On the weekend of July 23rd and 24th, former pastors, members and friends of Ebenezer Baptist Church celebrated the 100th anniversary of the church in the Village of Ebenezer.
Saturday afternoon a "come-and-go" tea at the church provided the opportunity for many to visit old friends, renew acquaintances and reminisce about experiences while living in the area and attending church.
The sanctuary was overflowing for the Sunday Morning Worship Service. They were blessed by music from a mass choir and from hearing Reverend Ken Priebe share his experiences in the church that prepared him for his life of service as first a missionary in the Cameroon and now as a missionary with "Power to Change".
The sanctuary was again packed to overflowing on Sunday evening for a more informal service as former pastors and friends shared or sent greetings of congratulations. We were challenged to hear from Betty Eichhorst, a missionary to Africa who although in her 80's, still returns to Africa for six months every year.
In the early 1880's, German speaking immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in what is now the Ebenezer area and in 1889, some of these immigrants formed the "Ebenezer First Baptist Church". The word "Ebenezer" had a very special meaning to them. It is taken from 1Samuel 7:12 which reads,"Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it, Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." As they were immigrants who had left their homes for a better life, this was their way of praising God for bringing them here.
In 1911, the church outgrew it's building and part of the congregation moved a few miles west and became West Ebenezer Baptist Church while the rest of the congregation moved into the newly formed Village of Ebenezer to the east and became East Ebenezer Baptist Church. In 1956, the name was changed to the name it holds today, Ebenezer Baptist Church. In the 1980's an addition to the church provided much needed Sunday School rooms and a larger dining area. Finally, in 1996 a new sanctuary was dedicated, replacing the original built in 1911.
Our ministries have included radio broadcasts on CJGX in the 50's and early 60's, "Message of Hope" and "Songs in the Night". Also, the "Singing Men" who would present concerts around Saskatchewan and Manitoba to raise support for missionaries.
