First Hmong Mennonite Church

Classification scheme:

III-56

Dates of creation: 1980-2005

Physical description: 2 cm of textual records

Administrative history: Hmong refugees from Laos, who were part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church there, began meeting together for worship services at Steinman Mennonite Church in 1980. Vin Vanh Vang, whose family was sponsored by the Steinman Church, took the initiative in this work.

In January 1982 the congregation accepted an invitation to hold their worship services at First Mennonite Church, Kitchener, because almost 80% of the Canadian Hmong community had gravitated to Kitchener-Waterloo. On 16 March 1984 the congregation was accepted as a full member of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec (now Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada).

The congregation changed its name from Hmong Church to Hmong Christian Church, and in 1985 changed it again to Hmong Christian Church (Mennonite). On 31 December 2000 the name changed again to First Hmong Mennonite Church.

For further reference see Mennonite Reporter (16 April 1984): 11; (8 July 1985): 5; (29 October 1990): 17; (21 September 1992): 15; (20 January 1997): 7-8.

Custodial history: Donated by Brice Balmer (co-pastor at First Mennonite Church, 1991) and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (2014)

Scope and content: There are four series: Formal records, Informal records, Church bulletins and Newsletter