Assemblee Chretienne Maranatha, Montreal, QC
From BrethrenPedia
History
Assemblée chrétienne Maranatha was a French open brethren assembly begun in 1956 and active thru 2000. It was located in Montreal, Southcentral Québec, Canada.
Meetings began in November 1956 at the Y.M.C.A. on Park Avenue in the north end of Montreal. The availability of a pool proved convenient for baptisms. By the following year about a dozen or so believers were meeting together for the Breaking of Bread. Mid-week meetings were held in different homes.
Meanwhile, following their marriage in 1951, William Learoyd and his wife Nadine had come to Montreal. For six years Bill taught in private schools, including the French-speaking Bible Institute of Montreal, peddled Bibles and household products and even spent a year laid aside with T.B. By 1959, the Learoyds had been commended to the work and were able to give their full time to the assembly in which they had already been involved for some time. Maranatha had affiliated with the CBCQ the previous year.
A unique ministry carried on by the assembly was that of the “La Bibliothèque Évangélique” which provided a lending-by-mail service. This was one of many extensions worldwide of the Evangelical Library in London, England. The lending of Christian books played a large part in instructing inquirers and building up new believers. When the building was finally sold following the demise of the assembly, the collection was passed on ProFAC, the French-language training program for Quebec assemblies.
As time progressed, the need for a building of their own became increasingly obvious. God answered and in January 1966, the assembly secured a permanent home, the Bank of Montreal building on the corner of Saint-Zotique and Saint-Denis streets in the centre of the city.
Another special feature of this assembly was a day-care ministry, the Garderie du jour Saint-Zotique begun in 1969. Children's work not being easy or always possible in Quebec, this effort to break down barriers separating the assembly and its predominantly Roman Catholic neighbourhood successfully provided contact with non-believers and opportunities to present the Gospel.
In 1986, the Learoyds left the work in the hands of young French-Canadians and moved west. Meanwhile, Daniel Blanchet and his wife Bonnie had been commended to the work of the assembly, a role they discharged for three years (1984-1987) until moving on to serve the Lord in northern Ontario. In 1988, Daniel Paquette and wife Hélène were commended to this work and served here for three years.
Following their departure, the assembly carried on with outside help until the arrival early in the following decade of Michel Lafleur and his wife Diane. They remained until 2000 when the assembly became a local congregation of the Union d’Églises Baptistes Françaises au Canada. Several years later, when the UEBFC eventually sold the building, a portion of the proceeds was graciously returned to the CBCQ.
AKA
- Maranatha French Assembly 1956-1964
- Maranatha Assemblée Chrétienne 1965
- Assemblée Chrétienne Maranatha 1966-2000
Location
- YMCA @ 5550 Park Ave 1961-1965
- 6699 St. Denis 1966-2000
Correspondents
- William John Learoyd (1923-2010) 1956-1985
- Daniel Blanchet 1986-1987
- Esther Martin 1987-1988
- Daniel Paquette 1989-1990
- Jean-Marc Bouffard 1991-1992
- Henri Martin 1994-1997
- Denis Marcil 1998-2000
Alumni
Sources
- Walterick Publishers Assembly Address Books: 1961-1980, 1982-1983, 1985-1987, 1989-2000, 2003-2004, 2006-2008
- ECS Ministries (Emmaus International) Assembly Address Books: 2009-2010, 2013-2014, 2016, 2018, 2020
- Ancestry.com
- News of Quebec
- Coppieters, Joël. Réunis au nom du Seigneur Jésus, unpublished manuscript 2003
- Learoyd, William. A History of the Maranatha French Assembly of Montreal, 1990
- Historique de l'Assemblée Chrétienne Maranatha de 1986 à 1996
