Vol. 18, No. 2 (Jun. 1992)
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MENNONITE HISTORIAN Published by the Mennonite Heritage Centre and the Centre for MB Studies in Canada Volume XVIII, No.2, June, 1992 reference to it in the Northend MB Church minutes occurs on January 1, 1931. 'They state that Abram B. Peters and F.F. Isaak informed the church about the organization and work of the Bible School. The church responded affirmatively and agreed to provide its basement rooms as classrooms. An additional note indicates that Br.1 I. Bartsch reported on his experience with the Winnipeg Bible Institute (later Winnipeg Bible College, now Providence College). Although the precise nature of his comments arc not reported they led to a decision by the church to make an announcement in the periodicals that the church had no connections with the institute.4 About a month later, a notice A group of students at Burrows and Andrews In Winnipeg taking Bible School courses In 1920. did appear in the Mennonitische Rundschau Courses were conducted for several years In an earlier period (ca. 1919-21) under the stating, "Es wird hiermit erklilrt, daB die MB leadership of William J. Bestvater, the first MB missionary In Winnipeg, and Peter E. Penner. Gemeinde zu Winnipeg nichts mit dieser Photo: Courtesy of CMBS. Winnipeg, MB Schule zu tun hat, sie in keiner Weise unterstOtzt, und sie auch nicht befUrwortet.,,5 Evidently, the comments MBBC Antecedents: The Winnipeg German made by BartSch were very critical, although one can only speculate about the reasons. Bible School The first instructor of the Winnipeg by Abe Dueck German Bible School was A.B. Peters (1860-1959), who had been a minister and 6 The story of Mennonite and Mennonite was the Winnipeg German Bible School. teacher in the MB Church for many years. Brethren Bible schools in Canada has not According to Klassen the school functioned He offered two hours of Bible instruction yet been told. Individual institutional from 1929 to 1942. In fact, it seems to on Thursday evenings (6:00-8:00 p.m.), histories or anniversary booklets exist for have existed only from 1930 to 1939, primarily for the Mennonite young women some Bible schools (e.g. Winkler Bible although some informal instructional classes who were associated with the Mary-Martha Institute, Bethany Bible Institute, Elim Bible may have existed both before and after. In Home. It should be noted, however, that a Institute, etc.). However, the story of many some respects it might even be considered somewhat similar instructional program had may never be told, and the role and impact to have been a forerunner of MBBC, since been offered by William J. Bestvater and of the Bible schools as a whole still awaits a some of the same individuals were involved P.E. Penner approximately ten years earlier. definitive analysis. in the governance and instruction of both According to a notebook by Anna Thiessen, At the occasion of the 50th anniversary of schools. One notes, for instance, that these courses were offered for two months the founding of the first MB Bible institute Cornelius A. DeFehr chaired the Board of on winter mornings for a number of years.? in Canada (Herbert in 1913), a pamphlet the school during most of the years of its In 1933 some significant new steps were edited by Abe J. Klassen was published by existence. He would become a leader in taken to create a more comprehensive the Board of Education of the Canadian establishing MBBC as well. program under more secure auspices. MB Conference. This pamphlet gave very Very few references to the school can be Frank C. Thiessen had arrived from little detail about any of the schools but found in any of the literature pertaining to Rosthern the previous year. He had left focused on some of the pioneers and listed the period. Several brief references occur in Rosthern because of the difficulties which a total of twenty-one MB Bible schools in Anna Thiessen's, The CiJy Mission in that school was experienCing. He already five provinces. It also tried to give a sense Wuznipeg.1 William Neufeld, in his history had a vision for a Bible school and no doubt of the impact of the schools by giving some of the ManitOba Mennonite Brethren was instrumental in prompting various indication of the number of students who Church, devotes several paragraphs to the individuals to organize a society.8 In any were engaged in various forms of Christian school, apparently based on an interview event, on March 22, 1933, an organizational service. rather than on any primary written meeting was held to create a society to Many of the Bible schools were very sources.2 support and operate the Winnipeg German small and existed for only very brief periods The Bible school appears to have begun Bible School. of time. One of the more obscure schools sometime in the fall of 1930.3 The first (cont'd on