Administrative History

The Saint-Laurent church formed when Ernest Dyck moved to Saint-Laurent, Quebec and began an evangelistic work through literature and sermons.

The first meeting place was a rented office space that had been converted into a Bible Center. It was only when more interest was shown that a Sunday service started in June 1968.

In May 1970, David Franco was appointed the first French worker to serve the congregation. He was as a graduate from Bethel Bible Institute, Sherbrooke. Shortly before that, on December 30, 1969, the Saint-Laurent church was accepted into the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

Before purchasing their own building on May 1, 1974, the Saint-Laurent church had moved around 5 times during their first 6 years. The building they purchased was a duplex; only the main floor was used for the church, the upper floor apartments were rented out to help cover costs. In May 1980, however, the church sold the building and began to meet in a school auditorium due to the increase in attendance. This younger church of about 112 members, is actively focused on personal witness, evangelistic outreach, and discipling new converts.

In 1973, Franco resigned to take up further studies, leaving the church without a pastor. Ernest Dyck helped out for 2 years until Pierre Wingender took over leadership. André Bourque followed in his footsteps only a few years later. The leaders of the congregation were: Pierre Wingender (1977–1979), André Bourque (1980–1986), Gérald Kraemer (1985–1988), Guy Demers (1989), Gilles Clermont (1990), Robert Godin (1991–1992), François Pinard (1993–1994), Claude Queval (1995–2000), Éric Wingender (2001–2002), and Gérard Basque (2003– ).