Churches near Greendale BC (852 Result(s))

The first settlers of Yarrow arrived in February 1928 and began meeting in the homes of Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church families. In the summer of 1928 the group began meeting in a one-room public school. The Mennonite Brethren organized as a separate congregation of 96 members on 3 February 1929 with Peter Dyck as the first leading minister. The congregation's first baptism was held 14 July 1929. In 1930 the church was officially accepted into the Northern District conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church, and became a founding member of the B.C. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in 1931. In 1931 Johann A. Harder was elected to serve as leading minister after Peter Dyck moved to Vancouver. Harder served for 18 years and was also an instrumental leader in the larger Mennonite Brethren conference. Soon after the congregation organized, a significant number of members began holding their own services in neighboring Greendale, formally organizing in 1931 as the Sardis Mennonite Brethren Church (later Greendale Mennonite Brethren). The Yarrow church quickly organized Elim Bible School in 1930 and hired Peter D. Loewen to be the instructor. Loewen also served as the congregation's Sunday school superintendent for 35 years, overseeing a ministry that at its peak in 1953 included 461 students, 40 classes and 72 teachers. The school ceased operations in 1955. At the high school level the church, in cooperation with the Greendale and Chilliwack MB churches, started Sharon Mennonite Collegiate Institute in 1945. Owing to the collapse of the raspberry market, this school was closed in 1949. However, by 1951 the Yarrow MB church opened Sharon Mennonite Collegiate, which by 1960 had an enrollment of 114 students in grades six to twelve, along with a staff of seven teachers. The school closed in 1969. Church leaders were elected by congregational vote. However, in the early years leadership in the church rested in the non-elected church council (Vorberat) comprised of all ordained ministers, whose numbers were considerable. As result of membership agitation, in 1937 the church council was changed so that the congregation elected a majority of its members.

TUMC is a Christian community in the Mennonite-Anabaptist 'peace church' tradition. We aspire to be a family of faith  that welcomes people with diverse backgrounds and stories, worshipping together and supporting one another, while following Christ's example in working for peace and justice in our urban context.

If you were to ask me, What is Sardis Fellowship all about? I would say that the main thing we live for around here is to assist people of all ages to encounter God in a meaningful way and grow in all the fullness of what God has for them. We're passionate about this. We also know that everyone is at different stages in this journey of faith, which means that some are farther along than others. I like to think of Christian community as something like a backpacking trip in the mountains with a bunch of friends where those who are a bit higher on the hot, dusty trail call back to those slugging up a steep section, Keep on coming! The view is great from up here! We need others in our lives to inspire us to keep putting one foot in front of the other, especially when the going gets tough. We are a community of people who are learning how much God loves us, how to increase our faith in Jesus and how to grow in our awareness of the power of His Spirit. We do this through worshipping together, and hearing and obeying God's Word, and mutual support, and sharing in God's mission to our world. We hope that each participant in the life of our fellowship will join one of our many small groups that meet in the community throughout the week. We particularly care about families by providing support to parents who are endeavouring to nurture the best possible environment in their home. More than that, we want to be God's eyes, ears, and hands in the world. We strongly support a wide variety of mission projects in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and around the world. We would welcome you to join us in this journey.

At Sardis Community Church we are committed to providing a safe, authentic community for you and your family in which we journey together in relationship with God and each other.