Mennonite Brethren in the East Chilliwack area began services in 1940. Their relatively small numbers began to increase in 1943 as Mennonites from Manitoba and Saskatchewan began to settle in the area. The group began renting a hall in 1944 and shortly thereafter began construction on their own building, thanks in part to a donation of land. The church formally organized on 6 January 1945 as the East Chilliwack Mennonite Brethren Church with 82 charter members. The first building was dedicated on 25 February 1945. The population of Mennonite Brethren in East Chilliwack continued to increase rapidly in the next few years, and in 1947 sixty families living close to the city of Chilliwack formed the Chilliwack (later Broadway) Mennonite Brethren Church. Construction on a new sanctuary able to accomodate 400 people began in 1953 and was completed in 1954. The former sanctuary was renovated in order to accommodate the East Chilliwack Mennonite Brethren Bible School, previously located down the road in a converted feed store, and to be used for Sunday School.

Attendance gradually declined in the 1970s. A number of older members had joined Broadway Mennonite Brethren Church in the early 1970s, desiring to continue worshipping in the German language, and others moved away or closer to town. In 1980 construction began on a new sanctuary in the city and services were held in the new building for the first time in February 1981. At that time the congregation's name was changed to Chilliwack Central Mennonite Brethren Church. In 2003 the name was changed to Central Community Church.

Bibliography

Additional Information

Address: 46100 Chilliwack Central Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P 1J6

Phone: 604-792-8037

Website: Central Community Church

Denominational Affiliations:

British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1945-    )

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1945-    )

General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1945-2003)

Central Community Church Pastors

Minister	Years
N. A. Rempel	1945-1946
Jacob I. Bergen	1946-1947
N. A. Rempel	1947-1948
H. A. Kroeker	1948-1950
Gerhard Thielmann	1950-1969
Bernhard P. Epp (interim)	1969-1970
Ben L. Heppner	1970-1975
Edward P. Hamm	1975-1982
Henry C. Born	1982-1985
Keith Wiggin	1986-1993
Reg Toews	1994-1996
David Macfarlane	1997-2000
Adam Wiggins	2000-2005
Ron van Akker	2006-present

Central Community Church Membership

Year	Members
1945	82
1950	237
1965	210
1975	164
1985	179
1993	229
2000	171
2003	245

 

©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

To cite this page:

MLA style: Thiessen, Richard D. "Central Community Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2008. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/C461.html>

APA style: Thiessen, Richard D. (May 2008). "Central Community Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/C461.html>