Abbotsford, B.C.


A ballroom may seem an unlikely place for a church to meet, but the Ramada Inn ballroom and meeting rooms have been home for this city’s newest Mennonite congregation, the East Abbotsford Community Church.

Kidz Time at East Abbotsford church. The children now have a separate service after the joint singing.

The church is an outgrowth of the Eben Ezer Mennonite Church, a bilingual congregation which was experiencing growing pains because of differences between English- and German-speaking members.

In the summer of 2003, a number of English-speaking members decided to explore other worship options. Their weekly worship and fellowship group eventually became the East Abbotsford church. They called Dave Hobson, whose term as Eben Ezer’s associate pastor had recently ended, to be their pastor.

Because most of Abbotsford’s Mennonite churches are in the west end of the city, the group decided to locate in the east end. With the Ramada Inn conveniently located and offering reasonable rent, the church began meeting there in September 2003.

The 55-member congregation now claims a weekly attendance of over 100, including families, youth and children, and some retirees. With four alternating worship teams to lead the music, and four “Kidz Time” teams to provide a ministry for young children during the sermon, the church is not lacking for enthusiastic workers.

Says church chair LaVerne Peters, “The first year has been exciting. Our leadership team does not initiate programs; rather, we encourage the congregation to identify needs and come up with solutions.”

The youth and young adults now number about 35. Earlier this year the church hired Dave Schaffer as three-quarter-time associate pastor to minister specifically to that age group. The younger youth (grades 6-10) meet Tuesday nights. Many of the youth come from outside the church.

As pastor, Hobson has been impressed with the young adults’ commitment. “They’ve taken the lead in exploring hard issues,” he says. “They’re taking seriously their relationship with the Lord. It’s the same with the youth. They want to study scripture and not just have fun.”

Men’s and women’s Bible studies and monthly all-church social events are also part of the mix at East Abbotsford.

“We start each fall with a kickoff session,” says Peters. “A couple has offered their home both years complete with most of the food. The kids show up early to use the pool, trampoline and tennis court. It’s a great, non-threatening way to bring in unchurched and guests.”

A member of a local Mennonite Brethren church has also offered space for the church’s weekday needs.

The East Abbotsford congregation is making a deliberate effort to welcome new attendees. “Our vision is to welcome people into the core of the church so that nobody’s left hanging on the outside,” says Hobson. One emphasis is family and marriage relationships.

“We want to draw people in and have an impact on people who are hurting,” says Hobson.

Changes are ahead. The congregation has decided to hold its services at the Mennonite Educational Institute auditorium, beginning October 1.

“MEI offers the opportunity for continued growth, although we are concerned it is on the ‘churched’ side of Abbotsford,” says Peters. The move across town will probably affect the church’s name, although the official name is simply “Abbotsford Community Church.”

There are other changes. One member family is hoping to donate facilities on newly purchased property for regular youth meetings. And the church has applied to join Mennonite Church British Columbia.

“We are watching God do some awesome things,” says Hobson. He marvels at how church members are blossoming into enthusiastic Christian leaders and having an impact on their community through this small congregation.

“For some crazy reason, [God] wants to use us. And that thrills me.”—Amy Dueckman

Retreat focuses on self-care in face of disabilities

Shakespeare, Ont.


Your sister taught me that having a mental illness was normal.” Irma Janzen heard these words at the funeral of her sister, Emily.

Barb Wells and Myron Steinman help organize the annual Building Community retreats.

We need to remember the importance of simply being: God created us as “human beings” and not as “human doings.”

The next session looked at the meaning of Sabbath. After exploring ways to experience Sabbath rest, Janzen suggested that regular Sabbath times could help us grieve our losses in healthy ways. Acceptance and renewal allow us to give God the glory in our lives.

In the evening, some of the past resource persons joined the group for a meal and challenging sermon from Janzen. She showed how Habakkuk reached peace in the midst of the distress in his life. He admitted his fears, pleaded with God for mercy and revival, waited quietly and affirmed his faith. The musical group, River of Life, led us in worship.

The Sunday morning service was celebratory. A reader’s theatre based on 1 Corinthians 12 testified to the talents of people with disabilities. After a time of sharing what the death of Jesus meant to each of us, we broke bread together. Some responded to the opportunity for personal prayers.

Between these formal times, we shared laughter over a game of “hot potato” and enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation. There were opportunities to share with one another the joys and pains of our lives. It was evident to me that the church has been both helpful and harmful for those with disabilities.

When I reflect on the weekend, I wonder how we as Christians can both accept and be accepted more fully, regardless of what disability or label we might have. The retreat is only a start. Think about people in your congregation who face challenges and look for creative ways to make them part of church life.—From report by Melody A. Steinman

In 1987, Pauline Steinmann, James Hunsberger and Ralph Bean had a vision for retreats for people with disabilities, and their families and caregivers. The idea evolved out of a Handicapped Ministries Committee of MCC Ontario and Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp.

The retreat is organized annually by volunteers, most of who have a disability. An overall theme has been “Celebrating life.”

The retreats have provided good conversation with a variety of resource persons, funded by MCC, among them Doug and Doreen Snyder, Ralph and Eileen Lebold, Mary Schiedel and Brent Kipfer. In addition, Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship has provided Christmas dinners for a number of years.

The current planning committee is: Marriette Foisy, Glen Koehn, Carey Ruby, Andrea Shantz-Neufeld, Jeanine Sievenpiper, Myron Steinman, Barb Wells and Mike Wolf. Organizers are looking for others to join the planning committee. Contact Myron Steinman at (519) 888-9516.

Irma Janzen, the speaker this year, became interested in work with disabilities through her experience with a sister who had schizophrenia (she died two years ago). She sees her role as advocating within the church for acceptance, understanding and support of persons with disabilities—to break down stigmas and walls.

Disabled persons often ask, “How come people are scared of us?” Janzen says: “We need education. We need a change of heart. We need to hear the stories, to get into their feelings.”

Jonathan Steckley and Josh Steckley shot a video at this year’s retreat to be used for promotion and outreach. —Maurice Martin

Rainham Mennonite Church in Selkirk, Ontario, celebrated the ordination of Catherine Hunsberger (centre) on May 3. Participating in the service were John Gallo (left), chair of congregation’s leadership team, and Muriel Bechtel, Minister of Pastoral Services for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. Plans for the ordination began years earlier but were interrupted by the death of Catherine’s husband. Now the event became a time to recognize Catherine’s ministry in spite of the fact that her ministry at Rainham ended this summer. —From report by Joyce Clarke

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