EV. WILLIAM G. FLOWERDAY, built . Heath Goodwin; Lloyd H. Nixon;
pastor of the Oak P ark Methodist Fra nk M. Field; 0. H. Hood, Executive
Church in Flint, died in the early morn- Secretary of the Flint Council of
ing of Thursday, November 16, 1944, Churches and Distl;ct Superintendent,
just a few days after celebrating his W. Clyde Donald, had part in the servfiftieth birthday. Death was caused by ices. Interment t ook pla·ce in Sunset
a cerebral hemorrhage a nd added com- Hills .Cemetery, Flint. The pallbearers
plications.
were A. Newcombe H ocking, H oward M.
William G. Flowerday was born in Ryckman, Milton P ollock for the Church,
Great Yarmouth, England, on October and William E. H ar r ison, Heath Good27, 1894, of David and MaTtha Flower· \vin, H a rry Colenso for the min_istry.
"Know ye not that there is a prince
d ay.
.
h'
.
received his gr·ammar education and a great man fallen t JS day m
He
d
h'
I
1
?"
in England. In Montreal, he pursue 1s . srae .
academic work at Stanstea~ W e~Iey;~n., .
1
William t;.. Flowerday,
R
College and his semina ry work-at McGill
University.
In the Fi rst World War, he ser ved
in the Canadian Army, being commissioned a captain, just prior to his honorable dis-charge.
On June 19, 1918, in Paris, Ontai·io,
he was joined in marria ge t o Miss Sadie
Mary Tapley, who survives him. Two
children mourn his loss, Char les Max,
F 2/c, U.S.N., and Rosema ry Adele at
home. A sister, Mrs. Charles Salt, lives
in England.
William G. Flowerday h eld successful pastor ates in Battle Creek Circuit;
Augusta; Grand Rapids, Trinity ; Ludington; Coldwater ; Lansing, Michigan
Ave.; Holland; Oak P ark, Flint.
At Augusta he built the church and
at Ludington, the parish house. His
latest and crowning building a-chieve·
ment was the rebuilding of the Oak
Park Church in Flint, a fter the dis·
astrous fire of Ma r ch 1943, jus t about
three months a nd three weeks before
Mr. Flowerday came to Flint. It was in
June of 1943, that Mr. Flower day was
transferred to the Detroit Conference
and was appointed t o Oak P ark. The
congregatioJl was car rying on in a school
house. The sanctuary was a: " sorry .
sight." Nothing da unted by the mag·
nitude of the task before him, (a terrific burden. even in times of peace, an
overwhehmng ch allenge in times of
war) he "buckled right in" with a profound faith in Almighty God and
"ta-ckled the thing that couldn't be done
and he did it."
~ight and day he was on the job,
gomg f ar beyond his strength. Gradually out of the blackened ashes of the fire
through the sacrifices of a loyal peopl~
and the superb leadership of a selfgiving pastor, there grew one of the
most wor shipful sanctuaries in all Methodism. It was dedicated on July 23,
1944. Every cent of the total cost of
mor ~ than $73,000 is paid. William G.
Flowerday's life went into the Oak
Park Methodist Church. It will st and
as a great monument to hi m a nd his
love for Christ .
William G. Flowerday was a stirring
p1·eacher of The Word, a fa ithful pastor, a lover of men. He was a devoted
husband and w loving father. The world
is richer for his having lived here.
\[Oak if,;;.ifMdhodi~t Pastor 1Dies;
~ites
to Be Sat ,.llgy Afterpoon
f 'uneral t or the Rev. William
G. ~lowerday, . 50, pastor of ? ak
J.:k.. M.etho!lis.
1!b.._ sm
July, 1943, will be held in his
~urch .a t •3 :30 P . M. Saturda_Y,
~th Dr.
Clyde Don~?· ~ts·
tn ct s upermtendent, off1c1atmg.
~r. F!ow_erday d!ed at 6 o'clock
t his mormn~. He had retired
Wednesday mght after leading a
prayer meeting a nd at midnight
became suddenly ill. He was
ta ken a t once to Htirfey Hospital.
Death was attri~uted to s troke.
The body w ill be at AlgoeGundry mor tuar y until Saturday ·
n ?on. Burial will be at Sunset
H1lls Cemetery.
Mr. FJower day, prior t o coming
t~ Flint, ha d served as pastor of
F irst M~thodi st Church in H ol·
la nd, Mich. While there h e was
~or f ive years a member of the
Tulip F estival Committee, president of the Holla nd Minis ter ial
:Assn. for twb years and served a
term as president of the Holland
Exchange Club.
H e "also h ad filled pulpits in
Ludingtb n for five years, Gr and
}}~ year Coldwater t wo
;;years a nd L ansing f ive years.
Oak P ark r ecently completed
a $63,000 r emodeling and enlarging prog ram res ulting from fire
which severely damaged the
pla nt in Ma rch, 1943, and forced
the congregation to use other
quarters for 18 months.
Mr. Flowerday was born in
England Oct. 27, 18~4, educated
in Stanstead Wesleyan College
a nd McGill University, Toronto.
Surviving are his wif e . a
daughter, Rose Mary, a t h~me;
a son, P vt. Charles Max, grad·
uate of General Motors Institute
a nd f ormer t est engineer in Maywood, TIL, a nd a sister, Mrs.
Charles Salt, of England.
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Flowerday, William G.