Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada)
Migration to Vancouver in the 1940s and 1950s caused the new Vancouver Mennonite Brethren Church building to overflow. Consequently, 238 people from that congregation took initiative and purchased land in southern Vancouver on the corner of 59th Avenue and Culloden Street for the purposes of constructing a new building and organizing another Mennonite Brethren congregation. Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church was officially established, the dedication taking place in November 1954. The first official organizational meeting took place on 29 January 1955, and the congregation joined the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches later that year.
David Vogt and John Neufeld were elected as the congregation's first leaders. Soon, Peter R. Toews was called as the first pastor of the church in 1955.
Discussions with Vancouver MB Church regarding the construction of a much-needed new building did not bring about the intended results, so Fraserview decided to organize a new congregation, Killarney Park Mennonite Brethren Church, and built the latter's sanctuary in 1961 in order to accommodate Fraserview's overflow. In 1960, still in need of space, Fraserview expanded its facilities with subsequent renovations occurring in 1967-1968. Membership continued to increase, and some families left to form Richmond Bethel Mennonite Brethren Church in 1971.
In 1977 construction began on a new sanctuary in Richmond, south of the Fraser River, with the completed structure dedicated in May 1979.
In 2015 the congregation had a membership of 196 and an average weekly attendance of 230, while in 2010 its membership was 216 with an average weekly attendance of approximately 300.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (8 April 1955): 5; (24 November 1961): 28.
Counting Our Blessings: Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church 1954-1978. 1978, 12 pp. Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 17; (January 2013): 29.
Mennonite Reporter (23 August 1976): 9.
Additional Information
Address: 11295 Mellis Drive, Richmond, BC, V6X 1L8
Phone: 604-270-4211
Website: Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches (1955-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1955-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1955-200)
Fraserview MB Church Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Peter R. Toews | 1955-1962 |
| Wilmer Kornelson | 1963-1967 |
| John A. Toews | 1968-1971 |
| Loyal Funk | 1972-1981 |
| Peter R. Toews | 1982-1983 |
| Peter W. Nikkel | 1983-1990 |
| Herbert Brandt | 1990-1991 |
| Danny Unrau | 1991-2013 |
| Jerry Giesbrecht | 2013-2016 |
| Danny Unrau (interim) | 2017-2018 |
| Andrew Gleddiesmith | 2018-present |
Fraserview MB Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 230 |
| 1960 | 567 |
| 1965 | 393 |
| 1970 | 382 |
| 1975 | 335 |
| 1981 | 349 |
| 1985 | 323 |
| 1990 | 467 |
| 1995 | 219 |
| 2000 | 165 |
| 2005 | 214 |
| 2010 | 216 |
| 2015 | 196 |
Maps
Fraserview MB Church, Richmond, BC
| Author(s) | Andrew Klager |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2018 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klager, Andrew. "Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2018. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fraserview_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Richmond,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=157050.
APA style
Klager, Andrew. (March 2018). Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fraserview_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Richmond,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=157050.
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