Elim Bible School (Yarrow, British Columbia, Canada)
The first of many Bible schools that Mennonites birthed in B.C. was established in Yarrow, the first permanent Mennonite settlement in the province. The initiator of Elim Bible School (meaning springs of living water), as the institution in Yarrow became known, was Gerhard J. Dersken (1879-1960) whose zeal for Bible training had been kindled at the Winkler Bible School. A Bible school education, Derksen felt, would counteract the spirit of materialism already taking root among young people. By October 1930, a year after its founding, the Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church established a Bible School Society consisting of 22 members, and shortly thereafter engaged Peter D. Loewen (1902-1993) as the first instructor.
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| Cornelius C. Peters |
In November 1930 Elim began a twelve-week program of evening instruction with 30 students in attendance. Courses taught included Theology, Mennonite History, Sunday School Methodology and German. Owing to the large enrollment, John A. Harder (1897-1964), pastor of the Yarrow MB Church, was soon added to the teaching staff. A day-school program introduced in 1930, continued until 1933 when financial pressures brought on by the depression forced a two-year closure of the school even though staff salaries had amounted to little more than $20.00 per month.
By 1935 the church was again able to support its Bible training program. A new school was erected and Abram Nachtigal (1876-1950) appointed principal. Now the course of studies was expanded to a five-year program, including certification of students with the Evangelical Teacher Training Association. With the subsequent appointment of Cornelius C. Peters (1889-1973) as principal, Elim experienced its record enrolment in the 1941-1942 school year with 152 students and six full time instructors, among whom were Gerhard H. Sukkau (1903-1965), Herman Lenzman (1909-2005), and Henry P. Neufeldt (1909-2001). At the same time the curriculum was expanded to include Homiletics, Christian Ethics and Psychology.
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| Elim Bible School, 1945. |
The destruction of the building by fire in 1945 was a severe test for the school. Undaunted, the church immediately undertook to replace its loss with a new and much enlarged structure. Nevertheless, the economic reverses visited upon the community as a result of the collapsing raspberry industry in the post-war years, did not bode well for the future of the Bible school. By 1948 the enrolment dropped to 29 students. Although Elim continued to struggle for several more years, it was forced to cease operations in 1955. In its 24-year history the school graduated 115 students and supplied a harvest of workers for local church and outreach ministries.
Bibliography
"The Bible School Movement." Bulletin of M.B.B.I. 2, no. 1, (October-December 1963)
"Yarrow Bible School." The M.B.B.I. Recall 1, no. 1 (Winter Issue, [nd])
Klassen, Agatha, ed., A Portrait in Mosaic. Yarrow, B.C.: Agatha Klassen, 1976.
Additional Information
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
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MLA style: Giesbrecht, David. "Elim Bible School (Yarrow, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2000. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E521.html>
APA style: Giesbrecht, David. (January 2000). "Elim Bible School (Yarrow, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E521.html>
