Mennonite Church of Vernon (Vernon, British Columbia, Canada)
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| Mennonite Church of Vernon Source: D. Giesbrecht |
The Mennonite Church of Vernon was founded in 1980 with 13 charter members, originating through outreach by the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia. The congregation purchased and renovated a building on 27th Street in which to meet, and relocated to their present location in 1993. In 1985 there were 20 members; in 1995, 82; in 2000, 81. The congregation was a member of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada until 2000 and Mennonite Church British Columbia until 2 November 2005, when church members, representing 77% of the membership, voted unanimously to leave the conference . The congregation left both conferences following a decade of discussions on the issue of homosexuality. It felt that neither conference had adequately addressed their concerns on this issue. The language of worship is English.
Edwin and Anne Brandt are considered the founding leaders of the group, serving from 1980 until 1990. Subsequent leaders were Ed Giesbrecht 1986-1999, Geoff Thiessen 2000-2002, and Eugene Harder 2003-2005. Bob Cowan became lead pastor in May 2005.
In 2008 the congregation merged with the Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Vernon to form Grace Bible Church of Vernon, a non-denominational church.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (20 February 2006).
"Church Gets a Welcome Invasion." Vernon Morning Star. 13 July 2010. Web. 16 July 2010. http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/vernonmorningstar/lifestyles/98371804.html.
Mennonite Reporter (27 October 1980), 5; (22 December 1980), 4; (20 March 1989), B1; (7 January 1991), 4.
Additional Information
Address: 5661 Silver Star Road, Vernon, BC V1B 3P5
Telephone: 250-549-3095
©1996-2012 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Epp, Marlene and Richard D. Thiessen. "Mennonite Church of Vernon (Vernon, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2010. Web. 13 February 2012. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M46612.html.
APA style: Epp, Marlene and Richard D. Thiessen. (July 2010). Mennonite Church of Vernon (Vernon, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 13 February 2012, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M46612.html.
