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1955 Article

Author(s)	G. H. Suckau
	Herbert J. Brandt
	Richard D. Thiessen
Date Published	December 2020

The British Columbia Provincial Mennonite Brethren Conference was organized on 31 October 1931 with three local churches, Agassiz, Sardis, and Yarrow, having an approximate total membership of 170. Attracted by the mild climate and large farm incomes, the Mennonite Brethren membership of this area increased until 1948, after which a recession occurred, due to economic difficulties and floods. In 1949 there were 13 churches in the conference with a total membership of 3,077. The churches were located in the southwest part of British Columbia, with eleven in the Fraser Valley, one in the Okanagan Valley, and one on Vancouver Island, in an area stretching about 200 miles eastward from the Pacific coast along the United States border.

Activities in the conference at that time included Bible conferences, youth conferences, tract mission work, radio broadcasts, a city mission in Vancouver, and widespread daily vacation Bible school work. The institutions of the conference included a girls' home in Vancouver, the West Coast Children's Mission, three Bible schools in Yarrow, South Abbotsford, and East Chilliwack, and a high school in North Abbotsford. The conference was active in the resettling of European refugees and in the support of the relief program of the Mennonite Central Committee. C. C. Peters, secretary of the conference after 1948, contributed much to the establishment of the conference. -- G. H. Suckau

1990 Article

The British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches was organized in 1931. Johannes A. Harder, Peter D. Loewen and Cornelius C. Peters significantly shaped the Conference in its formative years.

From its inception, the conference emphasized evangelism and Christian education. The earliest outreach activities included establishing a city mission in Vancouver, and by 1945, support of the West Coast Children's Mission. Simultaneously, much emphasis was placed on Bible conferences, Sunday School conventions, and music festivals.

During the 1970s and 1980s, priority was given to church planting, including congregations among non-English ethnic groups. The conference also supports Stillwood Camp and Conference Centre, and together with the Mennonite Church British Columbia, co-sponsors Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford.

2021 Update

In 2021 the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches had 91 congregations, 19,470 members, and an average weekly attendance of 23,651. In 2015 the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches had 106 congregations, 20,106 members, and an average weekly attendance of 29,087, and in 2010 the conference had 104 congregations and 19,698 members. The following congregations were members of the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in June 2021:

