Administrative History

Willingdon Church in Burnaby, British Columbia, originally known as the Willingdon Mennonite Brethren Church and began in 1960. The Vancouver Mennonite Brethren Church was overcrowded and supported the building of the new 450-seat church on Willingdon Avenue, which was finished in 1961. A group of 116 members of the Vancouver church became the core group for the Willingdon church. George Letkeman served as the first church leader until the summer of 1962, followed by George Braun, who served from 1962–1966 and was the first salaried pastor.

In 1972, a new Christian Education wing was added to the church Membership had grown to 520 members with up to 700 people in attendance at two morning services. The church continued to grow rapidly, and the congregation continued to add programs that were age and need specific.

In February 1982, the church dedicated a new sanctuary with seating to accommodate 1,000 people. While the church worships in English, simultaneous translation is offered in several languages. As of 2002, these included Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Korean, Japanese, and Russian. As of 2007, the church had an advanced technical department that provided web based services such as videos of the services.

Membership in the church in 1965 stood at 187 members; in 1975, it was 329; in 1985, it was 825; in 1993, it was 1,153; in 2000, it was 1,822; and in 2005, it was 2,040.

Leaders of the congregation include the following: George Letkeman (1960–1962, 1966–1968, 1970–1971), George Braun (1962–1966), Isaac Redekopp (1968–1970), Herb Neufeld (1971–1985), Carlin Weinhauer (1986–2002), John H. Neufeld (2002–2014), Ray Harms-Wiebe (2015– ).