View source for Tilitzky, Jacob “Jake” (1925-2021)

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Jacob "Jake" Tilitzky, pastor and conference leader; born 21 October 1925 in Gruenfeld, [[Schlachtin Mennonite Settlement (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine)|Schlachtin]], South Russia to [[Tilitzky, Cornelius, G. (1890-1949)|Cornelius G. (1890-1949) and Katharina (Penner) Tilitzky]] (1882-1966). Jake was the youngest of eight children. On November 22, 1952, Jacob married Erna Derksen (27 November 1923, [[Neuendorf (Chortitza Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Neuendorf]], Chortitza – 14 February 2024, Abbotsford, British Columbia). He died in [[Abbotsford (British Columbia, Canada)|Abbotsford]], British Columbia on 9 November 2021.

Little Jasch, as he was called, was not yet one year of age when his family fled the [[Soviet Union]] in 1926. The Tilitzky family lived in Hochfeld, [[Manitoba (Canada)|Manitoba]] for two years before moving on to a farm in [[Waldheim (Saskatchewan, Canada)|Waldheim]], Saskatchewan. Although Jacob’s childhood was a happy one, the Great Depression intervened, and the Tilitzkys, hoping for a better future on Canada’s West Coast, moved eight years later to Abbotsford, British Columbia. It was an altogether different landscape and lifestyle, and at the time, Jacob harbored mixed feelings about the move.

In his teenage years, church life was little more than routine for Jacob. In 1947, however, his life was dramatically altered when he was baptized at [[West Abbotsford Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)|West Abbotsford Mennonite Church]]. Following that experience, Tilitzky became an avid church worker, serving in [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] and Daily Vacation Bible School ministries, and conducting the youth choir. He subsequently studied for four years at [[Bethel Bible Institute (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)|Bethel Bible Institute]], and later undertook winter sessions at [[Mennonite Brethren Bible College (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)|Mennonite Brethren Bible College]], [[Canadian Mennonite Bible College (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)|Canadian Mennonite Bible College]], and [[Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Chicago, Illinois, USA)|Mennonite Biblical Seminary]].

In 1952 Jake married Erna Derksen. They had known each other since 1936 when their respective families moved to BC. The couple bought a house in which they resided for 54 years.

On 22 November 1957, the couple was ordained by Elder [[Epp, Heinrich M. (1904-1958)|H. M. Epp]]. This event marked the beginning of a long and substantial church ministry. In 1963, the Tilitzkys were asked to serve as ministerial couple at the newly formed [[Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)|Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church]] in Abbotsford. Jacob, or "Jake," worked as pastor at the church until 1977 and then again from 1982 to 1990. Jake’s work was recognized for its competency as well as its open-mindedness, and he subsequently served nine years as chair of the Conference of Mennonites in BC (later [[Mennonite Church British Columbia|Mennonite Church BC]]), three years as chair of [[Mennonite Church Canada]], and six years as president of the [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]] of North America. A highlight for Tilitzky was an event in 1983 that signaled the ensuing merger of the (Old) [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church]] with the General Conference: [[Bender, Ross Thomas (1929-2011)|Ross Bender]], moderator of the Mennonite Church, and Jake Tilitzky, moderator of the General Conference at the time, laid separate stones upon one stone, which symbolized Jesus Christ.

Jake Tilitzky, along with Erna, also worked with the global Mennonite church: Aussiedler ministries in [[Germany]], 1977-1978; ministries in [[Colombia]], [[Paraguay]], [[Brazil]] and [[Uruguay]], 1983, and [[Mexico]], 1985 and 1990; and in the former Soviet Union, in [[Siberia (Russia)|Siberia]], [[Kazakhstan, Republic of|Kazakhstan]], and [[Orenburg Mennonite Settlement (Orenburg Oblast, Russia)|Orenburg]], 1989 and 1991. The latter was a time of overwhelming emotion for Tilitzky, working in areas where Mennonites had so suffered under the Communist regime.

Retirement did not suit Tilitzky’s energetic nature, and he took on interim pastoral duties in [[First United Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)|First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver]], [[Sherbrooke Mennonite Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)|Sherbrooke Mennonite Church]] in Vancouver, [[Eden Mennonite Church (Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada)|Eden Mennonite Church]] in Chilliwack, [[Bethel Mennonite Church (Langley, British Columbia, Canada)|Bethel Mennonite Church]] in Aldergrove, and [[Clearbrook Mennonite Church (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)|Clearbrook Mennonite Church]] in Abbotsford. Jake and Erna additionally worked periodically at [[Port Hardy Mennonite Fellowship (Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada)|Port Hardy Mennonite Fellowship]], a small congregation with strong ties to Mennonite Central Committee work in the area. In January 2020, Jake and Erna moved to an Abbotsford long-term senior and care facility.

Jake Tilitzky played golf and tennis in retirement, but it was simply not enough – his church activities were too important for him. He and Erna lived simply, eschewing a wealthy lifestyle because they believed that was the Christian way. Jake’s sermons emphasized God’s love for his creation, and he frequently told stories that could be understood by young and old. Jake Tilitzky was an unusually non-judgmental minister, cultivating relationships both inside and outside the church, and he was respected even by individuals who felt alienated from Christian institutions. He was affectionately known as "JT."

= Bibliography =
Price, Louise Bergen. "Remembering Jake Tilitzky." ''Roots and Branches'' (June 2022): 20.

Rinner Waddell, Amy. "Pastor, conference leader dies at 96." ''Canadian Mennonite'' (15 Dec. 2021).

Tilitzky, Jacob. "The Life Story of Jacob Tilitzky – in his own words." Edited and updated by Bruno and Wanda Derksen-Bergen. n.d.

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[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Ministers]]
[[Category:Conference Leaders]]
[[Category:Mennonite Church Canada Leaders]]
[[Category:Mennonite Church British Columbia Leaders]]
[[Category:Mennonite Church Canada Ministers]]
[[Category:Mennonite Church British Columbia Ministers]]