Église Chrétienne de Saint-Jérôme (St. Jérôme, Quebec, Canada)
In 1959, Henry Warkentin of the Canada Inland Mission had explored Quebec as a possible location for evangelism work. In the following year, 60 Mennonite Brethren missionaries were brought home from the Belgian Congo due to political unrest. Among these were Ernest and Lydia Dyck, who had studied French at Bethel Bible Institute in Lennoxville, Quebec several years earlier, and had become conscious at that time of the potential for an evangelical witness in Quebec. In 1961, Warkentin returned with Ernest Dyck and Henry H. Voth, and they identified St-Jérôme, 50 km. north of Montreal, as an appropriate location for a French-language ministry.
The Dycks began their ministry in 1961 by going door to door. Within eight weeks they were ready to begin Sunday services. Construction on a church building began in 1963, and L'Église Chrétienne de St-Jérôme was formed in 1964 with 16 members from three language groups: English-speaking teachers, French-speaking Québécois, and Portuguese-speaking Protestants.
St-Jérôme became the base for Ernest Dyck's church planting endeavors in Ste-Thérèse and St-Laurent, beginning in 1965. Don Balzer was hired as associate pastor, followed by René Hainaut, another former missionary to the Belgian Congo, although not with the Mennonite Brethren. By 1970 18 persons were baptized.
The early 1970s saw internal struggles and growth pains, but the congregation grew in spiritual maturity. David Franco became pastor in 1975 and assisted Ernest Dyck in the planting of churches in St-Laurent and St-Donat. In 1982 Ernest and Lydia Dyck returned to the church
The congregation moved to a new location in 1994.
Bibliography
Album II: protestantisme française en amerique du nord. Montreal: L'Aurore, 1988.
Canadian Mennonite (3 November 1964): 1.
Huebert, Susan. "A Quebec Story: New Beginnings for the Mennonite Brethren." Mennonite Historian (June 2007): 1, 6, 7.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 58; (16 September 1994): 19; (28 August 1998).
Penner, Peter. No Longer At Arms Length: Mennonite Brethren Church Planting in Canada. Winnipeg and Hillsboro: Kindred Press, 1987: 106-107.
Additional Information
Address: 601, rue Lachaine, St-Jérôme, Quebec J7Z 4N7
Telephone: 450-438-1736
Website: Église Chrétienne de St-Jérôme
Denominational Affiliations:
Association des Églises des frères mennonites du Québec (1972-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1964-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1964-2002)
Église Chrétienne de St-Jérôme Leading Ministers
| Minister |
Years |
|---|---|
| Ernest Dyck |
1961-1966 |
| Donald Balzer |
1967-1968 |
| Rene Hainaut |
1969-1973 |
| David Franco |
1975-1982 |
| Ernest Dyck |
1982-1986 |
| André Bourque |
1987-1998 |
| Jean-Calvin Kitata | 1999-2002 |
| Jacques Charbonneau | 2002-2006 |
| Daniel Genest |
2008-2010 |
Église Chrétienne de St-Jérôme Membership
| Year |
Members |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 15 |
| 1970 |
36 |
| 1975 | 46 |
| 1980 |
188 |
| 1985 | 81 |
| 1990 |
100 |
| 1995 | 122 |
| 2000 | 76 |
| 2005 |
85 |
| 2010 |
49 |
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MLA style: Thiessen, Richard D. "Église Chrétienne de Saint-Jérôme (St. Jérôme, Quebec, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2011. Web. 20 May 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E44.html.
APA style: Thiessen, Richard D. (August 2011). Église Chrétienne de Saint-Jérôme (St. Jérôme, Quebec, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 May 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E44.html.
