Sammlung 13 - First Mennonite Church (Kelowna) fonds

First Mennonite Church in Kelowna, B.C. was formally organized founded in 1947 as the Erste Mennoniten Gemeinde zu Kelowna and affiliated with the Conference of United Mennonite Churches of British Columbia. A building project began in 1951 and culminated with the dedication of the sanctuary in October 1956. During the late 1950s tensions grew over differing visions for the church. One group wanted to preserve the German language and Mennonite traditions, while the other group wanted more English in order to reach out into the surrounding community. In 1960, 29 people separated from First Mennonite and organized a new congregation called Kelowna Mennonite Mission (later known as Kelowna Gospel Fellowship). (See GAMEO for names of leaders and membership numbers.)
A new church building was completed in 1989, with the first service being held 21 May 1989.