View source for Peace Church on 52nd (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

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[[File:FUMCearly.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver, ca. 1945''.]]
[[File:FUMC.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver BC<br />
Source: Belinda Rempel'']]
By the early 1930s, Mennonites were moving from rural areas in [[British Columbia (Canada)|British Columbia]] (BC) and western Canada to [[Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)|Vancouver]], British Columbia. The leadership of the [[Mennonite Church Canada|Conference of Mennonites in Canada]] decided to send Elder [[Janzen, Jacob H. (1878-1950)|Jacob H. Janzen]] from [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] to Vancouver in 1935 to help organize a Mennonite congregation in the city. Jacob and his wife Elisabeth also helped to establish the [[Mary Martha Girls' Home (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)|Mary Martha Girls' Home]] to assist young Mennonite women who had in many cases been sent by their families to the city to earn income for the family. Services began in 1935, and the First United Mennonite Church (FUMC) was formally organized in 1937 with 11 charter members, the first Mennonite Church in Vancouver.

By the end of the 1940s circumstances produced a total change. World War II had ended and jobs were plentiful. Hundreds of Mennonite immigrants came to BC and many worked in Vancouver and the church filled up. In the summer of 1955 the congregation sold their church building on 49<sup>th</sup> Avenue and purchased a larger church building on 659 East 52<sup>nd</sup> Avenue (formerly the Ebenezer Baptist Church [Erste Deutsche Baptisten Gemeinde]). The congregation continues to worship at the same location, with the building having endured a couple of smaller renovations and one major renovation in the early 1980s.

During the early 1950s, the [[Mountainview Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)|Mountainview Mennonite Church]] (formerly Vancouver Mennonite Mission) was built and a number of members who preferred English services transferred there. The Sunday school started a missionary project in Richmond and eventually a church was built -- [[Prince of Peace Mennonite Church (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada)|Prince of Peace Mennonite Church]]. Membership in the church continued to grow and by 1965 [[Sherbrooke Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)|Sherbrooke Mennonite Church]] was built and a new church body was organized in 1967. All three daughter congregations received both members and financial support from FUMC. First United Mennonite and Sherbrooke operated as one until 1968 when the latter became fully independent.

From 95 members in 1950 the membership grew to exceed 500 members in the 1960s and 1970s and into much of the 1980s. The 25th anniversary (1962) records 550 members and a 50th anniversary in 1987 saw some 500 members. In 2010 membership was 270. During the 1960s there were many growing families involved in the congregation. The Sunday school numbered in the hundreds and there was a vibrant Boys Club running as well. In 1986 a Spanish congregation was established; in May 1992 this congregation became a member of the [[Mennonite Church British Columbia|Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia]] as the [[First United Spanish Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)|First United Spanish Mennonite Church]].

With many young people leaving the city for the suburbs, the membership has declined in recent years. The makeup of the church has also changed. There is still a core group that has been at the church since the early 1950s and there are a number of young adults and new immigrants to Canada who also attend. Current ministries include a partnership with six other South Hill churches to provide ESL classes and an ESL "ALPHA" class through Kingcrest International Neighbours. FUMC also partnered with a number of local churches to establish and run the Place of Refuge, a transition house for persons with addictions.

In June 2018 the congregation changed its name to Peace Church on 52nd as part of an effort to respond to changes in its local community.
= Bibliography =
''Canadian Mennonite'' (24 November 1961): 26.

''Canadian Mennonite'' 24, no. 21 (12 October 2020): 22.

''Churches in Profile''. Clearbrook, BC: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1978: 99-103.

Dueckman, Amy. "New Identity for Vancouver Church." ''Canadian Mennonite'' 22, no. 20 (22 October 2018): 13.

Harder, Henry. "A Short History of the Origins of the First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver, British Columbia." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1976, 12 pp. [http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/index.htm  Mennonite Heritage Centre.]

''Information bezueglich der Vereinigten Mennoniten Gemeinden in British Columbien: Gelegentlich der Konferenz der Mennoniten in Kanada, 1959''. Abbotsford, BC: The Conference, 1959: 7.

''Mennonite Reporter'' (24 June 1996): 12.

