Wendell was born May 8, 1930, to Byron and Velda Grout. His birth took place in a farm home near the town of North Branch in Jewell County, Kansas. He attended high school in Esbon, Kansas, graduating in 1948. His undergraduate degree in Bible and Theology was earned in 1955 from The Kansas City Bible College (now Calvary University). An honorary Doctor of Divinity from Calvary Bible College (now Calvary University), was conferred on him in 1996.
Wendell met and fell in love with Leila Mae Brezina while in high school. The two were married at Esbon Fundamental Church, in Esbon, KS, August 26th, 1949, (the church where Wendell became a Christian just a couple of years earlier). They raised five children together, one daughter, Claudia, and four sons, Daniel, Nathan, Philip and James. For most of his ministry career Wendell was simply known as Pastor Grout. He pastored and led several churches in nearly 50 years of professional ministry. Most notably pastoring for nineteen years at Blue Ridge Bible Church in Kansas City, MO, five years at Lake Harriet Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, and 20 years at First Alliance Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After retiring from full time ministry he continued to serve local churches by providing pulpit supply and as an interim pastor at Lifespring Covenant church in Loveland, CO.
Pastor Grout loved to preach. He believed firmly in his calling to preach “the whole counsel of God”, demonstrating this conviction by preaching through the entire Bible many times over the years, unlocking for his congregations the major themes and messages from each of the 66 books of the Bible. In the 1970s he had a radio Bible program every week on KTIS in Minneapolis. He was highly sought after as an evangelist and conference speaker allowing him to travel extensively throughout the US and Canada, preaching wherever he was welcomed. He spoke regularly at camp meetings, colleges, and youth conferences like the LIFE Conference of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Ministries like Village Missions, Stonecroft Ministries, Ecola Bible School, and Horn Creek Conference Center, would invite him back year after year. His speaking invitations also took him around the world. He visited many countries on the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, encouraging missionaries and speaking to national churches. He also led several tours of The Holy Land. His wife Leila, not being quite as adventurous, only occasionally accompanied him on those trips, but she did, however, always travel with him when he was invited to speak at Peoples Church in Spanish Wells, Bahamas. Almost by accident Pastor Grout curated a photograph collection from exotic and historic locations around the world. Those photos adorned the walls of his church offices and his home office.
Vital to Pastor Grout’s love for preaching was his love for reading and studying. His library grew year after year and by the time he retired filled almost every space of the lower level of his home in Loveland, CO. As an author he contributed three books to that library. Two of them were self-published collections of letters to his congregations, and the third was a commentary on the New Testament books of Colossians and Philemon, which was published as part of The Deeper Life Pulpit Commentary from Christian Publications. In 2016 he donated his entire library to Denver Seminary for the edification of budding preachers and theologians. In his retirement years he created and regularly posted on his own blog called Today’s Truth. He also created a digital resource called “A Walk Through The Word”, highlighting an overview and major themes from every book of the Bible.
Pastor Grout was also a wise and visionary leader. He served on several higher education and professional boards and committees. He served as interim president of Calvary Bible College in the early 1970s. He was on the boards of Calvary Bible College (now Calvary University), Canadian Bible College (now Ambrose University) and Prairie Bible Institute (now Prairie College). He served for many years on the Licensing and Ordination Council of the Western Canadian District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He was the driving force behind the establishment of two Christian schools; Blue Ridge Christian School in Kansas City, MO, opened in 1968, and Glenmore Christian Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980. Both schools continue to be thriving alternatives to public education today. In the 1980s Pastor Grout also cast vision for an Assisted Living home in Calgary known as Glenmore Manor. Many seniors and their families still benefit from this affordable housing community today.
Friends and family who knew Pastor Grout well, remember him as a committed follower of Jesus, faithful, loyal, honest, always positive, outgoing, gregarious, and generous with his resources, both financial and relational. He loved watching his favorite sports teams on TV and was a “homer” - meaning he would switch allegiance every time he moved to a new city. He cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs, replaced by the Minnesota Vikings, replaced by the Calgary Flames, replaced by the Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos and Colorado Avalanche. His children, who played various high school sports, remember that his voice and cheers from the stands could be heard above all others when he attended a game. Embarrassing to them at the time, but endearing now. He loved classical music and was particularly fond of Handel’s Messiah, which was performed regularly at Christmastime by the choir and orchestra of First Alliance Church in Calgary. He loved to be around people and loved to laugh. He always enjoyed a family reunion, and if his brothers John and Claude were there, a three part harmony performance of “oldies” was assured. Pastor Grout loved to walk. He and Leila took a walk together every evening if their schedules allowed. He also loved the mountains and often took out-of-town visitors to see the beauty of Banff, Lake Louise and later, when living in Colorado, Estes Park.
Pastor Grout loved and honored his wife and family. He is predeceased by his parents, Byron and Velda Grout, and his youngest brother John Grout. He is survived by his wife Leila Grout, his brother Claude Grout (Esther), his children Claudia Grout, Daniel Grout (Delores), Nathan Grout (Marika), Philip Grout (Renae), and James Grout. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. In his later years he and Leila prayed every day, by name, for each of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Friends and family are invited to a memorial service honoring Pastor Grout’s life on Monday, June 10th, 2024 at 10:30am at Resthaven Funeral Home & Memory Gardens in Fort Collins, CO.
Pastor Grout made known his desire for anyone wishing to honor his memory to consider giving to the Global Advance Fund of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, or the Great Commission Fund of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in the U.S. This can be done using the links below. In the optional notes regarding your donation you may type “In Memory of Wendell K. Grout”.
In Canada: https://thealliancecanada.ca/give/
In the U.S.: https://secure.cmalliance.org/give/
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