Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
In the late 1970s Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church had grown quite large and a number of members had a desire for a church plant and for services in English. On 26 March 1980 the interested members met and a five person planning committee was appointed. On 21 September 1980, 39 people committed themselves to the new church by signing the official membership list of the church, which they would name Emmanuel Mennonite Church two months later. Eben-Ezer held an emotional farewell for the departing members on 28 December 1980. Until this time services were held on Sunday evenings at Eben-Ezer. Afterwards they rented the chapel of First Memorial Services on Mt. Lehman Road for two months before moving to the former Peardonville Mennonite Church.
The church purchased 3½ acres of land in August 1981 and moved into the activity area on 28 November 1982 while the sanctuary was being built. The sanctuary was completed in late 1984. In 2000 a full size Gymnasium was added onto the building. Their style of worship is a mix between traditional and contemporary.
Bibliography
Klassen, A. J., ed. The Church in the Heart of the Valley: 1892-1992. Abbotsford, BC: Abbotsford-Matsqui Ministerial Association, 1992: 69-71.
Lehn, Cornelia. Frontier Challenge: A Story of the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia. Clearbrook, BC: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1990: 137-139.
Mennonite Reporter (5 January 1981): 4; (27 November 1989): 16; (2 October 1995): 12.
Archival records:
Church records at Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Additional Information
Address: 3471 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC V2S 6A9
Phone: 604-854-3654
Website: www.emmanuelmennonite.com
Denominational Affiliations:
Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia / Mennonite Church British Columbia (1981- )
Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1984- )
General Conference Mennonite Church (1981-1999)
Emmanuel Mennonite Church Leading Ministers
| Minister |
Years |
|---|---|
| Gene Klassen | 1981- 1984 |
| Ron Toews (interim) |
1984-1986 |
| Dave Ortis | 1986-1992 |
| April Yamasaki | 1993-present |
Emmanuel Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 39 |
| 1985 | 126 |
| 1990 | 168 |
| 1995 | 161 |
| 2000 | 188 |
| 2005 | 226 |
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Klager, Andrew and Hugo Friesen. "Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2005. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 08 September 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E5527.html>
APA style: Klager, Andrew and Hugo Friesen. (August 2005). "Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 08 September 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/E5527.html>
