From Humble Beginnings to an Official Church 1928-1975

Pleasant Hill Mennonite church’s story begins with Benno Toews in 1928. Benno was a university student and part-time missionary in Saskatoon at the time. He began a Sunday school class at the Anglican church in Saskatoon. This building was used by many different groups and as a result Benno only used it for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. The Sunday school work was difficult for him, attendance was sporadic, and illiteracy was common for the few people that did come. The children came from poverty and homes that did not encourage going to church at all. Finances were also tough for the Sunday school, but the generosity of the people that attended made ministry possible in a variety of ways. The Christmas program was one of those ministries as many people came out to that program that would not normally come to church. Benno Toews was one of the main contributors to the church as it began.

Rev. Thiessen also had an important part in starting the church of Pleasant Hill. Rev. Thiessen began teaching at the Anglican church at the same time as Benno. Rev. Thiessen ran the Sunday afternoon service as Benno ran the Sunday school. These two men led the way for the Church to grow into what it is today. These first leaders in the church led the way and were faithful despite the relatively small impact that they were having at the time. After 25 years the membership changed and in 1952 a small recreation hall was purchased and relocated to a new location where it was used as a chapel. On January 18, 1953, the ministry of Pleasant Hill Mission Chapel started its ministry to the surrounding area with newly added services and ministries during the week. Although this was a step forward, things were certainly not easy for the small church that was beginning to form.

The building needed repairs along with upgrades that were necessary for it to function as a chapel. Things like heating and electricity were done in unconventional ways that did not work as well as they could have. As the group progressed and grew, it seemed right for them to become an official church. In February 1958, the church held its first annual meeting where it was discussed how the group would become a church. Through much work and processing, on April 20th, 1958, Pleasant Hill Mennonite Church became an independent congregation with 21 charter members. At the time the church was led by Peter Reimer, although he only held the position for a short time. Ben Fast was the next minister of the church and after a bit of convincing, he accepted the role. As the church grew more and more, it became clear that the church needed to expand to a larger building. God was working as He provided both the physical needs of the church and the teachers and leaders that were needed to make the right decisions for the church.

In 1962 the next building was bought by the church a block down the street and a new building was purchased. Later in 1966, Rev. Ben Fast resigned from his position and Carl Ens was asked the be the leader of the church on an interim basis which ended in 1969. That same year the church called on Dave Letkeman who was a student at CMBC. He served the church from July 1969 to 1975 when he was called to overseas missions. Despite these challenges the church continued to grow and thrive in the new environment. This is about the time when the church began to look more like how it is today as more people joined and the ministries became more regular and organized.

The Years of Expansion 1975 -2000

After Dave Letkeman left the church Rev. Peter E. Funk was called to lead the church as pastor and began leading in November of 1975. As the church grew and more ministries began to form the church needed to expand to hold all these new ministries that were occurring. After many years the decision to expand was made and construction was finished in 1981. This allowed for ministries like Youth Groups, children’s ministry, and small group functions. God provided greatly for this to occur, and it is just one of the many ways God has shown His faithfulness to the church.

The next expansion was the hiring of a full-time youth and music minister. This took place in 1981 and Steve Teele was the first person to be called to the position. Over the years this position was filled by a variety of people over many years.

During the years of youth pastors moving in and out the senior pastors also changed. In 1989 Peter Funk resigned and became the senior pastor at Coaldale Mennonite Church. Afterwards, Rev. David W. Peters was called to be the senior pastor of the church. Dave served as the senior pastor of the church for the next 23 years he faithfully served the church and loved its congregants. Afterwards, Keith and Karen Pankratz were called to serve in the church in 1995. Keith filled the role of Youth Pastor and Karen filled the role of leadership in both the music and children’s ministries. Keith and Karen have been a part of the church for a long while and are currently still serving at the church after 27 years.

In January 1995 before the Pankratz’s were added to the staff, the church decided to reform the majority of the ministries in the church. Sunday school, Pioneer clubs, and Bible studies were combined into a one-night event called “Family night”, and “Jubilee clubs.” Children’s church was also added for the kids at the Sunday morning church service. Karen Pankratz has been such a valuable leader in the children’s ministry of the church. Karen’s creativity and passion for sharing the Gospel in so many different ways have reshaped the way the church has ministered to kids. She transformed the Vacation Bible School program at the church and has been sharing the Gospel with thousands of children through this ministry over the years.

