Brussels Mennonite Fellowship (Brussels, Ontario, Canada)

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship originated from the dreams and hard work of certain members of the Listowel Mennonite Church to plant a church in Brussels.

By the fall of 1979 planning began in earnest. Brian Laverty, pastor at Listowel, helped to coordinate these early meetings. The first church service was held in Brussels in January 1980, under the leadership of Pastor Laverty. Five families made up this early congregation - Elwin and Linda Garland, Howard and Alice Martin and family, John and Mary Baan and family, Lorne and Marion Wideman, and Ross and Anne Hemingway and family.

Mortgage burning on 14 January 1996. L-R: Carl Siemon, Linda Campbell, Elwin Garland (foreground), Paul Greenwood

Services continued in rented facilities until 1981 when a house was purchased and renovated. In 1984 the congregation added a chapel, basement rooms and fellowship hall. A gymnasium, kitchen and pastor's study were built in 1987. In 1995-96 the church closed in an existing porch for an office and meeting room.

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship has mainained many programs over the years, including Sunday school for all ages, a youth group, Kids' Corner (Vacation Bible School in conjunction with other churches), Foodgrains Bank participation, a ladies fellowship, small groups, a community thrift shop run together with other churches, and weekly prayer meetings. Brussels tries to be ecumenical with its Kids' Corner (VBS), occasional joint services, and meetings with pastors from churches of other denominations.

The pastoral leaders at BMF have worked with the pastoral care (eldering) team and church council.

BMF leans toward a casual worship style. Extensive congregational participation in worship services is the norm, as is the children's story time, and through a sharing time for joys and concerns for the congregational prayer.

Bibliography

Mennonite Reporter (21 January 1980): 9; (3 March 1980): 13; (5 April 1982): 13; (28 May 1984): 14; (27 July 1987): 15; (5 February 1996): 13.

Zehr, Douglas J. Catching a Vision : the First Ten Years of Brussels Mennonite Fellowship. Brussels, ON : The Church, 1990.

Church records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario and with the congregation.

Additional Information

Address: 250 Princess Street, Brussels, Ontario

Phone: 519-887-6388

Website: Brussels Mennonite Fellowship

Denominational Affiliations:

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

Mennonite Church Canada

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship Pastoral Leaders

Minister	Service
Brian Laverty	1979-1980
Doug Zehr	1980-1990
Gordon Bauman (Interim)	1990-1991
Tom Warner	1991-1995
Ben Wiebe	1997-1999
Art Byer (Interim)	2001
Brent Kipfer	2001-2012
Jim Whitehead (Interim)	2012-2014
Ken Gazley	2014-2023

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship Membership

Year	Members
1981	28
1986	52
1991	84
1996	91
2001	65
2015	42
2020	42

Maps

Map:Brussels Mennonite Church (Brussels, Ontario)

Author(s)	Linda Campbell
Date Published	October 2003

Cite This Article

MLA style

Campbell, Linda. "Brussels Mennonite Fellowship (Brussels, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2003. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Brussels_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Brussels,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=177638.

APA style

Campbell, Linda. (October 2003). Brussels Mennonite Fellowship (Brussels, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Brussels_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Brussels,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=177638.

---

©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.