Congregation	City	Members	Average Weekly Attendance
Abbotsford Community Church	Abbotsford	46	55
Alderbrook Community Church	Abbotsford	40	145
Arabic Evangelical Church Abbotsford / Surrey	Abbotsford / Surrey
Armstrong Bible Chapel	Armstrong	24	32
Arnold Community Church	Abbotsford	182	125
Bakerview Hispanic Church	Abbotsford	44	36
Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church	Abbotsford	359	135
Beacon Communities	Victoria	39	50
Bethel Chinese Christian Mennonite Brethren Church	Vancouver	222	150
Black Creek Mennonite Brethren Church	Black Creek	245	175
Boundary Community Church	Midway	18	15
Broadway Mennonite Brethren Church	Chilliwack	192	230
Burnaby Pacific Grace Church	Burnaby	245	120
Cariboo Bethel Church	Williams Lake	195	160
Cedar Park Mennonite Brethren Church	Delta	150	120
Central Community Church	Chilliwack	448	1,050
Central Heights Church	Abbotsford	782	537
Christ City Church	Vancouver	131	500
Church on Five	Richmond	107	100
Clearbrook Mennonite Brethren Church	Abbotsford	248	450
Coast Hills Community Church	Surrey	61	100
Cornerstone Mennonite Brethren Church	Prince Rupert	20	37
Crossridge Church	Surrey	176	400
Discovery Community Church	Campbell River	63	120
Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship	Coquitlam	111	100
Esperanza Multicultural Church	Richmond	30	25
Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church	Richmond	113	90
Gateway Community Church	Port Alberni	15	16
Gospel Chapel	Grand Forks	104	218
Gracepoint Community Church	Surrey	429	277
Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church	Chilliwack	257	120
Heritage Mountain Community Church	Port Moody	32	50
Highland Community Church	Abbotsford	130	41
Hindi Punjabi Fraserview Gospel Chapel	Surrey
House for All Nations	Coquitlam	160	170
Imago Dei Christian Community Church	Vancouver	75	55
Jericho Ridge Community Church	Langley	100	91
Jubilee Church	Maple Ridge	36	50
Kelowna Gospel Fellowship	Kelowna	252	300
Killarney Park Mennonite Brethren Church	Vancouver	81	60
King Road Mennonite Brethren Church	Abbotsford	521	250
Main Street Church	Chilliwack	230	600
Maple Ridge Community Church	Maple Ridge	127	150
Metro Community Church	Kelowna	150	90
Midtown Church	Vancouver	53	150
Mountain Park Community Church	Abbotsford	90	75
Nechako Community Church	Vanderhoof	48	100
Neighbourhood Church of Nanaimo	Nanaimo	104	160
New Hope Christian Church	Delta	122	45
North Langley Community Church	Langley	698	1,000
North Peace Mennonite Brethren Church	Fort St John	208	156
North Shore Bethel Christian Mennonite Brethren Church	North Vancouver	29	24
North Shore Pacific Grace Mandarin Church	North Vancouver	93	70
North Shore Pacific Grace Mennonite Brethren Church	North Vancouver	270	182
Northview Community Church	Abbotsford	2,484	5,000
Pacific Grace Mandarin Church	Burnaby	100	200
Pacific Grace Mennonite Brethren Church	Vancouver	264	289
Pemberton Community Church	Pemberton	24	40
Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship	Vancouver	67	50
Port Moody Pacific Grace Mennonite Brethren Church	Port Moody	320	260
Praxis Church	Kelowna		150
Reality Vancouver	Vancouver	140	100
Richmond Chinese Mennonite Brethren Church	Richmond	120	130
Richmond Pacific Grace Mennonite Brethren Church	Richmond	272	92
River of Life Community Church	Blind Bay	99	130
Ross Road Community Church	Abbotsford	379	345
Saanich Community Church	Victoria	69	40
Sardis Community Church	Chilliwack	197	148
Sayward Christian Fellowship	Sayward	15	20
Silver Valley Community Church	Maple Ridge	53	50
South Abbotsford Church	Abbotsford	782	300
South Langley Mennonite Brethren Church	Langley	280	230
South Vancouver Pacific Grace Mennonite Brethren Church	Vancouver	255	175
SunRidge Community Church	Kelowna	47	93
Surrey Grace Mandarin Church	Surrey
The Life Centre	Abbotsford	60	100
The Rock Church	Squamish	64	120
The Shore Church	North Vancouver	100	80
Tri-City Christian Church	Port Moody	64	52
TriCity Church	Port Coquitlam	182	270
Valleyview Bible Church	Kamloops
Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Brethren	Vancouver	95	97
Vancouver Christian Logos Church	Vancouver	104	70
Vancouver Vietnamese Mennonite Brethren Church	Vancouver	45	22
Westside Church	Vancouver	395	565
Westwood Mennonite Brethren Church	Prince George	273	400
Whistler Community Church	Whistler	80	70
Willingdon Church	Burnaby	2,129	3,646
Willow Park Church	Kelowna	1,145	700
Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church	Yarrow	62	60
Totals		19,470	23,651

Bibliography

Minutes of the Annual Meetings (1931-1996). Clearbrook [Abbotsford], B.C.: B.C. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, published annually.

Klassen, Agatha E. Yarrow: A Portrait in Mosaic. Yarrow: A.E. Klassen, 1976.

Penner, Peter. Reaching the Otherwise Unreached. Clearbrook: West Coast Children's Mission 1959.

Toews, John A. History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, ed. A.J. Klassen. Fresno, Calif.: Mennonite Brethren Board of Literature and Publication, 1975, index, esp. 167-71.

