To some, The Salvation Army in Fenelon Falls, Ont., is just a spot on the map—a church with a small congregation of approximately 35 regular members in a town with a population of only 2,500. But to one family, it holds generations of memories.

From weddings and vow renewals to baby dedications and soldiership, the Dewey-Rioux-Wellon family has made the Fenelon Falls Citadel a pillar of their family and a place they always come back to. This legacy of faith has been passed down through the women in the family for five generations, and in August 2024, was inherited by Liam, the youngest relative dedicated to the Lord.

Although they now call Gander, N.L., home, Chelsea Wellon and her husband, Cody, travelled all the way to Fenelon Falls to dedicate Liam in the sanctuary that Chelsea knows so well, surrounded by three generations of family members, including his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and extended family.

“It was incredibly sentimental and heartfelt,” she says. “It felt like we were back home. It’s such a familiar church to us.”

For Chelsea, dedication is about hope. “To be able to dedicate him in that special place filled me with hope, joy and love. It gave me an overwhelming sense of purpose—like we’re doing something wonderful for Liam’s future,” she says. “It’s something that he'll always be able to fall back on.”

In the Blood

“My mother was married at The Salvation Army in Fenelon Falls,” says Margaret Kendrick-Dewey, a second-generation Salvationist, grandmother to Chelsea and great-grandmother to Liam.

At four years old, Margaret’s mother, Pearl, brought her to The Salvation Army St. James Corps in Winnipeg. There, she grew up attending Sunday school, participating in Brownies and playing the accordion. Years later, her family moved to Fenelon Falls where they found another Salvation Army corps. It was there that Margaret began playing in the band and took corps cadet lessons for five years. Eventually, she attended classes to become a senior soldier.

“Times were different back then,” Margaret explains. “When I was a little girl, we couldn’t have playing cards in the house or go to a movie theatre because it was secular. The lifestyle has changed since, but the Lord is still with our family, and that will never change.”

When Margaret met her husband, Bruce Dewey, they attended the church

together for many years. It was only natural that they married there in 1966. Together, they had three children—Evealena, Thomas and Bruce—and on Father’s Day in 1977, they were all dedicated to the Lord together.

Following in their mother’s footsteps, the children attended Sunday school and Evealena was part of the timbrel brigade. Margaret herself served as a league of mercy worker, which is now known as community care ministries, taught Sunday school and managed the local Salvation Army thrift store for many years.

On September 10, 2006, 40 years to the day after their wedding, the Deweys renewed their vows at Fenelon Falls Citadel.

“We still go there today. I’ve been going to home league since I was 16 years old,” says Margaret. 

A Familiar Army

As far back as Evealena can remember, she went to The Salvation Army. Salvationism ran in her blood and as she grew up, she attended Sunday school, was enrolled as a junior soldier, played cornet in the band and participated in the timbrel brigade. For three summers in a row, she attended music camp at Roblin Lake in Ameliasburgh, Ont.

When Evealena and her husband, Jean-Paul Rioux, had their first daughter, Chelsea, they dedicated her at Fenelon Falls. At that same time, the couple renewed their vows. When their second daughter, Kendra, was born three years later, they returned to the corps to dedicate her, too.

Both Evealena and Jean-Paul served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which meant their family moved frequently. “There was usually a Salvation Army wherever we went,” Evealena says. In many of their stations, they found a sense of home at their local Army corps, from Trenton, Ont., to Southlands Community Church in Winnipeg, to Comox Valley Community Church, B.C.

Despite the challenges of military life, faith remained a key component of Evealena’s life and something she was determined to teach her children. “When they were still in their cribs, I would say the Lord’s Prayer to them every night,” she says. As her daughters grew older, they would ask their mother how they knew the prayer so well. “I told them, ‘It’s because we say it every day.’ ”

Returning to Her Roots

Living in a military family, Chelsea had to adapt to frequent moves. “We moved seven or eight times, and The Salvation Army was always there,” she says. “It’s familiar, which is something you don’t get a lot when you’re moving in the military.”

And no matter where the family moved around Canada, Evealena and Jean-Paul would still bring their daughters back to Fenelon Falls for holidays, such as Easter and Christmas, so that they could go to church with their grandparents. As children, Chelsea and Kendra often accompanied their grandmother to home league meetings.

Many of the congregants at Fenelon Falls have been there for years, some for a lifetime, and according to Chelsea, no matter how much time has passed, they are always eager to see her and the family.

“It’s a small corps, but the people there are incredibly welcoming and kind,” she says. “They’re so excited every time they see my sister and me come in through the doors. We have not attended that church regularly, and yet they’re always willing to chat.”

Leaving a Legacy

Founded in 1885, The Salvation Army in Fenelon Falls is 140 years old, only 10 years younger than the small town itself.

“The congregation here is very loving,” says Captain Kaitlyn Young, corps officer. “Some have attended the corps their entire lives and others have joined the journey later on, but everyone is welcomed and encouraged to explore their faith in Jesus together.”

Over the years, the corps has grown as several people have joined the church through their connection to community and family services. “We are committed to growing in faith through the love of God and our love for one another,” says Captain Young. “As corps officer, it is rewarding to watch how God has brought people to us and how the congregation has lovingly adopted them into the church family.”

For the Dewey-Rioux-Wellon family, there is a resounding sense of gratitude for the church, The Salvation Army and God’s sustaining love. “I’m grateful our children are carrying on this legacy,” says Evealena. “No matter where we are, there is always a Salvation Army corps to welcome us.”

“To this day, I truly believe the Lord walked on this earth for all of us, and he made us all equal,” adds Margaret. “My children and grandchildren walk with the Lord, and that gives me great comfort. I pray and hope that future generations, including Liam, will also carry the Lord in their hearts.”