Cedar Park Church (Delta, British Columbia, Canada)

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Cedar Park Church began in 1978 under the leadership of John Schmidt and formally organized in 1979 through the outreach of local individuals from the Delta, British Columbia area.  Initially known as Delta Mennonite Brethren Church until 1984, the newly formed congregation originally met in the Delta Secondary School library for worship services. Cedar Park eventually found itself in a position to occupy its own building in 1988. The congregation joined the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in 1980.

In 2021 the congregation had a membership of 150 and an average attendance of 120.

In February 2022 pastor Lee Kosa and associate pastors Darren DeMelo and Megan Simpson all submitted their resignations. Their reasons included a disagreement over the nature of the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith. This followed a requirement by the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches that all pastors reaffirm the Confession of Faith, with a focus on articles dealing with sexuality and marriage. In the days that followed, most of the congregation's elders resigned and a majority of the congregation's members left the church. A group of approximately 100 former members and attendees began to meet for fellowship over the summer, and by the fall of 2022, the group had chosen the name Estuary and had engaged the services of former Cedar Park pastoral staff, including Lee Kosa.

Bibliography

Historical sketch on bulletin of Dedication Sunday, 12 June 1988. MHSC collection, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

Longhurst, John. "3 MB Pastors Resign Over LGBTQ, Role of Confession." Anabaptist World. Web. 16 March 2022. https://anabaptistworld.org/3-mb-pastors-resign-over-lgbtq-role-of-confession/.

Longhurst, John. "Update on Cedar Park Church." Time to Tell. Web. 7 September 2022. https://timetotellcanada.blogspot.com/2022/09/update-on-cedar-park-church.html.

Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 21; (May 2011): 32.

Additional Information

Address: 5300 - 44th Ave., Delta, BC  V4K 1C7

Phone: 604-946-7410

Website: Cedar Park Church

Denominational Affiliations:

British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1980-present)

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1980-present)

General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1980-2002)

Cedar Park Church Leading Ministers

Minister Years
John Schmidt 1978-1982
Garry Prieb 1983-1988
Ray Bystrom 1989-1991
Doug Schultz 1992-1997
Dave Esau 1997-2011
Lee Kosa 2013-2022

Cedar Park Church Membership

Year Members
1981 45
1985 53
1991 108
1995 113
2000 111
2005 131
2010 163
2015 180
2021 150


Author(s) Marlene Epp
Andrew Klager
Date Published November 2022

Cite This Article

MLA style

Epp, Marlene and Andrew Klager. "Cedar Park Church (Delta, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2022. Web. 11 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedar_Park_Church_(Delta,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=174303.

APA style

Epp, Marlene and Andrew Klager. (November 2022). Cedar Park Church (Delta, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 11 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedar_Park_Church_(Delta,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=174303.




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