Additional Information

Address: 302 - 32025 George Ferguson Way, Abbotsford, BC V2T 2K7

Phone: 604-746-4436

Website: BC Conference of MB Churches

British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Executive

Date of Election	Moderator	Assistant Moderator	Secretary
1931 June 21	Johannes A. Harder		Jacob B. Harder and Peter D. Loewen
1931 October 25	Heinrich G. Dueck		Petrus Martens and Peter D. Loewen
1932 June 19	K. A. Klassen		Cornelius C. Peters and Petrus Martens
1932 November 17	K. A. Klassen		Cornelius C. Peters and Petrus Martens
1933 June 11	K. A. Klassen	Johannes A. Harder	Alexander Baumann and Peter D. Loewen
1933 November 26	K. A. Klassen	Heinrich G. Dueck	Jacob B. Harder and Cornelius C. Peters
1934 May 27	Heinrich G. Dueck
1934 August 12	K. A. Klassen		Johannes A. Harder and Cornelius C. Peters
1934 November 25	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Peter D. Loewen and Jacob B. Harder
1935 November 10	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Peter D. Loewen and Jacob B. Harder
1936 November 8	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Peter D. Loewen and Jacob B. Harder
1937 November 21	Johannes A. Harder	Heinrich G. Dueck	Cornelius C. Peters and Peter D. Loewen
1938 November 27	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters and Peter D. Loewen
1939 November 11	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters
1940 November 10	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters
1941 November 2	Johannes A. Harder	Heinrich G. Dueck	Cornelius C. Peters and Peter D. Loewen
1942 November 15	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters
1943 November 21	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters
1944 November 25	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters
1945 November 3	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	Cornelius C. Peters
1946 November 16	Jacob F. Redekop	Johann P. Braun	Cornelius C. Peters
1947 November 8	Jacob F. Redekop	Heinrich G. Dueck	Cornelius C. Peters
1948 August 14	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	David A. Friesen
1949 June 11	Jacob F. Redekop	Aron A. Toews	David A. Friesen
1950 October 28	Jacob F. Redekop	Heinrich G. Dueck	David A. Friesen
1951 June 9	Heinrich G. Dueck	Jacob F. Redekop	David A. Friesen
1952 June 7	Heinrich G. Dueck	Johannes A. Harder	David A. Friesen
1953 June 6	Johannes A. Harder	Jacob F. Redekop	David A. Friesen
1954 June 12	Heinrich G. Dueck	Herman Lenzmann	David A. Friesen
1955 June 18	Herman Lenzmann	Gerhard Thielmann	David A. Friesen
1956 June 9	Herman Lenzmann	Gerhard Thielmann	David A. Friesen
1957 June 9	Peter R. Toews	Gerhard Thielmann	David A. Friesen
1958 June 7	Peter R. Toews	Herman Lenzmann	David A. Friesen
1959 June 6	Herman Voth	Peter R. Toews	Johannes A. Harder
1960 June 10	Herman Voth	Peter R. Toews	Abram Goerz
1961 June 9	Peter R. Toews	Isaac H. Tiessen	George Konrad
1962 June 8	Peter R. Toews	Herman Voth	David A. Friesen
1963 June 7	Henry Brucks	Herbert J. Brandt	Henry J. Unger
1964 June 5	Henry Brucks	Nick Willems	Henry J. Unger
1965 June 11	Herbert J. Brandt	Nick Willems	Henry J. Unger
1966 June 10	Herbert J. Brandt	David H. Neumann	Henry J. Unger
1967 June 2	Jacob H. Quiring	David H. Neumann	Hugo W. Jantz
1968 June 7	Jacob H. Quiring	Peter R. Toews	John H. Neumann
1969 June 6	Herman Lenzmann	Jacob H. Quiring	John H. Neumann
1970 June 5	Jacob H. Quiring	Herbert J. Brandt	John H. Neumann
