Ocean Falls Gospel Fellowship (Ocean Falls, British Columbia, Canada)
Attempts were made as early as 1940 by local evangelicals to establish a permanent work in Ocean Falls, a company town. Eventually this group contacted the West Coast Children’s Mission for a worker and in 1958 Jake and Mary Geddert were asked to establish a church there. They met for Sunday school in the basement of a local home and for services in the Legion Hall. The hope to build a chapel was frustrated by the difficulty in finding an available lot. Eventually a location was found and a chapel was built in 1960.
The Ocean Falls Gospel Fellowship was formally organized in 1961 under the auspices of the British Columbia Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches, which it joined that year. The membership remained quite small standing at 12 members in 1965. Due to the closure of the Crown Zellerbach mill and the subsequent move of many people to other areas the church lost most of its members and closed down in 1972. Towards the end of this time Cornie (Neil) Klassen served as lay leader.
Bibliography
Penner, Peter. Reaching the otherwise unreached: an historical account of the West Coast Children's Mission of B.C. Clearbrook, B.C.: West Coast Children's Mission of B.C., [1959].
Archival Records
Mennonite Archives Centre, Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia. 211 - 2825 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6S3.
Additional Information
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches (1961-1972)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1961-1972)
Ocean Falls Gospel Fellowship Pastors (with spouse)
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Jake and Mary Geddert | 1958-1961 |
| Tom and Mary Loewen | 1961-1964 |
| John and Bertha Balzer | 1964-1967 |
| Sam and Lilly Lewis | 1968-1969 |
| Walter and Gaye Toews | 1969-1970 |
Ocean Falls Gospel Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 12 |
| 1967 | 10 |
| Author(s) | Hugo Friesen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | August 2006 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Friesen, Hugo. "Ocean Falls Gospel Fellowship (Ocean Falls, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2006. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ocean_Falls_Gospel_Fellowship_(Ocean_Falls,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=59742.
APA style
Friesen, Hugo. (August 2006). Ocean Falls Gospel Fellowship (Ocean Falls, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ocean_Falls_Gospel_Fellowship_(Ocean_Falls,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=59742.
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