Matsqui Mennonite Brethren Church (Matsqui, British Columbia, Canada)
Matsqui Mennonite Brethren Church was founded in 1945 at Matsqui village and the members first met in a converted farmhouse. Abram D. Rempel is considered to be the founding leader of this group that numbered 71 members at the outset. The congregation originated through division from South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren due to the distance of some members from the church. They occupied their first church building in 1947-1949 on Gladwin Road. This building was flooded in 1948 but was in service again until 1959 when it burned down. A new church was built that year.
Membership in the church grew from the original 71 in 1945 to it highest point of 200 in 1955 and stood at 112 in 1975. The church was strongly involved in Christian education and in outreach to the surrounding area and some communities north of the Fraser River. Sunday school was conducted in the village of Matsqui and chapels were constructed at Silverdale and McConnell Creek. As the congregation aged, older members retired and sold their dairy farms in the area, and younger generations chose to live and work in more urban settings. The church dissolved in 1975 and the building was sold to a Baptist congregation.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (16 January 1959): 1; (4 September 1959): 8; (11 December 1959): 1; (24 November 1961): 24.
Klassen, A. J., ed. The Church in the Heart of the Valley: 1892-1992. Abbotsford, BC: Matsqui-Abbotsford Ministerial Association, 1992: 79-80.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (11 September 1992): 14.
Mennonite Reporter (7 September 1992): 12.
Additional Information
Address: 5525 Gladwin Road, Matsqui BC V0X 1S0
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1945-1975)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1945-1975)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America (1945-1975)
Matsqui Mennonite Brethren Church Leading Ministers
| Minister |
Years |
|---|---|
| Abram D. Rempel | 1945-1949 |
| George E. Konrad | 1949-1955 |
| John F. Klassen | 1955-1957 |
| H. Neufeld | 1957-1963 |
| Alwin Wiebe | 1963-1966 |
| J. J. Kasper | 1966-1969 |
| Jake Thielmann (interim) | 1970 |
| Leo Siemens | 1970-1975 |
Matsqui Mennonite Brethren Church Membership
| Year |
Members |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 71 |
| 1950 | 185 |
| 1955 |
200 |
| 1965 | 118 |
| 1975 | 112 |
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 538. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Konrad, Gerhard A. and Hugo Friesen. "Matsqui Mennonite Brethren Church (Matsqui, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 2007. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M3823ME.html>
APA style: Konrad, Gerhard A. and Hugo Friesen. (2007). "Matsqui Mennonite Brethren Church (Matsqui, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 July 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M3823ME.html>
