A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

imately five miles east of the city of Chilliwack. Founder and principal of the school from 1947 to 1956 was G. Thielmann, the leading minister of the local M.B. church. From 1956 264 HISTORY OF THE MENNON1TE BRETHREN CHURCH to 1959 J. H. Friesen served as principal. Because of decreasing enrollment, the school closed its doors in 1959. Since 1950 Canadian M.B. Bible schools have undergone a process of consolidation and amalgamation. Larger institutions have emerged, which make it possible to improve the quality of education, to expand services, and to operate more economically. The Bible institute at Clearbrook is an illustration of this consolidation process. The Columbia Bible Institute The Columbia Bible Institute (known as the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute until 1970) had its insignificant beginnings in the Bible classes conducted by C. C. Peters at the South Abbotsford church during the late 1930's. In 1945 the South Abbotsford, Clearbrook, and Matsqui M.B. churches combined efforts to inaugurate a regular Bible school with F. C. Thiessen and W. Reimche as instructors. During the next decade the school experienced steady growth so that by 1954 it had an enrollment of eighty-four, and a teaching staff of five. Other churches of the Abbotsford area rallied to the support of the school, making relocation of the institution to its present beautiful campus near Clearbrook possible in 1955. In 1960 the M.B. Conference of British Columbia assumed full responsibility for the operation of the school. Since the other M.B. Bible schools in the province had closed down one after the other, the conference now became united in its purpose to support one Bible institute. Since then the physical plant has been enlarged, and the enrollment (after some fluctuations) has increased. Among the many teachers who served the school through the years the following could be mentioned: J. F. Redekop, H. H. Nikkei, A. H. Wieler, J. B. Epp, H. T. Janzen, H. C. Born, A. J. Klassen, G. Konrad, and P. R. Toews, the present principal. An event of great historic significance in the life of the school and for the Mennonite brotherhood in B.C. took place in 1970. In that year the two conferences — Mennonite Brethren and United Mennonite — decided to join forces in the operation of a single Bible school program. This event will receive further consideration in the chapter dealing with inter-church relations. Since the merger of the two schools (Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute and Bethel Bible Institute) the combined enrollment has exceeded 200. Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute of Ontario (1938-1963) The Bible school training program in Ontario began when I. T. Ewert started to conduct evening classes in Virgil in 1938. The following year the Virgil-Vineland Bible School Society was formed and B. B. Boldt was engaged as instructor of the new day-school in Vineland. Due to the war, instruction was discontin