Administrative History

The Saint-Eustache Church was born in an old house near the big Catholic Church in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. In the 1970s, a group of neighbours began to meet at Madeleine Wingender’s home where they would have a small service and talk about following Jesus. Ernest Dyck, the pastor of the Thérèse Church, came to teach on his day off. It was in this way that the church was born. What started with seven or eight individuals soon grew to about thirty. Due to this growth, Wingender’s home needed to be renovated to accommodate the people. A group of young men, consisting of Pierre Wingender, Jean Théoret, and Robert Dagenais began taking on leadership within this small church.

In 1976, a committee was formed in order to organize the Saint-Eustache Church as a daughter church of Sainte-Thérèse Church. The Saint-Eustache Church joined the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in 1977. The church consisted of 12 members and was lead by pastor by Robert Dagenais. At first, the church met in a school auditorium and, later, in a local community center. On July 4, 1980, construction began on a new church building. This church has witnessed continued growth, starting with only 12 members and then growing to 69 members in under 3 years. In 2006, there were 101 members and, in 2020, 138 members.

The leaders of the congregation include Robert Dagenais (1977–1986), François Vermette (1986–1988), Blaise St. Louis (1988), Jean-Victor Brusseau (1989–1996), and Stéphane Rhéaume (1997– ).