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Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (MBBI) was the expression of a denomination that placed a high value on biblical literacy. From the outset of their arrival in British Columbia, Mennonites quickly organized local congregations, and soon thereafter, Bible schools. Such institutions, it was felt, would shield young people against the prevailing secularism and also provide a generous supply of workers for local church ministries. Soon after the establishment of the South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren Church in 1932, Kornelius Klassen called together a group of like-minded members for the purpose of planning a Christian school. This vision came to life on 26 September 1936 with the introduction of an evening program and Cornelius C. Peters, a European trained teacher, as the first instructor. Some 30 students enrolled for classes that first winter. The South Abbotsford Bible School functioned until 1941 when owing to the World War II, classes were suspended. However, war conditions did not dampen the enthusiasm for Christian education. In 1943 a building was purchased for the purpose of starting a new Bible school and moved onto the South Abbotsford MB church property. Following the appointment of Franz C. Thiessen as principal and William Reincke as instructor, the school, now called Bethel Bible School, was given a more permanent basis. With the introduction of a day program there followed a decade of steady growth. In 1944 Jacob F. Redekop was appointed principal, continuing in that position for nine years. Under Redekop’s leadership a four-year course of studies was introduced and then further enhanced by a “post-graduate” fifth-year program. In the process of expansion Bethel gained the support of six Abbotsford area congregations. In 1948 the first graduates of the school provided the evidence that the school indeed represented a valuable investment as these students took on ministry responsibilities in local congregations and in the wider mission of the denomination. By the end of the decade, the school calendar listed some two-dozen courses including Bible doctrine, Old and New Testament surveys, Church history, missions, music and Sunday school teaching. A weekly radio program informed the constituency about the school but also served as source of inspiration and evangelism to loyal listeners in the Fraser Valley. Abram H. Wieler, the long time MBBI teacher and radio speaker, became widely known as the voice of the Bible school. By the end of the 1950s several smaller Bible schools throughout BC were no longer viable operations, and effectively merged into one school, the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute. With newfound confidence, the Bible School Society purchased a tract of land on Clearbrook Road and relocated the school to its present location, thus setting the stage for the British Columbia Mennonite Brethren Conference to assume responsibility for MBBI. Prominent teachers of these years included Jacob Redekop, John B. Epp, Henry H. Nikkel, Abram H. Wieler, George Konrad and Henry C. Born. The social turbulence and urbanization of the 1960s did not leave the Bible school unaffected. Restless students demanded a higher quality education and a more engaging learning experience. In response, the Board increased dormitory space and introduced a student-life program along with increasing athletics as a means of enriching campus life. Moreover, during the presidency of Henry Born, serious consideration was given to academic accreditation with the American Association of Bible Colleges. In this milieu, a historic development was about to enfold. By the late 1960s the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia were encountering a diminishing enrollment in their denominational school, Bethel Bible Institute. The result of a laborious and sometimes contentious study process suggested that the Conference of Mennonites and the Mennonite Brethren Conference close ranks and amalgamate the two schools into a single institution with a common board governance. Long-standing suspicions notwithstanding, Columbia Bible Institute began its life in the fall of 1970 with Peter R. Toews as President and a full-time enrollment of 186 students. Never before had these two Mennonite denominations united in such a vital enterprise as the theological training of their young people. BibliographyBorn, Hilda J. "Columbia Bible College: Growth in Wisdom and Service." 1992. "Columbia Bible College Self-Evaluation, 1980." Self Study Document submitted to the American Association of Bible Colleges, 1989. Guenther, Phil. "The Story of Bethel Bible Institute." 1985. Schmidt, George. "Columbia Bible Institute: Paradox of a Brotherhood and Walls." University of Western Washington, 1977. Additional InformationColumbia Bible College website Table 1: Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute Instructors, 1943-44 - 1969-70
©1996-2009 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved. To cite this page:MLA style: Giesbrecht, David. "Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2008. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 08 January 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/mennonite_brethren_bible_institute_abbotsford> APA style: Giesbrecht, David. (May 2008). "Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 08 January 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/mennonite_brethren_bible_institute_abbotsford> Document Actions |
