Difference between revisions of "Westview Christian Fellowship (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada)"

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The Westview Christian Fellowship in St. Catharines, ON began services in 1988, and formally organized in 1989. The first building was occupied in 1994/95. Thom Braun is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through outreach by the [[Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada)|Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church]].
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The Westview Christian Fellowship in St. Catharines, [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] began services at Memorial School on Welland Avenue in October 1988 as an outreach of the [[Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada)|Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church]]. It formally organized on 15 January 1989 with 81 charter members. Half of the members were from Grantham Mennonite Brethren, the remainder came from the [[Scott Street Mennonite Brethren Church (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada)|Scott Street Mennonite Brethren Church]], the community, or were newly baptized. Grantham's associate pastor, Thom Braun became pastor of the new group, which worked at a seeker-friendly approach that would be attractive to persons with little church background.
  
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In 1995 there were 151 members; in 2000, 92. The congregation has been affiliated with the [[Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches|Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches]] (1989-), the [[Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches|Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches]] and the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The language of worship is English.
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A former school board office building on Oakdale Avenue was leased and renovated in 1994, and occupied in early 1995. The 1990s were a diffcult time for the Westview congregation, including tensions within leadership and crises that included criminal charges against a lay leader in the congregation.
  
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The congregation's address is 112 Oakdale Rd., St. Catharines, ON, L2P 2L2. (905) 687-4848. Pastor Vic Ratzlaff served in 2003 as congregational leader.  
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On 18 September 2005 the congregation moved to an old church building it had purchased on Queenston Street. After the move, the congregation became engaged in social programs, wanting to make a difference in the Queenston neighborhood, and especially reaching out to women in difficult circumstances. Westview's website in 2017 said: "Together we aim to develop a sensitivity to the call of love, peace, justice, reconciliation, hope, beauty, and in these, God.... During the week Westview is a community hub for women in the Queenston Neighbourhood. At Westview Centre4Women (previously called ‘Women4Women’ and ‘Survival4Women’) you’ll find the same guiding principles in practice as women from all walks of life are offered a safe place that encourages respect and dignity for self and others."
  
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In April 2017 the congregation changed its denominational affiliation from the [[Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches]] to [[Mennonite Church Eastern Canada]].
  
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= Bibliography =
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Coggins, Jim. "An expansionist mood." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' 28, no. 7 (31 March 1989): 17.
  
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Coggins, Jim. "Youth leader admits abuse." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' 35, no. 12 (14 June 1996): 16.
  
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= Bibliography =
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Janzen, Jill Morningstar. "What God taught me." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' 36, no. 12 (13 June 1997): 9-11.
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<em class="gameo_bibliography">Mennonite Brethren Herald</em> (3 February 1989): 19; (31 March 1989): 17; (1 September 1995): 16-17.
 
  
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Klassen, Willy. "Church's quest for building becomes lesson in trusting God." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald (1 September 1995): 16-17.
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Martens, Dave. "Family reunion." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' 36, no. 18 (26 September 1997): 16.
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"Transitions." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' 44, no. 14 (14 October 2005): 23.
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Wiebe, John. "A bold venture." ''Mennonite Brethren Herald''  28, no. 3 (3 February 1989): 19.
  
 
= Additional Information =
 
= Additional Information =
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[http://www.westviewcf.com/ Westview Christian Fellowship]
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'''Address''': 124 Queenston Street, St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 2Z7
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'''Phone''': 905-687-4848
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'''Website''': http://www.westviewcf.com/
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'''Denominational Affiliations:'''
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[https://mcec.ca/ Mennonite Church Eastern Canada]
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[http://home.mennonitechurch.ca/ Mennonite Church Canada]
  
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== Pastoral Leaders at Westview Christian Fellowship ==
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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! Name !! Years<br/>of Service
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|-
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| Thom Braun || 1988-2000?
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|-
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| Jill Morningstar Janzen<br/>(Associate) || 1989-1996
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|-
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| Willy Klassen<br/>(Assistant) || 1994-1998
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|-
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| Barry Adams<br/>(Associate) || 1997-2000
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|-
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| Vic Ratzlaff || 1998-present
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|-
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| Erika Klassen<br/>(Associate) || 2008-present
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|}
  
