Mid Prairie Scripture Mission (Saskatchewan, Canada)
The Mid Prairie Scripture Mission Inc. (MPSM) was founded as a joint church project led by Abe Boldt and Bill Loewen from Dalmeny and A. P. Toews and Bill Peters from the Langham Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church (now known as Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches). The mission's objective was to evangelize children; it was carried out through four different programs.
The first program called "Time Release" began through the vision of Alfred Friesen. In August 1945 he saw a need for scriptural instruction for students in rural schools in the northern bush areas of Saskatchewan where there was no other evangelical witness. He and his wife, Eldean (Loewen), secured permission to visit small rural schools each month to teach Bible lessons, choruses and to have the pupils memorize Bible verses. For outstanding memorization accomplishments, they offered prizes like Christian books, Bibles or a week at camp. A number of other people also worked in this program, but by the mid-1960s this program lessened because of school consolidation and better education instruction in many churches. By 1985 the program ended.
The second program was Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS), a summer program in the northern bush areas of Saskatchewan in many of the same areas served by Time Release which it sometimes complemented. When Time Release and the school year ended, DVBS continued. In some summers over two dozen workers taught DVBS in a wide area stretching from Fairholme in the west to Carrot River in the east and Arelee and Sonningdale in the south.
The third program was the Mail Box Club. Organized in 1978 it kept in contact by mail with children who had made a Christian commitment in the Time Release, camping or DVBS programs. Initially this work was done by Dave and Ethel Wiens and Gilbert Unruh who sent out and corrected Bible correspondence lessons for children. In 2010 the Mail Box Club was still administered by the Camp Kadesh Director.
The fourth program was camping. It began in 1947 with a children’s summer camp at Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, and evolved over the years to its own property with the establishment of Camp Kadesh on the northwest shore of Christopher Lake, Saskatchewan. Kadesh has functioned year round with about over 900 children, individuals and families camping each year.
The vision of Mid Prairie Scriptural Mission has been to encourage commitment to Christ and to provide Biblical, Christ-centered discipleship by assisting its supporting churches fulfill their purpose of evangelism, Christian growth and service through camps, retreats and conferences. The MPSM member churches in 2010 were Dalmeny Bible Church, Langham Evangelical Bible Church, Sutherland Evangelical Church, Hague Gospel Church, Martensville Mission Church, Warman Gospel Church, and Salem Church (Waldheim).
Bibliography
Dalmeny Bible Church. Dalmeny, Saskatchewan: Published by the congregation, 2004.
Additional Information
Address: 406 Wakefield Ave, Dalmeny, Saskatchewan S0K 1E0
Phone: 306-254-4434
Maps
Map:Mid Prairie Scripture Mission (Saskatchewan)
| Author(s) | Victor Wiebe |
|---|---|
| Date Published | October 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wiebe, Victor. "Mid Prairie Scripture Mission (Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mid_Prairie_Scripture_Mission_(Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=66711.
APA style
Wiebe, Victor. (October 2010). Mid Prairie Scripture Mission (Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mid_Prairie_Scripture_Mission_(Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=66711.
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