Mountainview Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
In early 1951 several individuals expressed a desire for the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia to plant an English speaking church in Vancouver. A vision for this church plant was nurtured by Henry H. Neufeld, who at that time was principal of Bethel Bible Institute in Abbotsford. Neufeld became leader of the small group, which began services in August 1952. They were able to purchase a lot on the corner of Fraser Street and 31st Avenue and a building permit was issued in June 1953. The first service was held in the newly completed basement on 23 December 1953 and the sanctuary was completed in April 1955.
The new church, known initially as Vancouver Mennonite Mission, formally organized on 18 March 1956 with 63 members. The congregation changed its name its name to Mountainview Mennonite Church in 1972. Mountainview, with the assistance of both the provincial and Canadian conferences, launched several outreach programs amongst the English-speaking community, and initiated the first Chinese Mennonite congregation in Vancouver -- Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Church, under the leadership of Stephen Lee. The congregation also supported the work of the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver and assisted in the planting of Peace Mennonite Church in Richmond.
The congregation closed its doors due to declining numbers and dispersed to other congregations in 1996.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (24 November 1961): 26; (17 November 1964): 1.
Churches in Profile. Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1978: 76-80.
Information bezueglich der Vereinigten Mennoniten Gemeinden in British Columbien: Gelegentlich der Konferenz der Mennoniten in Kanada, 1959. Abbotsford, BC: The Conference, 1959: 21.
Janzen, George E. "A Survey of the General Mennonite Home Mission Stations in Vancouver and at Burns Lake, B.C." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1955, 9 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Mennonite Reporter (13 November 1995): 15; (19 February 1996): 13; (23 June 1997): 11.
Plenet, Dave. "The history of the Mountainview Mennonite Church and the Vancouver Mennonite Mission," Research paper, CMBC, 1977, 17 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Toews, Siegfried, ed. 25 Years: Vancouver Mennonite Mission/Mountainview Mennonite Church. Vancouver: Mountainview Mennonite Church, 1977.
Archival Records:
Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, MB: Volumes 110, 1634, 2652, 2960; microfilm no. 16.
Additional Information
Former address: 4722 Fraser Street in East Vancouver at the corner of Fraser Street and 31st Avenue
Denominational Affiliations:
Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia
Conference of Mennonites in Canada (1957-1996)
General Conference Mennonite Church (1959-1996)
Mountainview Mennonite Church Ministers
| Minister |
Years |
|---|---|
| Henry H. Neufeld |
1951-1956 |
| Peter Kehler |
1956-1958 |
| Edgar Epp (interim) |
1958-1959 |
| William "Bill" Block |
1959-1967 |
| Edgar Epp (interim) |
1967-1968 |
| Jacob W. Elias |
1968-1974 |
| Paul Boschman |
1974-1981 |
| Les Klassen |
1982-1996 |
Mountainview Mennonite Church Membership
| Year |
Members |
|---|---|
| 1956 | 64 |
| 1959 | 131 |
| 1965 | 160 |
| 1975 | 148 |
| 1981 |
153 |
| 1985 | 139 |
| 1995 | 90 |
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1132. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2012 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Gingerich, Melvin, Sam Steiner and Richard D. Thiessen. "Mountainview Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2010. Web. 13 February 2012. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M6915.html.
APA style: Gingerich, Melvin, Sam Steiner and Richard D. Thiessen. (July 2010). Mountainview Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 13 February 2012, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M6915.html.