1971 June 11	Jacob H. Quiring	Rudie Willms	Harry E. Pankratz
1972 June 9	Herbert J. Brandt	Rudie Willms	Harry E. Pankratz
1973 June 16	Loyal A. Funk	Rudie Willms	Leonard Doerksen
1974 June 14	Loyal A. Funk	Harold Ratzlaff	Frank Peters
1975 June 13	Loyal A. Funk	Harry Heidebrecht	Frank Peters
1976 June 11	Loyal A. Funk	Harry Heidebrecht	Frank Peters
1977 June 10	Loyal A. Funk	Harry Heidebrecht	Henry J. Unger
1978 June 9	Harry Heidebrecht	Herbert D. Neufeld	Henry J. Unger
1979 June 8	Harry Heidebrecht	Herbert D. Neufeld	Henry J. Unger
1980 June 13	Harry Heidebrecht	Herbert D. Neufeld	Henry J. Unger
1981 June 12	Herbert D. Neufeld	John Schmidt	Robert J. Friesen
1982 June 12	Herbert D. Neufeld	John Schmidt	Robert J. Friesen
1983 June 10	Harry Heidebrecht	Rudy Boschman	Robert J. Friesen
1984 June 9	Harry Heidebrecht	Robert J. Friesen	Peter Enns
1985 June 14	Harry Heidebrecht	Robert J. Friesen	Peter Enns
1986 June 13	Harry Heidebrecht	Robert J. Friesen	Peter Enns
1987 June 12	Robert J. Friesen	Bill A. Wiebe	Peter Enns
1988 June 10	Robert J. Friesen	Bill A. Wiebe	Peter Enns
1989 June 9	Robert J. Friesen	Peter Nikkel	John Lenzmann
1990 June 8	Robert J. Friesen	Peter Nikkel	John Lenzmann
1991 June 14	Herbert D. Neufeld	Reuben Pauls	John Lenzmann
1992 June 12	Herbert D. Neufeld	Reuben Pauls	John Lenzmann
1993 June 11	Herbert D. Neufeld	Reuben Pauls	Mark Burch
1994 June 10	Herbert D. Neufeld	Reuben Pauls	Mark Burch
1995 April 21	Robert J. Friesen		Mark Burch
1996 May 3	Robert J. Friesen	Mark Burch	John Lenzmann
1997 May 2	Robert J. Friesen	Peter Nikkel	Peter Enns
1998 May 1	Robert J. Friesen		Peter Enns
1999 April 30	Robert J. Friesen	Herbert D. Neufeld	Peter Enns
2000	Arnie Peters	Herbert D. Neufeld	Peter Enns
2001 May 4	Arnie Peters	Reuben Pauls	Reg Toews
2002 May 3	Christopher Douglas	Reuben Pauls	Reg Toews
2003 May 2	Christopher Douglas	Ron van Akker	Reg Toews
2004	Ron van Akker	Arnie Peters	Reg Toews
2005 April 29	Ron van Akker	Arnie Peters	Ron Redekop
2006 April 29	Ron van Akker	Larry Schram	Ron Redekop
2007 May 5	Reg Toews	Tim Williams	Ron Redekop
2008 May 3	Reg Toews	Tim Williams	Ron Redekop
2009 May 2	Reg Toews	Ron van Akker	John H. Redekop
2010 May 1	Rob Thiessen	Ron van Akker	John H. Redekop
2011 April 30	Rob Thiessen	Ron van Akker	Lorraine Dick
2012 May 5	Ron van Akker	Steve Wiens	Reuben Pauls
2013 May 4	Ron van Akker	Steve Wiens	Reuben Pauls
2014 May 3	Michael Dick	Lee Francois	Reuben Pauls
2015 May 2	Michael Dick	Lee Francois	Reuben Pauls
2016 April 30	Don Petker	Matt Ewert	Sharon Simpson
2017 April 29
2018 April 28	Matt Ewert
2019 April 27	Sharon Simpson	Laurence Matzek	Sandy Reutlinger
2020 May 2	Sharon Simpson	Laurence Matzek	Sandy Reutlinger
2021 May 1	Sharon Simpson	Laurence Matzek	Sandy Reutlinger
2022 April 30	Sharon Simpson	Laurence Matzek	Sandy Reutlinger

Cite This Article

MLA style

Suckau, G. H., Herbert J. Brandt and Richard D. Thiessen. "British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2020. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=British_Columbia_Conference_of_Mennonite_Brethren_Churches&oldid=175634.

APA style

Suckau, G. H., Herbert J. Brandt and Richard D. Thiessen. (December 2020). British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=British_Columbia_Conference_of_Mennonite_Brethren_Churches&oldid=175634.

British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches

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