==Archival Records== 
Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives, Winnipeg, MB: [http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/holdings/BC/BC_vanumfirst.htm Volumes 109, 1010, 2780, 2928, 3390, 3539, 4441].

= Additional Information =
'''Address''': 659 East 52nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC  V5X 1G8

'''Phone''': 604-321-2131

'''Website''': [https://www.peacechurchon52.ca/ Peace Church on 52nd]

'''Denominational Affiliations:'''

Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia / <span class="link-external">[http://mcbc.ca/index.html Mennonite Church British Columbia]</span> (1936-present)

Conference of Mennonites in Canada / <span class="link-external">[http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/ Mennonite Church Canada]</span> (1937-present)

[[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]] (1938-1999)
=== First United Mennonite Church Ministers ===
{|  class="wikitable" 
! Minister
! Years
|- 
| [[Janzen, Jacob H. (1878-1950)|Jacob H. Janzen]]
| align="right" | 1935-1937
|- 
| [[Wiens, Jacob Bernhard (1898-1975)|Jacob B. Wiens]]
| align="right" | 1937-1975
|- 
| David J. Duerksen
| align="right" | 1937-1952
|- 
| Johann Goertz
| align="right" | 1937-1947
|- 
| Bernhard B. Friesen
| align="right" | 1946-1966
|- 
| [[Goerz, Heinrich (1890-1972)|Heinrich Goerz]]
| align="right" | 1951-1972
|- 
| [[Letkemann, Peter J. (1886-1966)|Peter Letkemann]]
| align="right" | 1951-1967
|- 
| [[Cornelsen, Erwin (1919-2020)|Erwin Cornelsen]]
| align="right" | 1961-1967
|- 
| Heinz Braun
| align="right" | 1968-1974
|- 
| David Nickel
| align="right" | 1969-1983
|- 
| Peter Neufeld
| align="right" | 1972-1990
|- 
| Henry Unrau
| align="right" | 1975-1976
|- 
| Ken Kehler
| align="right" | 1976-1980
|- 
| Abram Harder
| align="right" | 1976-1987
|- 
| Gene Klassen
| align="right" | 1977-1980
|- 
| [[Federau, Hans (1936-2023)|Hans Federau]]
| align="right" | 1980-1992
|- 
| Larry Schram
| align="right" | 1982-1989
|- 
| Hans Krueger
| align="right" | 1986-1988
|- 
| Hans Fast
| align="right" | 1986-1997
|- 
| [[Boschman, Paul Wilfred (1923-1994)|Paul Boschman]]
| align="right" | 1989
|- 
| Elden Wiebe
| align="right" | 1990-1993
|- 
| [[Tilitzky, Jacob “Jake” (1925-2021)|Jacob Tilitzky]]
| align="right" | 1992-1993
|- 
| Helmut Isaak
| align="right" | 1993-2002
|- 
| Pye Chew
| align="right" | 1996-1999
|- 
| Ingrid Schulz
| align="right" | 2000-2012
|- 
| Lydia Cruttwell
| align="right" | 2012-2021
|- 
| Adam Back
| align="right" | 2017-2022
|- 
| Garry Janzen (transitional)
| align="right" | 2023-2024
|- 
| Graham McCarthy
| align="right" | 2024-present
|}

=== First United Mennonite Church Membership ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;" 
! Year
! Members
|- 
| 1937
| 11
|- 
| 1940
| 50
|- 
| 1945
| 75
|- 
| 1950
| 95
|- 
| 1955
| 243
|- 
| 1959
| 471
|- 
| 1965
| 568
|- 
| 1975
| 575
|- 
| 1979
| 602
|- 
| 1985
| 539
|- 
| 1990
| 454
|- 
| 1995
| 357
|- 
| 2000
| 324
|- 
| 2005
| 303
|- 
| 2010
| 270
|- 
| 2015
| 219
|- 
| 2020
| 185
|}

= Maps =
[[Map:First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver, BC|First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver, BC]]
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[[Category:Churches]]
[[Category:Mennonite Church British Columbia Congregations]]
[[Category:Mennonite Church Canada Congregations]]
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[[Category:British Columbia Congregations]]
[[Category:Canadian Congregations]]