In 1955 Abbotsford was a village of about 1,000 population, located in the center of the fertile lower Fraser River valley, 2 1/2 miles (4 km) north of the United States boundary and about 40 miles (65 km) east of the Pacific coast, on the Trans-Canada highway, in British Columbia. In the surrounding area the chief occupations were dairying, poultry raising, and berry and fruit growing. In the immediate vicinity were seven Mennonite congregations, each having its own house of worship: four Mennonite Brethren, two General Conference, and one Evangelical Mennonite Brethren, with a total membership in 1955 of approximately 1,500. There were also two Mennonite Bible schools - Bethel Bible Institute and Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute, and one large private high school, Mennonite Educational Institute.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 6. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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