Anola Fellowship Chapel (Anola, Manitoba, Canada)
Anola Fellowship Chapel, a member of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, began as an outreach of Blumenort Evangelical Mennonite Church. Vacation Bible School was held in Anola, Manitoba from 1958 to 1961, and in 1961 a decision was made to hold Sunday School.
In 1965 church services began to be held on a monthly and then on a twice-monthly basis, with a building erected on the purchased site of the community’s former school. Sunday School teachers and ministers continued to visit and serve on a regular basis.
In 1977, David Friesen began serving as Anola Fellowship Chapel’s pastor and in 1979 the congregation was granted autonomy with nine charter members. Friesen served until 1985. Several pastors then served on an interim basis: Frank D. Reimer (1986), Harry Neufeld (1986-87), and John K. Reimer (1987-88). In 1988 John (Jack) and Brenda Cosens began serving as Anola’s resident pastoral couple (with a break of two years). Cosens was a bivocational minister-carpenter.
In 1985 there were 25 members; in 1995, 30; in 2012, 44. The 2012 yearbook states that the average attendance was 66, though one leader said in 2013 that the average attendance, apart from the summer months, was about 100. The congregation’s highest attendance has been about 120.
Anola Fellowship Chapel intentionally serves as a community evangelical church, reaching out to people of a wide range of church and cultural backgrounds. The congregation’s building has gone through renovation and extension, most recently in 2000.
Bibliography
Evangelical Mennonite Conference Yearbook for 2012 (including a record of the proceedings of the 62nd annual sessions of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference July 6-8, 2012). Steinbach: Evangelical Mennonite Conference, 2012.
Hamm, Menno. "Anola Fellowship Chapel" The Messenger 33, no. 8 (19 April 2013): 7-9.
Koop, Art. Interview with author (25 August 2013).
Wiebe, Joanell. History of Anola Fellowship Chapel prepared for Steinbach Bible College (1984).
Additional Information
Address: 58006 Monominto Rd. (39 E), Anola, Manitoba
Phone: 204-866-3597
Website: Anola Fellowship Chapel
Denominational Affiliation
Evangelical Mennonite Conference
Anola Fellowship Chapel Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| David Friesen | 1977-1985 |
| Frank D. Reimer (interim) | 1986 |
| Harry Neufeld (interim) | 1986-1987 |
| John K. Reimer (interim) | 1987-1988 |
| John "Jack" Cosens | 1988-2006 |
| Wally Frank | 2006-2007 |
| John "Jack" Cosens | 2007-present |
Anola Fellowship Chapel Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 9 |
| 1985 | 25 |
| 1990 | 12 |
| 1995 | 39 |
| 2005 | 67 |
| 2010 | 53 |
| 2015 | 49 |
| Author(s) | Terry M Smith |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Smith, Terry M. "Anola Fellowship Chapel (Anola, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2014. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Anola_Fellowship_Chapel_(Anola,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=155787.
APA style
Smith, Terry M. (March 2014). Anola Fellowship Chapel (Anola, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Anola_Fellowship_Chapel_(Anola,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=155787.
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