During the growth of the Pankratz family, Karen stepped away from the children’s ministries in Jan 2000 and Carla Seib took over the reins of the children’s church ministry and she continued until 2004. Erin Funk took over and continued in this position until Karen Pankratz stepped back into the role in 2008

Upgrades and Local Missions 2000-2008

The church continued to thrive and grow in the 2000s and as more and more people began to join, more ministries were added. On October 11, 2000, the church voted unanimously to become an independent Mennonite church. New ministries included a Spanish ministry service that was hosted by Pastor Eduardo Guinez. This ministry continued from 2001 to 2010 when the ministry was disbanded due to challenges within their community. As PHMC began to grow more and more it became clear that once again the building should be expanded and upgraded.

The proposal was brought forward twice over a few years, but in March 2004, the vote came to 74% and the expansion was moved forward. This expansion of the building was the largest renovation that the church has had. The provision of both finances and the ability to perform this massive expansion was only possible through God’s help. Through a supportive congregation that helped with both the construction process and financially this work was finished in October 2004. This expansion has allowed the ministry that the church had to expand and have a greater capacity.

Another ministry that was added was the Karen worship services. In 2006 a few refugees from Burma started attending PHMC and a translator was brought out to translate the sermons for them. In 2007 Pastor Paw Eh organized their church service that was held at the same time as the English service. This church group has grown so much over the years and is now called the Saskatoon Karen Baptist Church. They hold their services at 2:00 every Sunday and use the building for this service. These people have been such a blessing to the church and many of their children have attended both the VBS and Youth programs. Despite the differences between the English and Karen services, it is amazing to see how God brings believers together to encourage one another.

Property expansions were also added for the church for a parking lot that was needed with the building expansions. In 2006 and 2007 two separate properties beside the church were bought and the houses on those properties were moved. The properties were changed to parking lots to fit the needs of our church’s ministries. Despite the short time in between these purchases, God was faithful to provide the means to purchase and transform these properties into a parking lot. God’s faithfulness continued to show itself as the church celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

Transitions & More Expansions 2008-2018

The Youth program at the church experienced a transition in new leadership. In 2009, Pastor David Doerksen and his wife Krysta interned at the church which led to David’s hiring as a youth pastor in 2010. David has been a part of the youth ministry ever since and has done a tremendous job at ministering to both the church’s youth and local youth in the area. David started with about 75% of non-churched kids in the youth but that has changed over the years. Currently, the youth is about 75% churched kids, yet the Youth has not experienced any significant population changes. Throughout David’s ministry, the youth has stayed the same for the most part although David has brought in a music aspect to the Youth. The Youth band is now a regular part of both the youth night and the Sunday service worship team rotation.

Another expansion came in the form of the partnership that the church has with the Vietnamese church of the area. This included bringing a pastor from Vietnam to lead the church and PHC to act as an employer to the pastor. The partnership began in 2011, although a pastor was only brought in 2013. Pastor Tung was the first to pastor for Vietnamese church. He continued until 2015 When he moved to BC. It took a few years to find Pastor Timothy who was able to continue Pastoring this Vietnamese congregation until the present time. They currently use the church building to have their own worship service on Sunday mornings. This relationship between PHMC and the Vietnamese church is very similar to the Karen church.

A few other transitions came in the form of staff changes. Pastor David Peters resigned from his position in 2012 after serving for 23 years and Pastor Keith was called to take his position of Senior Pastor in 2013. In 2015 Sheila Simpson who was the church secretary for 12 years also resigned from her position. Lesley Mcneice was brought in 2016 as a Church administrator and was a tremendous blessing for the organization of the church’s ministry and building needs. These new people in different positions are also a way of seeing God’s provision as people move to different ministries God provides the people necessary for the church to function. Lesley continued until September 2021.

The church also expanded and upgraded many different parts of the building. In 2014 the expansion that was purchased in 2006 and 2007 was paved and upgraded. The parking lot also got lights, curbs, a drainage system, and landscaping. In 2016 the gymnasium was renovated. This added a sound system and projector to be used along with an upgraded floor, walls, and basketball hoops. In 2018 the foyer was updated to create a modern look along with an upgraded kitchen area and hospitality counter. God was faithful in providing the means for all of these expansions and upgrades.

Our Church is a testimony of God’s provision and faithfulness. We are so thankful for how He has been working in and through our church over the years.

This collection of our history was compiled in 2022 by Daniel Unger

Much of the information is available due to the faithfulness of previous congregation members.