Neufeld, Sue (1926-2005)
Sue Neufeld: long time church worker at Pacific Grace Mission Chapel, and prominent female Mennonite Brethren church worker in British Columbia; born 22 June 1926 in Olgafeld, Fürstenland Mennonite Settlement, South Russia, the ninth of 11 children of John G. Neufeld (1884-1963) and Katharina (Enns) Neufeld (1887-1942). In the same year the Neufeld family immigrated to Canada, settling in Drake, Saskatchewan where at the age of 14 she embraced Jesus as her Savior. In 1940 her family moved to Yarrow, British Columbia. At the age of sixteen she was baptized and received into the membership of the Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church. While in Yarrow she attended the Elim Bible School for two years.
In 1946 Sue moved to Vancouver, where she worked in sewing factory. Soon after she began volunteering at the Pacific Grace Mission Chapel where in 1954 she accepted a full-time ministry position alongside Henry Classen and Herb Brandt. Over the next 28 years she served in bringing many children, youth and adults to faith in Jesus, and teaching them to be disciples.
With the transition of the Pacific Grace Mission Chapel to a Chinese-speaking congregation in 1982, Sue found employment in the main Vancouver Post Office where she worked from 1974 to 1997. During this time she joined the Richmond Bethel Mennonite Brethren Church where again she became active in diverse ways, including leading a single mom’s ministry, singing in a choir, teaching a children’s Alpha Course and by serving in Awana, a Christian children’s club. Many children came to know her as “Aunt Sue.” While a member of the Bethel Church, Sue Neufeld also volunteered her assistance at the Union Gospel Mission in downtown Vancouver, and with raising support for the Far East Gospel Mission.
After a lengthy battle with cancer, Sue Neufeld died 30 May 2005. She is interred at the Valley View Cemetery in Burnaby, British Columbia. She is fondly remembered for her welcoming personality, and positive, encouraging spirit.
Bibliography
Brandt, Herb. “Sue Neufeld.” Personal e-mail (10 February 2010).
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 6.02 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite Historical Society, 2010: #378648.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (22 July 2005).
Ratzlaff, Harold. “Sue Neufeld.” Personal e-mail (9 February 2010).
| Author(s) | David Giesbrecht |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Giesbrecht, David. "Neufeld, Sue (1926-2005)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2010. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Neufeld,_Sue_(1926-2005)&oldid=101407.
APA style
Giesbrecht, David. (February 2010). Neufeld, Sue (1926-2005). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Neufeld,_Sue_(1926-2005)&oldid=101407.
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