p.S) Page 2 The Bergthaler / Chortitzer areas in Saskatchewan, and soon many more Hochstadt,8 3) Heinrich Wiebe, Johann would be going to Paraguay. These Friesen and Benjamin Ewert at Edenburg, Church Registers volumes give the year in which families and 4) Jacob Hoeppner at Schanzenfeld and by John Dyck moved to Paraguay and indicate also which Rosenthal. A total of two hundred and ones returned. twenty families are recorded. Some families, Conclusion The title page is inscribed: "Kirehenbueh however, appear in more than one list. der Gemine zu Chor/ilz; 1m Jahr 1907 im While many of the families recorded in Chortitzer Gemeinde Buch 1887 (East Fruehjahr wngesehrieben von die these temporary church registers also appear Reserve) A and B: Kirchenlehrer Corn. Friesen u. Jolr. Neufeld. " in the later permanent Bergthal records, a When about two-thirds of the Bergthaler A later note adds: "In diesem Buch sind larger number had by that time joined the members moved to the West Reserve 1917 - 227 Fami/ien II. 23 Familien olme Sommerfelder Church. A few had joined between 1879 and 1881 the church there Nwnmer". Mennonite Brethren congregations and received its own Aitester, Johann Funk This list begins with the family of Aitester some had transferred to non-Mennonite (1836-1917), in 1882.1 Controversy related Peter Toews - followed by the families of churches.9 Many families had moved to to issues like higher education ruptured the ministers Cornelius Friesen, Johann Saskatchewan by the time the permanent group in 1892 and brought the Neufeld, Peter Giesbrecht, Heinrich Friesen, Bergthal register was started and do not Sommerfelder Gemeinde into being. Now Heinrich Doerksen, Peter P. Wiebe and appear in any other Manitoba church it became more practical to start a new Johann K. Dueck. The next two families lists.1° register on the East Reserve than to bring are those of the two sons of Oberschulze Early temporary Sommerfelder records the 1878 books up-to-date.2 These Jakob Peters (1813-1884). Volume "A" has have not yet been made public. When they registers, dated 1887, include fewer families three hundred families and Volume "B" lists become accessible they will no doubt help but provide additional data on those who three hundred and ninety-eight. clarify some of the transfers of families remained on the East Reserve. These records have previously been between different lists. One of the The title page is inscribed: "Kirchenbuch available only on microfilm and a significant aspects of these two lists is the der Gemeine zu Chor/ilz; 1m Jahr 1887 im photocopied set is now open to the public at fact that they include families which later Monal Januar angefangen aufs neue zu the Steinbach Bible College library.5 moved out west and do not appear in any schreiben, Um die jenigen Familien in diesem other lists in Manitoba. For some of those BlIch wegzulassen welehe von dieser Gemeine West Reserve Continuation families this may be the only record weggezogen sind. 1st umgesehrieben worden The above mentioned East Reserve available in Manitoba. mmKirehenlehrer Frans Dyekin Sehoensee". Chortitzer church registers have their Entries begin with the family of Aitester counterpart in the West Reserve Bergthaler ReinIander Mennonite Church Gerhard Wiebe (1827-1900), as usual, with and Sommerfelder church registers which This register includes about two dozen the date of his election as minister and as are the records for those Bergthal families who had at one time been recorded Aitester and the date of his resignation in Gemeinde Buch 1843 (Russia) families who in the Bergthal Gemeinde Buch (Russia). 1882.3 This is followed by the families of moved to the West Reserve. Like the East Some of these were families who had ministers Franz Dyck, Kornelius Stoesz, Reserve records, these also include people returned to the Chortitza Colony in Russia David Stoesz (1842-1903) elected as Aitester from Chortitza and Molotschna who had before the emigration and subsequently 4 April 1879 - Kornelius Friesen, Johann joined the Bergthal migration.6 In came to Canada with those emigrants. Neufeld, Peter Giesbrecht, Heinrich Friesen addition, they include many families Others were, no doubt, influenced by ties to and Peter Toews.4 formerly part of the Reinl1lnder (Old close relatives among the families who came This set of registers also inCludes a list of Colony) Mennonite Church, as well as later to Canada from FUrstenland and those families who stayed in Russia, those immigrants that kept coming in the 1890s Chortitza. who went to the United States and a list of and past the turn of the century. baptismal candidates in 1858. Included as Particularly significant to researchers on Fndnoles well are annual statistics for some of the the West Reserve are two sets of records years from 1886 to 1899 and senior citizens' that have had very little exposure.