Category: Uncategorized

Pax House Society (formerly known as Pacific Centre for Discipleship Association) is pleased to invite everyone to visit https://paxhousesociety.ca to see our new website!

Pax House Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Holly Bishu as the new Director of Student Life for Pax House at Menno Hall. Effective Monday, April 27, 2026, Holly will join Wanda Froese (Director of Menno Hall) on the leadership team of our student residence.

Holly comes to Pax House after over a decade in youth ministry in both Canada and the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UBC and a Master of Arts in Christian Thought from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Using her academic and professional background, she is excited to help shape a community of young people, inspired by the way of Jesus. In her spare time, Holly loves to read and spend time in community.

 
On January 23, 2026, the BC Corporate Registry accepted our change of legal name from Pacific Centre for Discipleship Association to Pax House Society. On February 6, 2026, the Canada Revenue Agency confirmed the new name of our charity and accepted our updated Bylaws. While our purposes remain the same, the new name reflects our charity’s focus on the work of providing affordable student housing and promoting the integration of faith and learning from an Anabaptist Christian perspective, all through Pax House at Menno Hall. In the coming months, we’ll be updating our website and social media accounts to reflect our new name.

 

JOIN OUR TEAM! The Director of Student Life plays a key role in creating an intentional Christian community for more than 100 student residents at Pax House. This position is responsible for planning, promoting, and executing spiritual development initiatives, encouraging community involvement, providing leadership training, and offering student support. The Director also supervises and advises Resident Assistants (RAs) with a focus on empowering and guiding these individuals as they implement initiatives aimed at strengthening community engagement and helping students successfully navigate life within a communal environment. The desired start date for this position is April 2026.

To apply, please read the full Director of Student Life Pax House Job Description, then submit your cover letter and resume using the application form at mennohall.com/careers. The cover letter should clearly outline your motivation to join the Pax House team, and demonstrate your experience in spiritual direction, restorative conflict resolution, and community leadership.

 

Join the Abendmusik Vesper Choir for an hour of Choral Music in this Advent season.

• Saturday, December 6, 2025, 7:30 pm, Emmanuel Free Reformed Church, 3366 Mount Lehman Road, Abbotsford, BC
• Sunday, December 7, 2025, 7:30 pm, St. Philip’s Anglican Church, 3737 West 27th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

See maps and links to driving directions on the “Hear us sing” page.

Add a reminder to your Apple/Google/Microsoft calendar (see ICS files for Abbotsford or Vancouver).

Read the prayers and lyrics by viewing the 16-page PDF of the program handout.

NOTE: we will make a video recording of the Sunday service and post it online about one week afterwards.

 

Pax House at Menno Hall is under construction to carry forward the legacy of the Menno Simons Centre into a new chapter. At its core, Pax House is an intentional Christian community rooted in an Anabaptist way of seeing the world – things like humility, hospitality, shared life, and taking faith and learning seriously. But it’s also a community where students are encouraged to think freely, ask honest questions, and listen well to one another. That spirit of dialogue – even disagreement – is something we see as part of our faith, not a threat to it.

Students don’t need to belong to a particular denomination or even come with a fully formed faith. What matters is that they want to live in a place where people treat each other with charity, where questions are welcome, and where everyone tries to assume goodwill in one another. It’s a home for students who want to take their studies seriously, take community seriously, and take the big questions of life seriously, too.

Pax House is now accepting applications for student residents to move in September 5, 2026. Applications will be accepted through January 28th. Learn more and apply at paxhouse.ca. Space is limited, so be sure to apply early!

 

Watch a 28-second clip of drone footage of our September 2025 progress of construction at Menno Hall. Thanks to SHAPE Architecture, Axiom Builders, and HyLand Properties!

We are pleased to announce that Wanda Froese has accepted the position of Director of Menno Hall Student Residence (now named Pax House), effective October 29, 2025.

As the successor to the Menno Simons Centre, which the PCDA operated from 1986–2020, Pax House will be our new student residence and academic hub at Menno Hall. Together, PCDA and HyLand (part of MCC BC) are building Menno Hall at the gateway entrance of the University of British Columbia (UBC) as a multi-purpose development, featuring student housing, rental apartments, gathering and meeting spaces. The PCDA looks forward to Wanda building the team that will prepare to open Pax House at Menno Hall in September 2026.

We are now hiring our first staff member to lead us into this exciting next chapter. This is a rare opportunity to shape a new intentional community in an academic residence from the ground up. The Director of Menno Hall’s Student Residence will be responsible for establishing systems and culture, reporting to PCDA board members, and leading future staff (including the Dean of Students and Kitchen Manager) to realize Menno Hall’s mission.

• Reports To: PCDA Board
• Location: Vancouver, BC
• Employment Type: Full-time, commencing September 1, 2025

Read the full job posting and apply using the form at https://www.mennohall.com/careers

 

Thank you to everyone who came out for the services in either Abbotsford or Vancouver for our Lenten services. Click the image below or go to YouTube to watch the Vancouver Abendmusik Lent 2025 Vespers service video (55 min, 1080p) recorded on Sunday, March 9th. You can follow along with the lyrics and readings using the 16-page program hand-out (PDF).

If you donate to the PCDA before the end of the year, you will be supporting the choir and Menno Hall, our new student residence under construction at the gateway entrance of UBC (across from Regent College in the University Endowment Lands). We truly appreciate everyone who donated before, during and after the two services!