Eden Mennonite Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)
Mennonites began moving to the East Chilliwack area from the Canadian prairies in the early 1940s. On 4 April 1945 a meeting was held at the home of Heinrich Bergman to organize church services. Services began shortly thereafter in a rented school building, which was later purchased and remodelled as a church. The church formally organized on 28 December 1945 under the name Westheimer Mennonitengemeinde with 32 charter services. William L. Rempel and Gerhard Loewen were the first ministers. Rapid growth was experienced throughout the 1940s as through the continued movement of people from the prairies as well as through immigration from Europe after World War II.
Within a few years two distinct groups were evident within the congregation. Rempel, educated at Prairie Bible Institute, and Gerhard Loewen, an older minister from Russia, represented two different theological camps, with Rempel emphasizing conversion and life style issues such as smoking. In May 1947 a group under Loewen’s leadership organized the First Mennonite Church in Chilliwack. The greater emphasis on evangelism also led to differences within the provincial conference (Conference of United Mennonite Churches of British Columbia) and the congregation voted to leave the conference in May 1954 along with West Abbotsford Mennonite. East Chilliwack rejoined the conference in 1956.
The congregation were able to occupy their own building on Prest Road in 1948, which was expanded in 1957. In 1961 the congregation moved from their location on Prest Road to a new church constructed at 46551 Chilliwack Central Road, at which time the name of the church was changed to Eden Mennonite Church.
Missions has been an important emphasis in the church, and in its first 45 years 22 members had worked under various missions boards. In 1976 the congregation formed Eden Mennonite Society to look after its elderly and built Redwood Manor.
Leaders from within the congregation have also provided leadership in the provincial conference, with pastors Henry A. Wiens, George Groening and Dick Rempel all serving as conference chairman, along with George Nachtigal and Wilmer Tessman.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (11 August 1961): 1; (24 November 1961): 8; (27 April 1962): 1.
Churches in Profile. Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1978: 46-50.
Eden Mennonite Church, 1945-1985, pictorial directory with brief history, 1985, Mennonite Historical Society of Canada collection, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Lehn, Cornelia. Frontier Challenge: A Story of the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia. Clearbrook, BC: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1990: 114-116.
Mennonite Reporter (19 August 1985): 12.
Archival Records:
Microfilmed records at Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Additional Information
Address: 46551 Chilliwack Central Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P 1K1
Phone: 604-792-6013
Denominational Affiliations:
Mennonite Church British Columbia (1945-1954, 1956-present)
Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1945- )
General Conference Mennonite Church (1959-1999)
Eden Mennonite Church Pastors
| Pastor |
Years |
|---|---|
| William L. Rempel | 1945-1952 |
| Abraham J. Peters | 1953-1955 |
| William L. Rempel | 1956 |
| Henry H. Neufeld | 1956-1962 |
| Valentine E. Nickel | 1962-1964 |
| Dietrich "Dick" Rempel (interim) |
1965 |
| Henry A. Wiens | 1965-1971 |
| George Groening | 1971-1984 |
| Art
Kropp (interim) |
1984 |
| Dietrich "Dick" Rempel | 1985-1994 |
| Jake Tilitzky (interim) |
1995 |
| Werner Froese | 1995-2001 |
| Kerry Palmer | 2003-2008 |
| Rob Brown |
2008-present |
Eden Mennonite Church Membership
| Year |
Membership |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 32 |
| 1950 | 140 |
| 1960 | 228 |
| 1965 | 254 |
| 1975 | 298 |
| 1985 | 405 |
| 1995 | 323 |
| 2000 | 283 |
| 2006 | 248 |
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Thiessen, Richard D.. "Eden Mennonite Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2008. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E352.html>
APA style: Thiessen, Richard D.. (May 2008). "Eden Mennonite Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E352.html>
