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Bonnie Foote became associate pastor for children’s ministries at Central Heights MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C. on Aug. 9. She has a B.A. in social development studies from the University of Waterloo, and will complete an M.R.E. at Associated Canadian Theological Schools in Langley, B.C. this fall. She worked in a Salvation Army program for inner-city teens and young adults in Toronto 1976-79, was an administrative assistant with World Vision Canada 1989-91, was associate pastor for children’s ministry and outreach at Salvation Army Langley Community Church 1992-94, and was marketing director of Cascade Court seniors housing 1994-98. She has served in a variety of volunteer ministry positions (including Sunday school superintendent, leader of a MOMs program, and Bible study leader) in a variety of Salvation Army churches, most recently Cascade Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C. Her husband Brian is an RCMP officer. They have three children, Julie, 21, Colleen, 19, and Ian, 17.
 Claude Pratte has been hired as senior pastor of Portage Ave. MB Church in Winnipeg, effective Oct. 31. Previously, he pastored four years at First Baptist Church, Waterloo, Ont., and 10 years at Fellowship Baptist Church, Cornwall, Ont. He has a diploma from Briercrest Bible College, Caronport, Sask.; a B.A. from Concordia University, Montreal; and an M.Th. from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife Vivian have three sons, Steve, 20, Jeff, 17, and Colin, 14.
Don Petker of Coaldale, Alta., has been hired as pastor of Selkirk (Man.) Community Church, effective Sept. 15. Previously, he has been involved in farming and truck driving in Alberta. He has been on the Canadian MB Conference Board of Communications for four-and-a-half years, was secretary and assistant moderator of the Alberta MB Conference and was moderator of Coaldale MB Church. He has a B.A. from University of Lethbridge and an M.A. from University of Calgary. He is currently pursuing an M.Div. from MB Biblical Seminary, B.C. Centre. He and his wife Louella have three children, Deanne, 19, and Darren, 18, both studying at Columbia Bible College, and Dana, 14.
 Jean Calvin Kitata has been hired as full-time pastor of the MB church in St-Jérôme, Que., effective Sept. 4. Previously, he has been involved in evangelism in Montreal among the African community. Originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, he came to Canada in 1997. He has pastoral experience in Congo. He has a B.Th. from the Protestant University of Congo and is working toward a master’s degree in communication from Université de Montréal. He and his wife Élysée Bilongo Mabiala have two sons, Joél, 6, and Daniel, 5.
Dennis Hemminger has been hired as part-time youth coordinator at Maple Ridge (B.C.) Community Church, effective July 1. He has been a sponsor of the youth group for the last two years and has been a small group leader for about a year. He is an insurance broker and sits on the board for the local crisis pregnancy centre. He and his wife Gail have two daughters, Chelsey, 11, and Lindsay, 8.
Edith Granholm has resigned as part-time youth pastor at Maple Ridge (B.C.) Community Church, effective June 30, after serving three years. Previously, she has been involved in the writing of youth curriculum for the General MB Conference Board of Resource Ministries; served at Richmond (B.C.) Bethel MB Church for five years, including one year as Christian education director; and served overseas with Operation Mobilization 1982-89. She has a B.Th. from Canadian Bible College, Regina. Her husband Bob is executive director of Frontiers (Canada) Christian Ministries, a church planting ministry to Muslims around the world. They have four daughters, Bethany, 15, Rebekah, 12, Christina, 10, and Leorah, 3. They have been hired by the B.C. MB Conference Board of Church Extension to begin a church plant in the Greater Vancouver area in October.
 Vancouver MB Church held an installation service for pastor couple Johannes and Marie-Louise Stolz May 16. A message was given by George Baier, pastor of Culloden MB Church in Vancouver. Previously, Stolz pastored North Kildonan MB Church and Central MB Church in Winnipeg.
Ryan and Tracey Dahl have resigned as associate pastor couple in North Langley (B.C.) Community Church, effective July 31, after serving five years in the areas of worship and Christian education. Previously, he interned for a year in Peace Portal Alliance Church, White Rock, B.C. He has a B.A. in religious studies from Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C., and an M.Ed. from the University of Victoria. They plan to study at seminary. They have two children, Isaiah, 2, and Lydia, 1, and are expecting their third child in October.
Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton held its annual spring choir concert June 16 under the direction of Harold and Diana Wiens. Readings were given by Karen and Stephen Kuntz. The theme was “Praises, Petitions, Promises.” There were 57 choir members, with half coming from the community. There was a variety of music, ranging from Bach to a Dixieland version of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton hosted its fourth annual Klondike Breakfast on Sunday, July 25. About 225 people from the church and the surrounding community attended. The free breakfast, held on the church parking lot, featured pancakes and sausages. Volunteers from the church cooked and served the food. Music in tune with the Klondike theme was provided by singing groups and instrumentalists.
