Hilltop Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada)

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The Hilltop Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation in Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada was formally established in 1968. It roots were in a mission outreach to First Nations people that began in 1951.

Pete and Florence Isaac from Crooked Creek, Alberta established the first mission effort, composed of teaching First Nations children. Various families assisted in the work until 1958 when John W. and Lilly Friesen took charge of the work and purchased 14 acres of land. In 1961 they sold the land to the Northern Mission Board of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, and continued on as mission workers on the property until 1964. A children's home, known as Hilltop Children's Home, was built and became a focus of the mission.

As mission activities continued, some families took up more permanent residence in Fort Vermilion. The old chapel of Hilltop Home became inadequate. A congregation formally organized in 1968, and a new church was built in 1969. There was not a resident minister until Henry Bueckert was ordained on 9 June 1974. The congregation built a new church in 1988.

Hilltop House remained a mission project until shortly after a new facility was erected in the late 1970s. The building then became an intermediate care facility for eight occupants. It opened as such in November 1979 and continued in operation until summer 1989.

Hilltop Christian School began in 1977. A school facility was built in 1979, with additions in 1990 and 1997.

In 2019 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were Greg Toews and Robert Goossen; there were 92 members.

Bibliography

Canadian Mennonite (1 December 1961): 1.

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (2019): 23-24

Histories of the Congregations of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Ste. Anne, Man.: Gospel Publishers, 1975.

Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 38-42.

Additional Information

Location: 1 km (.5 mile) south of Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada

Telephone: 780-927-3341.

Denominational Affiliation:

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite

Ordained Pastors at the Hilltop Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Name Years
of Service
Henry Bueckert (1937-2019) 1974-?
Cecil Isaac 1982-?
Greg Toews 1990s?-present
Robert Goossen 2017-present

Hilltop Congregation Membership

Year Members
1985 73
1995 71
2000 89
2010 93
2019 92


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published April 2020

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Hilltop Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2020. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hilltop_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Fort_Vermilion,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=169067.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (April 2020). Hilltop Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hilltop_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Fort_Vermilion,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=169067.



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