Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church (Oliver, British Columbia, Canada)

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Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church, 1949-1950.
Creator: Henry J. Wiens (1885-1975)
Digitized by Hiebert Library. Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies
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Prior to 1944, Mennonite Brethren Church members had moved into the Okanagan Valley with some settling in the Oliver area but often maintaining membership in the Kelowna Mennonite Brethren Church. In 1944 the West Coast Children’s Mission sent Peter P. Neufeldt and Abe J. Sawatzky to Oliver to conduct summer Bible school with these efforts continuing during the ensuing summers. In May 1950 the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches accepted the Oliver group as a mission station under the auspices of the West Coast Children's Mission (WCCM), and named it the Oliver Gospel Chapel. The first leader of this group was Jake A. Froese and they met in a building that had been purchased one-half mile south of Oliver. The early work involved an emphasis on Sunday School, which had an attendance of 50 children, and Summer Bible School with around 100 children in 1954.

Eventually the congregation purchased a different building which was renovated and dedicated in 1956. In 1964, the mission became the Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church. The church decided to dissolve in February 1970.

Bibliography

Penner, Peter. Reaching the otherwise unreached: an historical account of the West Coast Children's Mission of B.C. Clearbrook, B.C.: West Coast Children's Mission of B.C., [1959].

Archival Records

Mennonite Archives Centre, Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia, 211 - 2825 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6S3.

Additional Information

Denominational Affiliations:

British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1965-1970)

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1965-1970)

General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches of North America (1965-1970)

Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church Leading Ministers

Minister Years
Jake A. Froese 1950-1953
John E. Klassen 1953-1963
Peter C. Penner 1963-1967
Helmut Klassen 1967-1970

Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church Membership

Year Members
1951 21
1955 15
1965 15
1969 21


Author(s) Hugo Friesen
Date Published August 2006

Cite This Article

MLA style

Friesen, Hugo. "Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church (Oliver, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2006. Web. 10 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oliver_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Oliver,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=170150.

APA style

Friesen, Hugo. (August 2006). Oliver Mennonite Brethren Church (Oliver, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 10 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oliver_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Oliver,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=170150.




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