Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)
The Greendale Mennonite Brethren congregation near Chilliwack, BC began services in 1930, and formally organized in 1931. The first building was occupied in 1932, with a subsequent building program in 1940. Henry G. Dueck is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through colonization from the Canadian prairies.
Greendale was known as Sardis Mennonite Brethren prior to 1953. The congregation experienced the disastrous flood of 1948 when a late and rapid spring thaw caused the Fraser River to rise to dangerous levels eventually breaking through dykes and putting the Greendale and surrounding districts under 10-20 feet of water. The church basement was flooded to within a few inches of the ceiling and many people lost a substantial amount of property.
The year 1948 also marked a transition in church growth. Whereas the years 1945-48 had been ones of rising economic prosperity and increasing church membership, after the flood many members moved away from the area. The berry markets had collapsed and the vulnerability of the terrain made opportunities in business and construction elsewhere more lucrative. Other decisions to leave were based on the language issue with some members dissatisfied with the slowness in adopting the English language.
Greendale sponsored the Columbia Valley Gospel Chapel Sunday School.
In 1965 there were 270 members; in 1975, 252; in 1985, 256; in 1995, 280; in 2000, 277. The congregation has been affiliated with the British Columbia Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches (1931-), the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1931-) and the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1931-). The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in 1965.
The congregation's address is 6550 Sumas Prairie Rd., Chilliwack, BC, V2R 4K2 (604) 823-6364. The church is located 11 km southwest of Chilliwack, 1.5 km south of Old Yale Rd., on corner of S. Sumas. Pastor Reg Toews served as a congregational leader in 2001.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (24 November 1961): 10.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 27.
Mennonite Reporter (19 September 1994): 10.
Hunter, Katherine, ed. The Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church: 1931-1981. Sardis, BC: Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church, 1980, 192 pp.
Greendale MB history, Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies.
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Epp, Marlene. "Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 1989. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/G7443.html>
APA style: Epp, Marlene. (January 1989). "Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/G7443.html>
