The Black Creek Community Church, 18 km north of Courtenay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, is a member of the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
On 30 December 1934, a group of seventeen Christians began plans for the formation of what was to become the Black Creek Mennonite Brethren Church. The decision was formalized 6 January 1935, with 34 members under the leadership of Franz Friesen, who served as the first pastor. After considerable discussion, the name Merville Mennonite Brethren Church was chosen, since, at that time, Merville, British Columbia was the closest post office. However, as of a 1 February 1937 meeting, the official name was changed to Black Creek Mennonite Brethren Church. During this same meeting, members also decided to seek affiliation with the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
Land for a building site was donated by a Mr. Goertzen and Henry Falk, and a five-dollar per member levy also helped cover costs. The building was dedicated December 1937, and with a 150 seating capacity, served the church until 1953. At this time a new structure, seating about 200 people, was built almost entirely with volunteer labour. The new building was dedicated 11 April 1954 with J. F. Redekop and Johannes A. Harder as guest speakers.
In 1960, the congregation hired Johannes A. Harder as its first paid pastor - John A. Goerz had been the first paid minister. Harder served the church for three years, helping it through a difficult transition to English-language services.
A foyer section with additional Sunday school classes was added in the summer of 1966, and, in 1973, a two storey educational wing was added.
In the spring of 2014 the congregation decided to change the name from Black Creek Mennonite Brethren Church to Black Creek Community Church to be more understood to those who may not have a historical background what it means to follow Jesus as a Mennonite Brethren.
Article cited: Goerz, John A. and Hugo Friesen. "Black Creek Mennonite Brethren Church (Black Creek, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2010. Web. 19 Nov 2015. More Information
Article edited to reflect changes since 2010