Ralph Gliege, director of church ministries for the Saskatchewan MB Conference for nearly seven years, began a 10-month leave Sept. 1. For the first part of the leave, he and his wife Grace will be part-time pastoral couple for Emmanuel Community Church in Pierceland, Sask. During the second half of the leave, they will be studying and travelling. They are also planning a mission trip. Following the leave, the Glieges will move to Saskatoon to resume their work with the Saskatchewan MB Conference.
 Port Rowan (Ont.) MB Church’s Pioneer Girls held its closing night on Wednesday, Apr. 28 with the theme “Treasure Island and the Tropics.” A potluck dinner was held for parents and the girls. During the program, many awards were presented. Leader Ruth Reimer presented Kaitlyn Rowling (left) with the Trailblazers’ Highest Honour Award. Heidi Williams presented Kristen Rowling (right) with the Pathfinders Highest Honour Award. Both girls received flowers from the chair of the girls’ weekly club committee.
 Forty-nine workers participated in orientation at Mennonite Central Committee headquarters, Akron, Pa., July 6-16. Thirty are beginning overseas assignments, 17 are beginning assignments in North America, and two are national workers. Art and Ruth Thiessen of Abbotsford, B.C., are beginning three-year assignments as coordinators at the Tsholofelo Counselling Centre in Botswana. Art has a certificate from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, B.C., and Ruth attended Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C. Previously, Art worked as an automotive technician in Abbotsford, and Ruth worked as HIV/AIDS education coordinator for MCC B.C. They are members of Bakerview MB Church, Abbotsford. They have a son, James.
Edgar Metzler has been named Mennonite Central Committee Director of International Programs, effective Aug. 1. He replaces Ray Brubacher, who left at the end of August to assume duties with Mennonite World Conference in France. Metzler will coordinate MCC’s work in each continent, and oversee the Peace Office, the International Visitor Exchange Program, the Global Family Program, and the Food, Disaster and Material Resource Program. Previously, Metzler was executive director of the United Mission of Nepal for nine years (a joint appointment of MCC and Mennonite Board of Missions), served with MCC in South and Southeast Asia, was executive secretary of MCC Peace Section, was associate director of the National Service Board for Religious Objectors, was twice interim director of the MCC Washington office, was a Peace Corps director in India, Nepal, Thailand and Iran, was secretary for Peace and Justice Concerns of the Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries, and was a pastor in Kitchener, Ont. He has a master’s degree in international relations and development from American University in Washington, D.C., and has studied at Goshen (Ind.) College, University of Toronto and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries in Elkhart, Ind.
Bernie Brandt, a Ten Thousand Villages worker, died July 7, after a 10-month battle with cancer. Since September 1994, following a career as an educator, Bernie and his wife Rose had been workers with Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit marketing program of Mennonite Central Committee that provides fair income to Third World artisans. Bernie worked in the warehouse as a shipping clerk while Rose worked in the Ten Thousand Villages store in Ephrata, Pa. Memorial services were held in Winnipeg and Ephrata.
Eleven Mennonite Educational Institute students from Abbotsford, B.C., one student from Ontario and three adult leaders (Ryan Snider, Heather Smith and Christa Toews) were in Kenya July 2-22. The group did various activities, including constructing a water filtration system (a Samaritan’s Purse project) and painting a school. The majority of their time was spent in a sports ministry, playing basketball with street kids and sharing their testimonies during half-times. The group also spent time sight-seeing and went on a safaria in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.
 Vineland (Ont.) MB Church celebrated the 100th birthdays of two members with a cake on June 20. Henry Koop, who still regularly attends the church, was born July 5, 1899. His son Helmut Koop is a former assistant pastor of the church. Maria Wiebe, who lives in Tabor Manor, St. Catharines, Ont., was born June 2, 1899. She and her late husband, Henry, founded the Bethesda Home in Vineland 60 years ago. Her son Henry is senior pastor of Vineland MB Church.
 An unusually warm Sunday, Mar. 21 did not deter approximately 75 people from attending a mini-conference on governance and related issues at Waterloo (Ont.) MB Church. Highlights of the afternoon were guest speakers Mark Johnson, pastor of Glencairn MB Church, Kitchener, Ont., and Leslie Wright, consultant and specialist in governance of not-for-profit organizations. Johnson spoke on the historical perspective of MB governance. Wright presented a paper on servant leadership and introduced the Carver Model as a potential governance framework for the church to consider. Pictured are (l-r) speakers Mark Johnson, Leslie Wright and Neil Ostrander.
Cornerstone Community Church in Surrey, B.C., held a baptism May 16 for Mike Harrison, Jen Harrison, Breanne Hildebrand, Shelly Kosterman, Terry McGrath and Nancy Willis.
Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton baptized Michael Ginter and Michael Wiens May 16.
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Last modified September 23, 1999.
© 1999 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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