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==History==
[[Assemblee Chretienne Maranatha, Montreal, QC|Assemblee Chretienne Maranatha]] was a French open brethren assembly founded in 1961 and active thru 2000. It was located in Montreal, Southcentral [[Quebec]], [[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, Mr. and Mrs. William Learoyd 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 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 and Bonnie Blanchet 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 and Hélène Paquette 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 and Diane Lafleur. 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 ultimately sold the building, a portion of the proceeds was graciously returned to the CBCQ.
==AKA==