Cedar Valley Mennonite Church (Mission, British Columbia, Canada)
The first Mennonite settlers in Mission, British Columbia, arrived in 1934-1937. Nine Mennonite families and some Mennonite Brethren families began gathering together for worship services and formally organized in 1940 under the leadership of Abram J. Pankratz, their first pastor. They met in a small building on the latter’s property on Ferndale Road and the church was named the United Mennonite Church of Mission (Vereinigte Mennoniten Gemeinde zu Mission). The congregation joined the Conference of United Mennonite Churches of British Columbia at that time. In 1940 a meeting house seating 180 and measuring 30 by 24 feet was built on land donated by Pankratz. A dedication service was held in August 1940. Peter Froese arrived in the late 1940s and had the longest tenure of all Cedar Valley pastors, serving as the leading minister from 1947 to 1964.
The members in the 1950s were largely engaged in dairy farming, poultry-raising, and berry culture. Construction on the second sanctuary began in 1951 when the congregation outgrew the original building. The land was donated by John Friesen. It was slowly built so that no debt would be incurred. Services were held in the basement until the work was completed in 1953. Eventually the name was changed to Cedar Valley Mennonite Church. In 1965 Ed Goerzen was retained as the first salaried pastor. He oversaw the change from the German to the English language. This change and a vision for outreach opened the doors to the community. As a result the church soon took on a community feel. Not long after they saw the need to build a new church and a 700-seat sanctuary on the same property was constructed. It was dedicated in May 1979.
Returned missionaries George and Martha Janzen, Jake and Elfrieda Thielmann, and Gary and Ellie Loewen have served the congregation. Youth workers, associate ministers, music ministers, Christian Education directors and others have served. Cedar Valley began an Indo-Canadian ministry in 1977 and helped found the Valley Christian School in the late 1980s. The congregation has always been concerned about people in the community, including prison inmates and especially children.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (24 November 1961): 24.
Cedar Valley Mennonite Church 50th Jubilee 1990. Mission, BC: Cedar Valley Mennonite Church, 1990.
Churches in Profile. Clearbrook, BC: Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia, 1978: 27-31.
Information bezueglich der Vereinigten Mennoniten Gemeinden in British Columbien: Gelegentlich der Konferenz der Mennoniten in Kanada, 1959. Abbotsford, BC: The Conference, 1959: 15.
Rempel, Dick. "United Mennonite Church, Mission City, British Columbia." Research paper, CMBC, 1956, 13 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Archival Records
Records kept at Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Additional Information
Address: 32840 Janzen Ave., Mission, BC V2V 2T5; located 1 1/2 miles north of downtown Mission, off Cedar St.
Phone: 604-826-2445
Website: http://www.cedarvalley.ca/
Denominational Affiliations:
Mennonite Church British Columbia (1940-present)
Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1940-2006)
General Conference Mennonite Church (1959-1999)
Cedar Valley Mennonite Church Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Abram J. Pankratz | 1940-1944 |
| Jacob W. Nickel | 1944-1946 |
| Abram J. Pankratz | 1946-1947 |
| Peter Froese | 1947-1964 |
| Ed Goerzen | 1965-1976 |
| Henry C. Born | 1977-1979 |
| George Janzen | 1980-1990 |
| Gary Loewen | 1989-1992 |
| Timothy Epp | 1992-1994 |
| Robert Cottrill | 1995-1999 |
| Waldy Klassen (interim) | 1999-2000 |
| Dan Rempel | 2000-2020 |
| Rob Ayer (transitional) | 2020-2021 |
| Grant Miller (executive pastor) | 2022-present |
| Michael Turner | 2023-present |
Cedar Valley Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 21 |
| 1945 | 40 |
| 1950 | 96 |
| 1955 | 116 |
| 1959 | 109 |
| 1965 | 114 |
| 1975 | 192 |
| 1980 | 243 |
| 1985 | 249 |
| 1990 | 254 |
| 1995 | 285 |
| 2000 | 185 |
| 2005 | 123 |
| 2010 | 169 |
| 2015 | 138 |
| 2020 | 101 |
Maps
Map:Cedar Valley Mennonite Church (Mission, BC)
| Author(s) | George Janzen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2016 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Janzen, George. "Cedar Valley Mennonite Church (Mission, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2016. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedar_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Mission,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=179850.
APA style
Janzen, George. (February 2016). Cedar Valley Mennonite Church (Mission, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedar_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Mission,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=179850.
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