Tofield Gospel Church (Tofield, Alberta, Canada)
Creator: Henry J. Wiens (1885-1975)
Digitized by Hiebert Library. Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies
Tofield Gospel Church was started by Russian Mennonite immigrants that immigrated to Canada in the 1920s and settled at Trent Ranch, northeast of Tofield, Alberta. The group began services and formally organized in 1928 with 14 members. They met in family homes and, because transportation was difficult, not very frequently. In 1936 the Trent Ranch dissolved, and so many families moved to the Lindbrook area. In 1937–1938 many families from Crowfoot also moved the Lindbrook area. In 1939 they had outgrown family homes and so rented facilities were used for meeting places. In 1940 they decided to build their own meeting house between Tofield and Lindbrook, called the Lindbrook Mennonite Brethren Church.
In the mid-1940s the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren congregation at nearby Ryley joined the church.
In 1963 a larger meeting house was completed south of Tofield and the name of the congregation was changed to Tofield Mennonite Brethren Church. In 1971 the congregation adopted the pastor system. In 1977 the congregation again changed its name to the Tofield Gospel Church. In 1982 the congregation again built a larger meeting house north to Tofield.
By 2005 the church was struggling. Grace Road Church, which had been formed by former members of Tofield Gospel Church, had closed by 2005. In 2006 the congregation was released from membership in the Alberta Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
Bibliography
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 8.
MB Herald (29 August 1997); (22 June 2001); (11 January 2002); (21 March 2003); (11 June 2004); (29 April 2005); (28 April 2006).
Toews, John A. A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church: Pilgrims and Pioneers. Fresno, CA, 1975: 166. Available in full electronic text at: https://archive.org/details/AHistoryOfTheMennoniteBrethrenChurch.
Penner, Peter. No Longer at Arms Length: Mennonite Brethren Church Planting in Canada. Winnipeg: Kindred Press, 1987, 178 pp.
Archival Records
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg, MB: Volume 340, Reel 54.
Additional Information
Address: Box 444, Tofield, AB T0B 4J0
Location: 5826 - 51st Street, Tofield, AB
Phone: 780-662-3415
Denominational Affiliations:
Alberta Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
Tofield Gospel Church Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Abram Froese | 1928–1935 |
| Peter J. Warkentin | 1936–1959 |
| H. Huebert | 1960–1961 |
| J. J. Dueck | 1962–1965 |
| George Quiring | 1966–1970 |
| Henry H. Epp | 1971–1976 |
| John M. Schmidt | 1977–1980 |
| P. H. Warkentin | 1980–1981 |
| Randy Benson | 1981–1986 |
| Calvin Buehler | 1987–1993 |
| Tom Peachey | 1993–1997 |
| Carl Ibbotson | 1997 |
| Wilfred Richert | 1998–2001 |
| Henry Wiebe (interim) | 2001-2002 |
| Ramon Noble | 2004- |
Tofield Gospel Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 130 |
| 1995 | 118 |
| 2000 | 134 |
| Author(s) | Richard D Thiessen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. "Tofield Gospel Church (Tofield, Alberta, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2014. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tofield_Gospel_Church_(Tofield,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=163456.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. (March 2014). Tofield Gospel Church (Tofield, Alberta, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tofield_Gospel_Church_(Tofield,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=163456.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 349. All rights reserved.
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