2026 A Dedication at Menno Hall

A dedication ceremony will be held under the Peace Bridge at Menno Hall (5889 University Bvld, Vancouver, BC) at 2:30 PM on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Join us for food, drinks and time with friends to celebrate with us:

1. Gathie's Apples (donated artwork): Gathie Falk (1928-2025) was one of Canada's most celebrated multidisciplinary artists. Born in Alexander, Manitoba, to Mennonite parents from Russia. In 1947 she settled in Vancouver, trained as a teacher at UBC, and taught for twelve years before leaving in 1965 to focus on art. She did return to teaching, this time teaching visual art at UBC during the early 1970s. Working across ceramics, painting, sculpture, installation and performance, Falk was known for elevating everyday objects (apples, eggs, shoes, clothing) into works of quiet wonder, an approach often described as a "veneration of the ordinary." Her honours include the Order of Canada (1997), the Governor General's Award in Visual Arts (2003) and the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts (2013). She died in Vancouver in December 2025.
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2. Erna's Tree: Erna Friesen (1932-2021) was a Vancouver lawyer, community builder, mother, and painter. Born in Wawanesa, Manitoba, she grew up in Abbotsford and thereafter attended UBC for her undergrad and teacher's certificate, and first worked as a music and English teacher. She met her husband, Dr. John D. Friesen, who went on to become a professor in counselling psychology at UBC, while both were students at UBC. While her four children were in school, she earned her law degree at UBC and co-founded the law firm Friesen and Epp. In 1986 she and John helped establish the Menno Simons Centre near UBC, a student residence and home to Point Grey lnter-Mennonite Fellowship. She chaired Regent College's board, served on the boards of MCC BC and Canadian Mennonite University, and together with her husband John helped launch UFV's Peace Studies program. She had a strong interest in promoting the arts and was an accomplished landscape oil painter. She died in Vancouver in June 2021. Erna and John have been significant benefactors in the creation of Pax House and in turn the PeaceBridge Institute.
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3. Mary's Pond: Mary Semturis Rempel (1938-2014) and Henry Rempel (1926-2023) left a lasting legacy by making the second largest donation in Canadian history through the donation of their rental properties and real estate to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) BC. This in turn led to the creation of HyLand Properties Ltd., which develops and holds property assets that fund MCC programs worldwide to help the poorest of the poor. Henry's family fled the Soviet Union in 1929 with MCC's help and settled in Yarrow, B.C. Mary's family fled Lithuania during the Second World War and after time in a refugee camp supported by MCC, they arrived in B.C. in 1948. As young adults, Henry and Mary attended UBC and earned graduate degrees in psychology and education respectively. Henry spent most of his career in psychology, working with people facing mental health challenges, while Mary worked as a teacher. Later in life, the couple turned to business, operating and developing rental properties across B.C. and Alberta. Beginning in 2012, they started donating their properties to MCC B.C. Mary passed in 2014 and Henry's death followed in 2023.

NO RSVP REQUIRED.

NOTE: we are planning a Grand Opening for Menno Hall to be held the afternoon of Dec. 6, 2026.