Greendale Bible School (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)
The Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church decided on 21 November 1938 to develop a Bible School and formed a committee consisting of Heinrich G. "Henry" Dueck, Jacob B. Harder and Willie Wiens. A week later the Greendale Bible School was opened with Henry G. Dueck as instructor. They met in Dueck's home on South Sumas Road and had sessions in the morning and afternoon for three and a half months. Nine courses were taught, including Church History, Bible verses, Geography of the Bible, Introduction to Old Testament, German and a study of prayer. Thirteen full-time and 9 part-time students attended. According to a class photograph twelve students met during the morning in a home on Sumas Prairie Road during the 1939-40 school year with Jacob B. Harder as instructor. Classes moved into the church basement during the 1940-41 year with Abram Schierling serving as instructor for 41 full-time students. Herman Lenzmann, Henry G. Dueck and Abe Esau (later a missionary in Congo) were instructors in 1941-42. Classes were not held in 1942-43 and 1944-45 school years due to the wartime situation. John I. Wiebe was the only instructor during the 1943-44 school year.
In 1945 the church constructed a Sunday school building intended to also accommodate the Bible School, located north of the church. Henry J. Unger, formerly a teacher in the Gem Bible School, and Jacob B. Harder taught classes in 1945-46. Subjects included Old and New Testament Studies, the Gospels, Church history and teaching methods. Classes were not offered after 1946. The lack of qualified teachers and the prohibitive costs of maintaining an educational institution dictated the closing of the Bible School, and the church's energies were redirected in the direction of other educational ventures.
Throughout the history of the school, students came primarily from the Greendale area. In spite of the great sacrifices necessary to operate the school, the Greendale congregation benefited from the training that took place and as a result the school left an important and positive legacy.
| Author(s) | Richard D. Thiessen |
|---|---|
| Hugo Friesen | |
| Date Published | October 2006 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. and Hugo Friesen. "Greendale Bible School (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2006. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Greendale_Bible_School_(Chilliwack,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=113023.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. and Hugo Friesen. (October 2006). Greendale Bible School (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Greendale_Bible_School_(Chilliwack,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=113023.
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