Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
The Bakerview Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church had its origin in the Clearbrook Mennonite Brethren Church, which had grown quite large in the 1960s, nearing capacity. In addition there was strong interest among younger members to have all-English services. David H. Neumann collected the names of those who wished to form a new church. At the time it was decided that an organizational meeting would not be called until he had gathered the names of at least 75 members. On 2 March 1965, 88 members intent on forming a daughter church were called to meet with Pastor Henry Thielman. In response to these concerns church leaders decided to go ahead and plant a daughter church that would help to address these needs, contributing $15,000 towards the new congregation.
After having one last communion service with Clearbrook MB, Bakerview began meeting at the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (now Columbia Bible College). Their first service was on 11 April 1965, and David H. Neumann was selected to lead the group. The church found that they were well equipped for ministry, having taken many Sunday school teachers and other active members with them from the mother congregation. The rapid growth of the church demanded a church building and by the end of 1965 a church had been built. It was dedicated in February of 1966.
The church grew fourfold in the next ten years from 103 original members to 431 by 1975. Throughout these years the congregation was involved in international missions and community outreach. In 1985 the church started a Vietnamese ministry under the ministry leadership of Ken Ha, and by 1990 they had 45 in attendance, 20 of which were baptized Christians. Isaac Hernandez started the Spanish language ministry in May 1989 which eventually became the Bakerview Hispanic Church. The congregation continues (in 2008) to meet at Bakerview.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (18 January 1966): 1; (1 February 1966): 9.
Funk, Tony, ed. Bakerview Twenty Fifth Anniversary Pictoral Directory. 1990.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 24; (8 January 1993): 22.
Additional Information
Address: 2285 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford BC V2T 2X4
Phone: 604-859-4611
Website: http://www.bakerview.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1965-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1965-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America (1965-2003)
Bakerview MB Church Pastors
| Pastor |
Years |
|---|---|
| J. H. Quiring | 1966-1974 |
| Peter Falk (interim) |
1975 |
| Ben Zerbe | 1976-1981 |
| Harry Heidebrecht | 1982-1994 |
| John Neufeld | 1995-1999 |
| Ross Johnston (interim) |
1999-2000 |
| Michael Dick | 2000-present |
Bakerview MB Membership
| Year |
Membership |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 113 |
| 1971 |
367 |
| 1975 | 431 |
| 1980 |
469 |
| 1985 | 550 |
| 1990 |
633 |
| 1995 | 724 |
| 2000 |
690 |
| 2006 | 694 |
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Klix, Waylon and Hugo Friesen. "Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2006. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/B357.html>
APA style: Klix, Waylon and Hugo Friesen. (June 2006). "Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/B357.html>
