Esperanza Multicultural Church (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)
The Esperanza Multicultural Church originated as a Spanish language group in 1982 and by 1985 it had become a linguistic congregation within Willingdon Church. While Willingdon Church's goal was to fully integrate their various linguistic congregations, the Spanish language group chose to retain their language. In July 2002 the congregation began meeting for Sunday services in the Marlborough Elementary School in Burnaby. The congregation became a member of the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in 2003. Rob and Silvia Brynjolfson were active in the congregation before it became associated with Willingdon, and served as co-pastors from 1999 until 2002, when Rob became the first pastor of the independent church. Brynjolfson served until 2006. In 2008 Daniel Bongarra was serving as interim pastor.
The congregation, using the Spanish and English languages in its worship, is intentionally multicultural and represents a variety of Spanish-language cultures in the Vancouver area as well as people from other ethnic backgrounds. In 2008 the congregation had 120 members and an average attendance of 140. By 2010 membership had dropped to 55 with an average attendance of 35.
Bibliography
Mennonite Brethren Herald (December 6, 2002) http://old.mbherald.com/41-20/news-1.html (accessed 24 August 2009): (June 13, 2003) http://www.mbherald.com/42/08/news-1.en.html (accessed 19 May 2008); (January 7, 2005) http://www.mbherald.com/44/01/bridging.en.html (accessed 24 August 2009).
Additional Information
Mailing Address: 1607 – 4266 Grange Street, Burnaby, BC V5H 1P1
Meeting Location: West Burnaby United Church, 6050 Sussex Avenue, Burnaby, BC
Telephone: 604-374-8220
Website: Esperanza Multicultural Church
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches (2003-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (2003-present)
| Author(s) | Richard D Thiessen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. "Esperanza Multicultural Church (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Esperanza_Multicultural_Church_(Burnaby,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=80574.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. (November 2010). Esperanza Multicultural Church (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Esperanza_Multicultural_Church_(Burnaby,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=80574.
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