Wellspring Christian Fellowship (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
Wellspring Christian Fellowship was established through the efforts of a core-group of 8 couples and 13 children early in 1992. Initially the group met in the facilities of the Clearbrook Mennonite Church. Its first worship service was held at Harry Sayers Elementary School on 20 September 1992. Gary and Ellie Loewen are considered to be the founding pastoral couple. Eventually, Wellspring began renting Clearbrook Mennonite Church in the summer of 1997 for conducting their worship services. In order to accommodate two services in the same building, Wellspring began meeting on Saturday evenings. Wellspring was based on the "Cell Church" model. The congregation was affiliated with Mennonite Church British Columbia.
In the winter of 2008 the congregation was invited by West Abbotsford Mennonite Church to explore shared vision and ministry options. Eventually discussions focused on a merger of the two congregations. Joint services were held over several weekends in the spring and at the beginning of the summer, the Wellspring congregation voted overwhelmingly to merge.
In September 2008 the congregation began worshiping together with West Abbotsford Mennonite Church in the West Abbotsford sanctuary and in November they chose the name Level Ground Mennonite Church for the new congregation. The congregations formally merged and held their charter service for the new congregation in January 2009.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (15 September 2008): 25
CMC Nexus (May 1996): 15.
Mennonite Reporter (31 May 1993): 1, 13; (27 June 1994): 2; (16 October 1995): 15.
Additional Information
Former Location: Clearbrook Mennonite Church, 32027 Peardonville Road, Abbotsford, BC
Denominational Affiliations
Mennonite Church British Columbia
Wellspring Christian Fellowship Leading Ministers
| Minister |
Years |
|---|---|
| Gary Loewen |
1992-1996 |
| Alan Dyck |
1996-2003 |
| Jeff Wall |
2003-2008 |
Wellspring Christian Fellowship Membership
| Year |
Members |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 29 |
| 1996 | 45 |
| 2000 | 64 |
| 2005 | 86 |
©1996-2012 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Steiner, Sam and Andrew Klager. "Wellspring Christian Fellowship (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2008. Web. 13 February 2012. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/W457.html.
APA style: Steiner, Sam and Andrew Klager. (December 2008). Wellspring Christian Fellowship (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 13 February 2012, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/W457.html.
