Gathering Church, The (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)
The Bakerview Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church had its origin in the Clearbrook Mennonite Brethren Church, which had grown quite large in the 1960s, nearing capacity. In addition there was strong interest among younger members to have all-English services. David H. Neumann collected the names of those who wished to form a new church. At the time it was decided that an organizational meeting would not be called until he had gathered the names of at least 75 members. On 2 March 1965, 88 members intent on forming a daughter church were called to meet with Pastor Henry Thielman. In response to these concerns church leaders decided to go ahead and plant a daughter church that would help to address these needs, contributing $15,000 towards the new congregation.
After having one last communion service with Clearbrook MB, Bakerview began meeting at the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (now Columbia Bible College). Their first service was on 11 April 1965, and David H. Neumann was selected to lead the group. Most of the new members came from Clearbrook MB, while a significant number also came from South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren Church. The church found that they were well equipped for ministry, having taken many Sunday school teachers and other active members with them from the mother congregation. The rapid growth of the church demanded a church building and by the end of 1965 a church had been built. It was dedicated in February of 1966.
The church grew fourfold in the next ten years from 103 original members to 431 by 1975. Throughout these years the congregation was involved in international missions and community outreach. In 1985 the church started a Vietnamese ministry under the ministry leadership of Ken Ha, and by 1990 they had 45 in attendance, 20 of which were baptized Christians. Isaac Hernandez started the Spanish language ministry in May 1989 which eventually became the Bakerview Hispanic Church. The congregation continues (in 2023) to meet at Bakerview.
In 2010 the church had three Sunday services: a traditional service, a contemporary service, and a liturgical service. The congregation had 613 members and an average weekly attendance of 609.
On the weekend of 10-12 April 2015 the congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary. In that year a number of members from the liturgical service left to form a new congregation, Valley CrossWay Church.
By 2022 the congregation had experienced a significant decline in attendance to the point where they decided to have just one service. The church worked at creating a new vision for the congregation, and the church decided to relaunch itself on Pentecost Sunday in 2023. On 28 May 2023, the church formally celebrated its new name, The Gathering Church: A Jesus-Centred Community. At that time the church had 312 members, including 89 considered inactive.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (18 January 1966): 1; (1 February 1966): 9.
Funk, Tony, ed. Bakerview Twenty Fifth Anniversary Pictoral Directory. 1990.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 24; (8 January 1993): 22.
Mosaic of Grace: Bakerview 50 Years. Abbotsford, BC: Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church, 2015.
Additional Information
Address: 2285 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford BC V2T 2X4
Phone: 604-859-4611
Website: https://www.thegatheringchurch.ca/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thegathering.bc/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegatheringchurchbc
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1965-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1965-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America (1965-2003)
The Gathering Church Pastors
| Pastor | Years |
|---|---|
| Jacob H. Quiring | 1966-1974 |
| Peter Falk (interim) | 1975 |
| Ben Zerbe | 1976-1981 |
| Harry Heidebrecht | 1982-1994 |
| John H. Neufeld | 1995-1999 |
| Ross Johnston (interim) | 1999-2000 |
| Michael Dick | 2000-2015 |
| Ray Harris (interim) | 2015-2017 |
| Ron Toews (transitional) | 2017-2018 |
| Kerry Dyck | 2018-2023 |
| Christine Kampen (interim co-pastor) | 2023-2024 |
| Jonathan Simpson (interim co-pastor) | 2023-2024 |
| Brad Sumner | 2024-present |
The Gathering Church Membership
| Year | Members | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 113 | |
| 1971 | 367 | |
| 1975 | 431 | |
| 1980 | 469 | |
| 1985 | 550 | |
| 1990 | 633 | |
| 1995 | 724 | |
| 2000 | 690 | |
| 2006 | 694 | |
| 2010 | 613 | 609 |
| 2015 | 695 | 530 |
| 2020 | 359 | 135 |
Maps
Map:The_Gathering_Church,_Abbotsford,_BC
| Author(s) | Waylon Klix |
|---|---|
| Hugo Friesen | |
| Date Published | February 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klix, Waylon and Hugo Friesen. "Gathering Church, The (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2024. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gathering_Church,_The_(Abbotsford,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=178242.
APA style
Klix, Waylon and Hugo Friesen. (February 2024). Gathering Church, The (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gathering_Church,_The_(Abbotsford,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=178242.
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