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West Abbotsford Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)The first Mennonite settlers in the Abbotsford, British Columbia area, coming from 1929 to 1932, were J. B. Sawatzky, A. Penner, J. Redekop, P. Heinrichs, E. Kroeker, and J. Kehler. The group increased every year. The congregation formally organized on 15 November 1936 and was initially called Abbotsford Mennonitengemeinde (Abbotsford Mennonite Church). Soon after, the name was changed to the United Mennonite Church of Abbotsford when it joined the Conference of United Mennonite Churches of British Columbia, becoming the first congregation of that conference in the Abbotsford-Matsqui region with a membership of 45. Peter P. Epp (1936-1937) was founding pastor. The municipality donated land on the corner of King and Townline Roads, on which they built their first structure out of lumber from the dismantled Mill Lake Lumber Mill in 1937. Dramatic growth occurred while Heinrich M. Epp (1946-1958) was congregational leader. Building programs in 1946 and 1949 sought to accommodate the influx of post-World War II refugees and refugees from Paraguay and Mexico. The resulting so-called “long church” seating 600 was overflowing by 1952 with a membership of 430. To relieve their growing attendance, Peardonville Mennonite Church (1952) and Clearbrook Mennonite Church (1953) were established as daughter churches, both of which later secured their own autonomy. The congregation was also involved with the Prairie Chapel outreach. In 1950, the church changed its name to West Abbotsford Mennonite Church. During this time, West Abbotsford's members were farmers, engaged chiefly in poultry raising and berry farming. The elder in 1948 was Heinrich M. Epp; the ministers were Henry H. Neufeld, Henry Neudorf, and Abram I. Loewen. During Peter J. Froese’s (1958-1967) term as pastor the issue of language during worship became a concern. A group of post-war immigrants desired to retain the German language during worship and requested assistance from West Abbotsford in establishing a new congregation. The request was granted, and Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church was dedicated on 14 July 1963. As it happened, however, a dual worship service model, accommodating both German and English-speaking members, was implemented while Peter Harms (1968-1971) was pastor beginning in 1968. Dietrich Rempel (1972-1981) became pastor in 1972 and introduced women deaconesses and a new structure was built in 1976 under his leadership as well. However membership stood at 242 in 1980 and in 2005 it was 148. In 2000, Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen became West Abbotsford’s first female leading minister. In recent years the congregation has intentionally ministered to the men in the Kinghaven Treatment Centre, a treatment centre for those struggling with drug and/or alcohol addictions located next door on the campus formerly used by Bethel Bible Institute. BibliographyCanadian Mennonite (24 November 1961): 13. Churches in Profile. Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1978: 104-108. Lehn, Cornelia. Frontier Challenge: A Story of the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia. Clearbrook: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1990: 103-110. Loewen, David F. Living Stones: a History of the West Abbotsford Mennonite Church, 1936-1986. West Abbotsford Mennonite Church, 1987. Mennonite Reporter (6 March 1978): 14; (15 September 1986): 12; (28 June 1993): 13. Archival Records: Textual records at Mennonite Heritage Centre. Additional InformationAddress: 31216 King Rd., Abbotsford BC V2T 6C2; the church is located at King and Townline Roads Phone: 604-854-8181 Website: West Abbotsford Mennonite Church Denominational Affiliations: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia / Mennonite Church British Columbia (1938-1953, 1957-present) Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1938-2006) General Conference Mennonite Church (1938-1999) West Abbotsford Mennonite Church Leading Ministers
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 6; vol. 4, p. 919. 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: Tilitzky, C. G. and Andrew Klager. "West Abbotsford Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2008. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 07 September 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/W47ME.html> APA style: Tilitzky, C. G. and Andrew Klager. (August 2008). "West Abbotsford Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 07 September 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/W47ME.html> Document Actions |
