Abundance Canada
The formation of Abundance Canada (formerly known as Mennonite Foundation of Canada) was the outgrowth of a previously chartered Mennonite Mutual Foundation, a venture of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec, and Mennonite Foundation, an unchartered venture of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. Conversations between the two groups began as early as 1970. A federal charter under the name of Mennonite Foundation of Canada was granted in December 1973. On 1 July 1974, a head office in Winnipeg managed by J. K. Klassen, and a regional office in Kitchener managed by Rufus Jutzi opened.
The purpose of the foundation was to facilitate charitable giving and distribute funds to charity on behalf of donors. A central thrust was counselling about gift and estate planning. Administration of various endowment funds and gifting accounts plus a variety of charitable investment objectives became part of the program. Investments included government and commercial bonds and equities. All investments of the Foundation meet a Socially Responsible Investment criteria.
In 2016 the Foundation Board voted to rebrand the organization as Abundance Canada and to change its governance structure. In addition to serving several Mennonite denominations, Abundance Canada serves the wider Christian church in Canada with gift facilitation and management of charitable funds. They remain a faith-based organization and serve from offices in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Calgary, Alberta, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Kitchener, Ontario. In July 2017, Abundance Canada managed charitable assets in excess of $200,000,000.
See also Inheritance; Brethren in Christ Foundation; Stewardship; Mennonite Foundation, United States.
Bibliography
Mennonite Yearbook & Directory, 1997, ed. James E. Horsch. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1997.
Mennonite Foundation of Canada quarterly statements.
Additional Information
Original Article from Mennonite Encyclopedia
By Rufus Jutzi. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 571. All rights reserved.
The formation of Mennonite Foundation of Canada was the outgrowth of a previously chartered Mennonite Mutual Foundation, a venture of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec, and Mennonite Foundation, an unchartered venture of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. Conversations between the two groups began as early as 1970. A federal charter under the name of Mennonite Foundation of Canada was granted in December 1973. On 1 July 1974, a head office in Winnipeg managed by J. K. Klassen, and a regional office in Kitchener managed by Rufus Jutzi opened.
The purpose of the foundation was to provide stewardship teaching and responsible use and disposition of accumulated possessions. A central thrust was counselling about wills and estate planning. Administration of various endowment funds plus a variety of charitable investment objectives became part of the program. Investments included commercial bonds and mortgages to congregations and other church-related institutions.
As of 2004 the participating conferences were: Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, the Northwest Mennonite Conference, the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, the Chortitzer Mennonite Conference, and the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada.
In 2004, Mennonite Foundation of Canada served a constituency across Canada from offices in Abbotsford, B.C., Calgary, AB, Saskatoon, SK, Winnipeg, Man., Kitchener, Ont., and St. Catharines, Ont. The total value of assets under the administration of Mennonite Foundation of Canada in October 2004 was $66,000,000.
| Author(s) | Darren Pries-Klassen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | August 2017 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Pries-Klassen, Darren. "Abundance Canada." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2017. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Abundance_Canada&oldid=153983.
APA style
Pries-Klassen, Darren. (August 2017). Abundance Canada. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Abundance_Canada&oldid=153983.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.