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== Membership at Westview Christian Fellowship ==
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
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|-
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! Year !! Membership
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|-
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| 1990 || 115
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|-
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| 1995 || 151
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|-
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| 2000 || 122
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|-
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| 2005 || 74
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|-
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| 2010 || 82
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|-
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| 2015 || 62
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|}
  
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= Map =
  
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=June 1989|a1_last=Epp|a1_first=Marlene|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=May 2017|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Sam|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
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[[Category:Churches]]
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[[Category:Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Congregations]]
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[[Category:Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Congregations]]
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[[Category:Ontario Congregations]]
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[[Category:Canadian Congregations]]

Revision as of 15:19, 11 May 2017

The Westview Christian Fellowship in St. Catharines, Ontario began services at Memorial School on Welland Avenue in October 1988 as an outreach of the Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church. It formally organized on 15 January 1989 with 81 charter members. Half of the members were from Grantham Mennonite Brethren, the remainder came from the Scott Street Mennonite Brethren Church, the community, or were newly baptized. Grantham's associate pastor, Thom Braun became pastor of the new group, which worked at a seeker-friendly approach that would be attractive to persons with little church background.

A former school board office building on Oakdale Avenue was leased and renovated in 1994, and occupied in early 1995. The 1990s were a diffcult time for the Westview congregation, including tensions within leadership and crises that included criminal charges against a lay leader in the congregation.

On 18 September 2005 the congregation moved to an old church building it had purchased on Queenston Street. After the move, the congregation became engaged in social programs, wanting to make a difference in the Queenston neighborhood, and especially reaching out to women in difficult circumstances. Westview's website in 2017 said: "Together we aim to develop a sensitivity to the call of love, peace, justice, reconciliation, hope, beauty, and in these, God.... During the week Westview is a community hub for women in the Queenston Neighbourhood. At Westview Centre4Women (previously called ‘Women4Women’ and ‘Survival4Women’) you’ll find the same guiding principles in practice as women from all walks of life are offered a safe place that encourages respect and dignity for self and others."

In April 2017 the congregation changed its denominational affiliation from the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches to Mennonite Church Eastern Canada.

Bibliography

Coggins, Jim. "An expansionist mood." Mennonite Brethren Herald 28, no. 7 (31 March 1989): 17.

Coggins, Jim. "Youth leader admits abuse." Mennonite Brethren Herald 35, no. 12 (14 June 1996): 16.

Janzen, Jill Morningstar. "What God taught me." Mennonite Brethren Herald 36, no. 12 (13 June 1997): 9-11.

Klassen, Willy. "Church's quest for building becomes lesson in trusting God." Mennonite Brethren Herald (1 September 1995): 16-17.

Martens, Dave. "Family reunion." Mennonite Brethren Herald 36, no. 18 (26 September 1997): 16.

"Transitions." Mennonite Brethren Herald 44, no. 14 (14 October 2005): 23.

Wiebe, John. "A bold venture." Mennonite Brethren Herald 28, no. 3 (3 February 1989): 19.

Additional Information

Address: 124 Queenston Street, St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 2Z7

Phone: 905-687-4848

Website: http://www.westviewcf.com/

Denominational Affiliations: Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

Mennonite Church Canada

Pastoral Leaders at Westview Christian Fellowship

Name Years
of Service
Thom Braun 1988-2000?
Jill Morningstar Janzen
(Associate)		 1989-1996
Willy Klassen
(Assistant)		 1994-1998
Barry Adams
(Associate)		 1997-2000
Vic Ratzlaff 1998-present
Erika Klassen
(Associate)		 2008-present

Membership at Westview Christian Fellowship

Year Membership
1990 115
1995 151
2000 122
2005 74
2010 82
2015 62

Map

Author(s) Sam Steiner
Date Published May 2017

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Sam. "Westview Christian Fellowship (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2017. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Westview_Christian_Fellowship_(St._Catharines,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=148012.

APA style

Steiner, Sam. (May 2017). Westview Christian Fellowship (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Westview_Christian_Fellowship_(St._Catharines,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=148012.



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