A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

r many years. The late B. B. Janz (Alberta), Isaac Block (Saskatchewan) and John Unruh (Manitoba), all Mennonite Brethren, have given leadership in their respective provinces for a number of years. Apart from the joint efforts in relief, inter-Mennonite cooperation has taken on different forms in the various provinces. In Manitoba, for instance, Mennonite Brethren have actively cooperated with the other Mennonite groups in establishing the Eden Mental Health Center near Winkler in 1967. The center provides services for both inpatients and outpatients. 1 A special kind of inter-Mennonite fellowship has been carried on by the churches of Alberta for several decades in the form of annual Bible discussions (Bibelbesprechungen) . These Bible discussion meetings differed from the regular Bible or Deeper Life conferences in that the messages were not delivered by one or two special speakers ; instead the truth of the Bible (either a chapter of Scripture or a short epistle) was COOPERATING WITH OTHER GROUPS 385 discussed by a "team" of brethren, who also interacted with the audience in the form of a dialogue. The "team" usually consisted of four or five ministers, representing the various Mennonite conferences, who would conduct a Bibelbesprechung in a given area for three or four days and then move on to the next town or settlement. The itinerary was worked out by a committee in such a way that all areas of the province would be served during the winter months. In British Columbia an important milestone in inter-Mennonite cooperation was reached in 1970, when the Mennonite Brethren and the General Conference Mennonites by an overwhelming vote decided to unite their two Bible schools: the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute (Clearbrook) and the Bethel Bible Institute (West-Abbotsford). 6 The strong vote in favor of a joint program meant that approximately 9,000 Mennonites began to work together in the support of a single Bible institute program. The new name for the united Bible institutes on the former M. B.B.I, campus is Columbia Bible Institute. In addition to the inter-Mennonite projects and activities mentioned above, nearly all provinces have "peace conferences," Sunday school conventions, and special "anniversary celebrations" 7 on an inter-church basis. In the United States Inter-Mennonite associations and activities of Mennonite Brethren are not as fully developed in the United States as in Canada because of a difference in historical experience. The Mennonite Brethren who came to Canada in the 1920's and later had been deeply involved in inter-Mennonite cooperation prior to their coming to the new world. However, the Mennonite Brethren who came to the United States in the 1870's had left Russia at the time when the scars of secession were barely healed. This difference in experience partly accounts for the difference in attitude toward inter-Mennonite cooperation in the two countries.