About Us
Pastor's Welcome
If you were to visit the Altona Mennonite Church you would not meet any perfect people. Nor would you meet a people bound together by their uniformity in worship style, theology, politics, age, and countless other issues. You would not find a large church that is bursting with extra activities that can become the focus of your everyday. You will not even find a paved parking lot, padded pews, a service that always ends at noon, and please, don’t get me started about the minister.
Hopefully what you will find is a community of love, grace and acceptance. The strength of the Altona Mennonite Church lies not in its uniformity, but in its diversity, both in people and ideas. The diversity allows us not only to learn from one another, but to practice extending grace and acceptance to each other as we walk and worship together. We strive to follow the greatest commandment in loving God and each other as we love ourselves.
We invite all to join us on Sunday morning, and it is my hope and prayer that if you do stop by you will find a place that greets you with grace and love.
History of AMC
Altona Mennonite Church was organized in 1962, under the leadership of Frank H. Epp. It is one of three churches in altona belonging to the Mennonite Church Canada conference. Altona is a town of 4000 located in the Southern part of Manitoba. Originally the town was predominantly Mennonite.
The Church was organized to meet the needs of newcomers in the community, in the English language, as well as people of other Christian faiths. There were 22 charter members. The present membership is 120.
The church is a member of Mennonite Church Canada and Manitoba. It also supports national associations: Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, and local institutions: Eden Mental Health, Mennonite Collegiate Institute, Ebenezer Home for the Aged.
Past pastors have been: Dr. Frank H. Epp, Rev. Henry V. Friesen, Paul Dyck, Dr. Laurence Klippenstein, Rev. Edward Cornelson, David Regehr, Ray and Marilyn Hamm, Gordon Driedger.
The present pastor is Dan Kehler.
Statement Regarding Frank Epp
On May 27th, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) and Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCC) announced a finding of sexual misconduct against Frank H. Epp (1929-1986) following an investigation by the two organizations.
Epp was the founding Minister at Altona Mennonite Church in 1962 and served in that capacity until 1965. He was an ordained minister who pastored a number of Mennonite congregations, and served in many leadership positions within the Mennonite community in Canada.
This news is very distressing to our congregation, and for the wider Mennonite world. Our hearts go out to the survivor and to the survivor’s family, who have borne the weight of this harm for decades. We commend MCEC and MCC for their commitment to investigate complaints of sexual misconduct. It is our hope that bringing this to light will provide a measure of justice and peace to everyone involved.
We also acknowledge how wrenching this finding will be for the Epp family, and we extend concern and care to them on behalf of the congregation.
Since this misconduct occurred outside of Epp’s time at Altona Mennonite Church, AMC was not a party to the investigation. Although the misconduct did not happen in the context of Epp’s service here, we are concerned about this serious finding against our former Pastor and Founding Leader.
In their respective statements, MCEC and MCC invite anyone with further information to come forward, and each have provided confidential pathways for disclosure.
As participants in Mennonite Church Manitoba we are part of a community of Churches who are committed to being congregations that are free from all forms of sexual harassment, misconduct or violence and ensuring they are safe for everyone.
Unfortunately, the church is not immune, abuse does occur, and the effects can be devastating. When sexual misconduct occurs we take this very seriously. Victims deserve to be heard because the harm must be acknowledged, and if ongoing, stopped. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, we hope to be a community that helps you move beyond the pain to a place of restoration and healing.
On behalf of Altona Mennonite Church,
Rev. Dan Kehler
Moderator Loren Braul
If you were to visit the Altona Mennonite Church you would not meet any perfect people. Nor would you meet a people bound together by their uniformity in worship style, theology, politics, age, and countless other issues. You would not find a large church that is bursting with extra activities that can become the focus of your everyday. You will not even find a paved parking lot, padded pews, a service that always ends at noon, and please, don’t get me started about the minister.
Hopefully what you will find is a community of love, grace and acceptance. The strength of the Altona Mennonite Church lies not in its uniformity, but in its diversity, both in people and ideas. The diversity allows us not only to learn from one another, but to practice extending grace and acceptance to each other as we walk and worship together. We strive to follow the greatest commandment in loving God and each other as we love ourselves.
We invite all to join us on Sunday morning, and it is my hope and prayer that if you do stop by you will find a place that greets you with grace and love.
History of AMC
Altona Mennonite Church was organized in 1962, under the leadership of Frank H. Epp. It is one of three churches in altona belonging to the Mennonite Church Canada conference. Altona is a town of 4000 located in the Southern part of Manitoba. Originally the town was predominantly Mennonite.
The Church was organized to meet the needs of newcomers in the community, in the English language, as well as people of other Christian faiths. There were 22 charter members. The present membership is 120.
The church is a member of Mennonite Church Canada and Manitoba. It also supports national associations: Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, and local institutions: Eden Mental Health, Mennonite Collegiate Institute, Ebenezer Home for the Aged.
Past pastors have been: Dr. Frank H. Epp, Rev. Henry V. Friesen, Paul Dyck, Dr. Laurence Klippenstein, Rev. Edward Cornelson, David Regehr, Ray and Marilyn Hamm, Gordon Driedger.
The present pastor is Dan Kehler.
Statement Regarding Frank Epp
On May 27th, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) and Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCC) announced a finding of sexual misconduct against Frank H. Epp (1929-1986) following an investigation by the two organizations.
Epp was the founding Minister at Altona Mennonite Church in 1962 and served in that capacity until 1965. He was an ordained minister who pastored a number of Mennonite congregations, and served in many leadership positions within the Mennonite community in Canada.
This news is very distressing to our congregation, and for the wider Mennonite world. Our hearts go out to the survivor and to the survivor’s family, who have borne the weight of this harm for decades. We commend MCEC and MCC for their commitment to investigate complaints of sexual misconduct. It is our hope that bringing this to light will provide a measure of justice and peace to everyone involved.
We also acknowledge how wrenching this finding will be for the Epp family, and we extend concern and care to them on behalf of the congregation.
Since this misconduct occurred outside of Epp’s time at Altona Mennonite Church, AMC was not a party to the investigation. Although the misconduct did not happen in the context of Epp’s service here, we are concerned about this serious finding against our former Pastor and Founding Leader.
In their respective statements, MCEC and MCC invite anyone with further information to come forward, and each have provided confidential pathways for disclosure.
As participants in Mennonite Church Manitoba we are part of a community of Churches who are committed to being congregations that are free from all forms of sexual harassment, misconduct or violence and ensuring they are safe for everyone.
Unfortunately, the church is not immune, abuse does occur, and the effects can be devastating. When sexual misconduct occurs we take this very seriously. Victims deserve to be heard because the harm must be acknowledged, and if ongoing, stopped. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, we hope to be a community that helps you move beyond the pain to a place of restoration and healing.
On behalf of Altona Mennonite Church,
Rev. Dan Kehler
Moderator Loren Braul