Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Brethren Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
The Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Brethren congregation began services in 1990 and formally organized in 1991. The congregation originated as an effort of the Board of Church Extension of the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Most members comprising the new congregation came from the recently defunct Gideon Chinese Mennonite Brethren Church, a ministry of Killarney Park Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church that closed in 1988. In 1989 the B.C. MB Conference Board of Church Extension appointed Yiu-Tong Chan as a church planter. In the following year, the conference commissioned Chan to plant a Chinese church in Abbotsford, and Joseph Sun became pastor of Vancouver Chinese MB Church. At first, the church met on Sunday afternoons in Killarney Park Church. Eventually, the church was allowed to have Sunday morning worship services in Wilson Heights United Church on 41st Avenue and Argyle Street in Vancouver. Church attendance grew rapidly from 40 to 100. An English ministry was also started. The church went off Board of Church Extension subsidy by 1991.
The church purchased its existing facilities on Nanaimo Street in 1995. Joseph Sun transferred to Winnipeg Chinese MB Church in 1996, and Yiu-Tong Chan became been senior pastor of the church that year. In 1996, the church held its first missions conference and began to send out short-term mission teams. Evangelism was also emphasized in the local community, and attendance at Sunday worship grew significantly during the 1990s until the building reached its maximum capacity. A Mandarin ministry was started in 2000. In 2001 the church had three congregations (Cantonese, Mandarin and English).
In 2010 the congregation had 161 members and an average weekly attendance of 203.
Bibliography
Mennonite Brethren Herald (31 May 1991): 19.
"We Are in the Same Family." Mennonite Brethren Herald (November 9, 2001). http://old.mbherald.com/40-21/family.html (accessed 19 May 2008).
Additional Information
Address: 505 Nanaimo St., Vancouver, BC V5L 4S2
Phone: 604-255-5381
Denominational Affiliations:
British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1990-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1990-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1990-2002)
Vancouver Chinese MB Church Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Joseph Sun | 1991-1996 |
| Yiu-Tong Chan | 1996-present |
Vancouver Chinese MB Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 82 |
| 2000 | 92 |
| 2005 | 104 |
| 2010 | 161 |
Maps
Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Brethren Church (Vancouver)
| Author(s) | Andrew Klager |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | November 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klager, Andrew and Richard D. Thiessen. "Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Brethren Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Vancouver_Chinese_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Vancouver,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=143017.
APA style
Klager, Andrew and Richard D. Thiessen. (November 2010). Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Brethren Church (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Vancouver_Chinese_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Vancouver,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=143017.
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