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1959 Article

Author(s)	Harold S. Bender
	Kevin Enns-Rempel
Date Published	June 2010

The Pacific District Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church, created in 1913, included 22 congregations with a total membership in 1957 of 5,070 distributed as follows: Washington one congregation with 187 members; Oregon two, 507; and California nineteen, 4,376. Most of the congregations were located in the San Joaquin Valley of California, with the center in Reedley. The Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary was established in Fresno in 1955 alongside the previously (1944) established Pacific Bible Institute, a junior college and Bible institute (now Fresno Pacific University). The first congregations in the conference were established in 1905 at Reedley. In 1942 an Old People's Home was established at Reedley. The Pacific District Mennonite Brethren Youth Fellowship was set up in 1948. In 1957 the conference organization included among others the Executive Committee, the Home Missions Committee, and the Sunday School Committee. -- Harold S. Bender

1990 Update

The Pacific District Conference, established in 1912 at Reedley, California, consisted of 43 congregations with an approximate membership in 1986 of 7,350. Two congregations were located in Washington, three in Oregon, thirty-seven in California, and one in Arizona. Nineteen other congregations have existed at various times but had closed by 1987. During its first few decades, the Pacific District received new members primarily through migration from mid-western Mennonite Brethren congregations, especially during 1915-1920 and 1935-1940, when the conference experienced its most significant growth. In 1987 the conference supported Fresno Pacific College (now Fresno Pacific University), a liberal arts college founded in 1944 as Pacific Bible Institute. A high school and five retirement homes were supported by various congregations within the conference, although they were not formally affiliated with the conference as a whole. Since the mid-1950s the conference has engaged in significant ministry among Hispanics in California's San Joaquin Valley; eight Pacific District congregations were primarily Hispanic in membership (1986). A Bible school, Instituto Biblico del Pacifico (Bible Institute of the Pacific) was founded in 1984. The archives of the Pacific District Conference were housed in the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies at Fresno, CA. -- Kevin Enns-Rempel

2010 Update

At the beginning of 2010 the following congregations were members of the Pacific District Conference:

City	State	Congregation
Glendale	Arizona	Copper Hills Community Church
Phoenix	Arizona	The Bridge on Glendale
Scottsdale	Arizona	Iglesia Getsemani
Arleta	California	Iglesia Cristo es La Respuesta
Bakersfield	California	Heritage Bible Church
Bakersfield	California	Iglesia Aposento Alto
Bakersfield	California	Iglesia Christiana Vida Nueva
Bakersfield	California	Laurelglen Bible Church
Bakersfield	California	Rosedale Bible Church
Bakersfield	California	The Bridge
Bonita	California	Bonita Japanese Bible Church
Buena Park	California	Okhab
Capitola	California	Shorelife Community Church
Clovis	California	College Community Church
Clovis	California	Eagles Harbor Community Church
Clovis	California	New Hope Church
Coarsegold	California	Mountain Bible Church
Dinuba	California	Templo Calvario MB Church
Dinuba	California	Dinuba Mennonite Brethren Church
Downey	California	Abundant Hope Christian Center
Fresno	California	Bethany Church
Fresno	California	Butler Church
Fresno	California	House of the Gospel
Fresno	California	Iglesia Hermanos Menonita West Park
Fresno	California	Iglesia Camino Hacia La Luz
Fresno	California	Mountain View Community Church
Fresno	California	North Fresno Church Japanese Chapel
Fresno	California	North Fresno Mennonite Brethren Church
Fresno	California	The Grove Community Church
Fresno	California	United Faith Christian Fellowshipo
Gardena	California	Iglesia Betania
Hanford	California	Iglesia La Gran Comision
Hollister	California	Iglesia Cristiana Hermanos Menonitas
Kingsburg	California	Iglesia Agua Viva
Kingsburg	California	Kingsburg Mennonite Brethren Church
Lancaster	California	Le Senda Antigua de Lancaster
Lodi	California	Vinewood Community Church
Los Angeles	California	Bethlehem Church
Los Angeles	California	Chief Cornerstone Mission Church
Los Angeles	California	City Terrace Bible Church
Los Angeles	California	Iglesia Cristiana Esparanza Mia
Los Angeles	California	World Blessing Mission Church
Madera	California	Iglesia Biblica Filadelfia
Madera	California	Madera Avenue Bible Church
Manteca	California	Los Hechos Manteca
Modesto	California	Torre Fuerte MB Church
North Highlands	California	Evangelical Church Immanuel of Christian Faith
Northridge	California	Oneness in Christ Church MB
Orange Cove	California	Iglesia El Buen Pastor
Orland	California	Country Bible Church
Orosi	California	La Paz Mennonite Brethren Church
Pacoima	California	Iglesia de Restauracion La Senda Antigua
Parlier	California	Iglesia Fuente de Vida
Perris	California	Iglesia Comunidad Christiana Emanuel
Raisin City	California	Iglesia de la Comunidad
Rancho Cordova	California	Living Stones Baptist Church (MB)
Reedley	California	El Faro Community Church
Reedley	California	Reedley Mennonite Brethren Church
Sacramento	California	Ethiopian Christian Fellowship
Sacramento	California	Greenhaven Neighborhood Church
Sacramento	California	House of Prayer
Sacramento	California	Melchizedek MB Church
Sacramento	California	Sacramento Bible Church - Mennonite Brethren
Sacramento	California	Ukrainian Mission Church
San Diego	California	Light of the World
San Jose	California	Blossom Valley Bible Church
San Jose	California	Ethiopian Christian Fellowship
San Jose	California	Lincoln Glen Church
Sanger	California	Grace Community Church
Sanger	California	Iglesia La Roca
Santa Clara	California	El Camino Bible Church
Santa Clara	California	Indian Community Church
Shafter	California	Iglesia Companerismo Cristiano
Shafter	California	Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church
Sun Valley	California	Iglesia Cristiana Sinai
Traver	California	Templo de Oracion
Upland	California	Grace Chinese MB Church
Visalia	California	Neighborhood Church
Watsonville	California	Los Hechos de Watsonville
Eugene	Oregon	North Park Community Church
Fairview	Oregon	Slavic Evangelical Church "Sulamita"
Fairview	Oregon	Ukrainian Bible Church
Grants Pass	Oregon	New Hope Bible Church
Hillsboro	Oregon	Iglesia Cristiana Hermanos Menonitas
Milwaukie	Oregon	Ukrainian Bible Church - Pathway to God
Portland	Oregon	New Life Missionary Church
Portland	Oregon	Primera Iglesia Hispana Ebenezer
Portland	Oregon	The Love of God International Ministries
Salem	Oregon	First Slavic Baptist Church
Salem	Oregon	Kingwood Bible Church
Salem	Oregon	Slavic Christian Church
Draper	Utah	South Mountain Community Church
South Jordan	Utah	SMCC at Daybreak
St. George	Utah	SMCC at The Springs
West Jordan	Utah	Shadow Mountain Community Church
Battle Ground	Washington	Smirna Christian Church
Battle Ground	Washington	Word of Grace Bible Church
Bellevue	Washington	Victory Christian Center
Blaine	Washington	Birch Bay Community Church
Bothell	Washington	Church of the Living God
Edgewood	Washington	Salvation Slavic Baptist Church
Everett	Washington	Full Gospel Mission Church
Everett	Washington	Harvest Christian Center International
Ferndale	Washington	Good News Fellowship
Lakewood	Washington	Grace Slavic Baptist Church
Lynden	Washington	Slavic Gospel Chapel
Mukilteo	Washington	Sulamita Slavic Church
Seattle	Washington	Medhane-Alem Evangelical Church
South Auburn	Washington	Zion Castle Church
Spokane	Washington	Light of the Gospel
Spokane	Washington	Pilgrim Slavic Baptist MB Church
Tacoma	Washington	Slavic Christian Center
Vancouver	Washington	Calvary Slavic Christian
Vancouver	Washington	Grace Slavic Church
Vancouver	Washington	Slavic Evangelical Church

Bibliography

Lohrenz, J. H. The Mennonite Brethren Church. Hillsboro, KS, 1950: 159-176. Available in full electronic text at: https://archive.org/details/TheMennoniteBrethrenChurchByJohnHLohrenz.

Toews, John A. A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, ed. A. J. Klassen. Fresno, CA: Mennonite Brethren Board of Literature and Education, 1975: 146-149, 202, 205, 209. Available in full electronic text at: https://archive.org/details/AHistoryOfTheMennoniteBrethrenChurch.

Year book of the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1912 and following).

Additional Information

Website: http://www.pdcmbc.org/

Cite This Article

MLA style

Bender, Harold S. and Kevin Enns-Rempel. "Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2010. Web. 27 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pacific_District_Conference_of_Mennonite_Brethren_Churches_(United_States_Conference_of_Mennonite_Brethren_Churches)&oldid=163520.

APA style

Bender, Harold S. and Kevin Enns-Rempel. (June 2010). Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pacific_District_Conference_of_Mennonite_Brethren_Churches_(United_States_Conference_of_Mennonite_Brethren_Churches)&oldid=163520.

Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches)

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