The flood of 1997 devastated the small community of Glenlea, but the residents stuck together both during and after.

'The Flood of the Century', as it has come to be known, happened in the spring of 1997. In the latter half of May 3rd and going into May 4th, the official crest occured. Citizens inside the Floodway were saved from the effects of the flood, but a small church 15 minutes south of the city and it's members were not.

"We didn't wake up that morning planning to leave the house," Vic Neufeld, a longtime member of Glenlea Mennonite Church, said as he recalled the flood. Many people didn't, as the flood arrived much faster than they originally anticipated. Luckily for Vic and his wife Terry, the community was there to help.

"We had 70 people by the end of the day, people we knew, people we didn't know, friends of friends of friends," Neufeld said. "The church came out and helped with the bagging.

More than 200,000 sandbags were laid that day but they couldn't stop the water. The Neufeld's watched as their house was submerged in over a foot of water, while their garage, which sat lower in the yard, sat in six feet. When the family returned on May long weekend, they had a huge clean up project ahead of them.

"There was a lot of people that helped at Vic and Terry's," Don Wiens said. Don and Lyn Wiens live just inside the Floodway but attend Glenlea Mennonite. "It was really neat to see how much support there was for people who had trouble like that."

"It really brought our congregation together," Lyn Wiens added.

The Neufeld's were able to save their house, but others in the area weren't so lucky. A couple of church members lost their homes, but the community was there to help with clean up. Even those who decided to live elsewhere after the flood continued to drive back to the church in Glenlea to remain a member of the community.

The flood surprised the congregation. The church met on April 20, 1997 with full intention on meeting again the next week. By April 23, 1997, evacuation sirens began to sound and by April 27, 1997, Highway 75 was closed.

Vic Neufeld told the story of a group of women who wanted to help. They wanted one big project to do, so the Neufeld's, who had a pool in their yard, assigned them to clean it out.

"This was like August, and you can just imagine what it looked like," Neufeld laughed. He said the women waded in there and cleaned the entire pool.

"That was very heartwarming to see people that you don't know at all come out and want to lend a hand."

The Wiens', even though they lived inside the Floodway, had a big part in helping out during the flood as well. A family with two boys stayed in their basement when they were evacuated, while Don Wiens was making sure that the sandbag dike around Glenlea Mennonite was holding up.

Residents from the area would drive down Rochon Road towards Glenlea Road, where they would board boats and make their way around the 1000 square-mile lake that had formed.

Laura and Andy Rogolsky also attend the church in Glenlea during the flood of 1997. Andy Rogolsky frequently checked on the church, as well as his own property which sat just one mile west. They saw minimal damage, with six inches of water making it into the basement, but they were amazed at the help they received.

"There was so much help, from Hutterites, to school children, to MDS [Mennonite Disaster Services]," Laura Rogolsky said.

On May 4th, the Glenlea Church council had made arrangements to meet with the Fort Garry Fellowship congregation in south Winnipeg. The church welcomed them for a special services, choosing a special text from Psalm 46: 1-3.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its water roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging." ~ Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

Many members continued to meet at Fort Garry Fellowship. Other churches and ministries held special services for those who had been affected, including Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary and Middle School, where the Neufeld kids were attending. The school held a special chapel for the family during the evacuation.

"That was really quite special," Rogolsky said about the church in Winnipeg who welcomed them in.

During the 1998 Annual Meeting, the Glenlea Ministerial reflected on the flood, saying "it disrupted our lives as individual families, and as a community of worship. The lessons that can be learned are that we can not always predict what will happen, that much of what does happen is beyond our control, but together we can be a strength and support for each other."

The support was evident. Rebuilding help was provided by many of the church members, and financial assistance was also provided by the church to those who were affected.

Glenlea Mennonite Church continues to worship every Sunday in the same building, with the addition of a dike that wraps around three sides of the church. A large portion of the congregation was there in 1997 and the bond formed between them is often talked about.