Home MB Herald Mennonite study centre planned for Fraser Valley

Mennonite study centre planned for Fraser Valley

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The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) signed an agreement June 24 with the Mennonite Faith and Learning Society (MFLS), with the intent of establishing a Centre for Mennonite Studies, as well as a Chair, a certificate, and possibly a minor in Mennonite Studies.

The goal of the partnership is to jointly create an opportunity for students to study the rich heritage of the Mennonites and their contributions to the Fraser Valley and beyond.

“The Mennonite community has played an incredible role in developing the Fraser Valley,” said UFV president and vice-chancellor Dr. Skip Bassford. “UFV’s partnership with MFLS is a natural fit.”

With approximately 25 percent of the population in the Abbotsford area alone identified as Mennonite, either religiously or culturally, the partnership is long overdue, according to Bassford.
“We are thrilled about this partnership with UFV,” said Dr. John Redekop, co-president with Ed Janzen of the MFLS, a registered society of Mennonite business people,  academics, clergy, and others who developed a vision for such a centre.

The signing of the agreement concluded a year of discussions about the nature and direction of such a centre and how it can best serve the university, the Mennonite community, and the Lower Mainland.

—release

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