Chilliwack Mennonite Mission (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)
The Chilliwack Mennonite Mission Church began services in 1959. It was started by mostly young couples from the First Mennonite Church in Chilliwack who desired English language services. The group purchased the old municipal hall on Alexander Avenue in 1960 and was led by Albert Nickel. David J. Nickel led the congregation from 1964 until 1969.
Attendance in 1964 ranged from 60-86, with 15 members. The Conference of Mennonites in Canada supported the young group, believing that there was room in Chilliwack for another Mennonite congregation. However, the provincial conference only recognized the group in 1966, providing it with moral and financial support. While the property was registered in the name of the provincial conference, the congregation chose not to join the provincial conference. By the time David Nickel resigned in 1969, the congregation realized that there was no need to continue. Other Mennonite congregations were offering English language services, and the church was no longer growing with only 26 members. The congregation dissolved and most rejoined the First Mennonite Church, which then changed its name to become Chilliwack Mennonite Church, while others moved to Eden Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (24 November 1961): 10.
Lehn, Cornelia. Frontier Challenge: A Story of the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia. Clearbrook, BC: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1990: 177.
Unger, Rosalyn. "One Decade, a Lifetime: The History of the Chilliwack Mission Church, 1959-69." Unpublished Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1972, 28 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Archival Records:
Chilliwack Mennonite Mission fonds in the Mennonite Historical Society of BC archival collection.
Additional Information
Address: 45910 Alexander Ave., Chilliwack, BC
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Friesen, Hugo and Richard D. Thiessen. "Chilliwack Mennonite Mission (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2006. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 30 August 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/C46128.html>
APA style: Friesen, Hugo and Richard D. Thiessen. (June 2006). "Chilliwack Mennonite Mission (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 30 August 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/C46128.html>
