Historical Sketch: Vietnamese Mennonite Church
In 2000 the Conference of Mennonites in British Columbia began exploring the possibility of beginning a Vietnamese ministry in Vancouver. Nhien Pham from Calgary, Alberta was appointed by the Evangelism and Church Development Committee (ECDC) of the conference to be the church planter, and in August 2001 a congregation began meeting at Sherbrooke Mennonite Church. It was originally intended to be called the East Vancouver Vietnamese Fellowship. The Sherbrooke congregation and ECDC partnered with Nhien Pham in this ministry. The congregation was accepted as a member of Mennonite Church British Columbia on February 23, 2008.
In 2008 the congregation began assisting Mennonite Church British Columbia and Emmanuel Mennonite Church in establishing the Abbotsford Vietnamese Ministries, a Vietnamese church that meets in Abbotsford. The group organized formally in 2009, with Nhien Pham as pastor, and meeting at the Emmanuel Mennonite Church building.
The congregation’s worship style is considered traditional, singing a mixture of hymns and choruses with piano, and approximately once a month youth accompany the singing with instruments such as guitars and drums. Though the worship of Vietnamese Mennonite is in the Vietnamese language, some of the young people attend the Sherbrooke services and have become involved in the Sherbrooke youth group. The Vietnamese congregation also joins with the Sherbrooke congregation several times a year for special occasions and the annual family retreat at Camp Squeah. Ministries of the Vietnamese Mennonite Church include translation services for recent Vietnamese immigrants and refugee sponsorship.
Membership
YEAR |
MEMBERS |
2001 |
12 |
2005 |
30 |
2010 |
33 |
2015 |
32 |
2020 |
48 |