©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 13 February 2012

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title: Carman Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1945-2011
Extent: 52 cm of textual records
Extent: 2 microfilm reels

Historical note

The congregation in Carman had an ambiguous beginning; ambiguous in the sense of a tug between local autonomy and central authority. The central authority was both from the Bergthaler Lehrdienst in Manitoba and the Home Mission Board and staff of the Canadian conference. Mennonite families had settled in the Carman area after the immigration movement in the 1920s. During the 1930s some attempts were made by the Mennonite families to worship together. However, attempts to find a meeting house were stymied in part because of this tension between local and central authority. A group was officially organized as a Bergthaler group in 1945 and in 1954 it became a congregation. During these years a meeting house was completed and leadership was provided by the Bergthaler Lehrdienst and the Home Mission Board. Until 1953 it was still considered a mission station of the Canadian conference. When it became a congregation it was known as the Graysville-Carman congregation. The leaders of the Graysville part of the group were Franz Letkemann and J. Janzen. Only in 1962 is it referred to as the Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church. A larger meeting house was completed in 1982. The leaders of the congregation were: Henry Funk (1949-1954), Frank Thiessen (1956-1958), Daniel Doell (1960-1963), Alfred Heinrichs (1963-1964), Henry Isaak (1965-1971), David Klassen (1972-1973, 1979, 1982), David Friesen (1974-1978), Ed Pries (1980-1981), John Krahn (1983-1991), Cornie Thiessen (1992), Marvin Friesen (1993-1996), Dave Wilson (1997-2000), Bob Pauls (2000- ).

Scope and content note

This fonds consists of bulletins, minutes, annual reports, membership lists, and directories which pertain to the history of a Bergthaler Mennonite congregation in Carman. Further, it documents who the leaders and participants were in this congregation. This fonds contains congregational bulletins (1965-2000), financial records (1983-1997), church council meeting minutes (1984-2000), congregational meeting minutes (1945-1959, 1973-1997), annual reports (1973-1997) [some congregational meetings prior to 1973 could be considered annual meeting minutes which had reports referred to or attached], membership lists (1968-1997), and other miscellaneous documents.

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

Language

Some German.

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on access.

Other notes

Some records were microfilmed in 1980 and 1985. Other records were deposited on a regular basis in the Mennonite Heritage Centre. Described by Bert Friesen 21 November 2001.

Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church fonds file list:

Volume 24

  1. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1965)
  2. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1966)
  3. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1967)
  4. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1968)
  5. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1969)
  6. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1976)
  7. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1977)
  8. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1978)
  9. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1979)
  10. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1980)
  11. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1981)
  12. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1982)
  13. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1983)

Volume 2310

  1. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1984), finanacial statements (1983), church council meeting minutes (1984), congregational meeting minutes (1984), annual reports (1984), membership list (1984)
  2. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1985), church council meeting minutes (1985), congregational meeting minutes (1985), annual reports (1985), membership list (1985)
  3. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1986), church council meeting minutes (1986), congregational meeting minutes (1986)
  4. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1987), church council meeting minutes (1987), congregational meeting minutes (1987), annual reports (1987), membership list (1987), pictorial directory (1987), janitorial job description (1987)
  5. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1988), church council meeting minutes (1988), congregational meeting minutes (1988), annual reports (1988), membership list (1988)

Volume 2823

  1. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), church council meeting minutes (1989), congregational meeting minutes (1989), annual reports (1989), membership list (1989)
  2. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), church council meeting minutes (1990), congregational meeting minutes (1990), annual reports (1990), membership list (1990)
  3. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1991), church council meeting minutes (1991), congregational meeting minutes (1991)
  4. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1992), church council meeting minutes (1992), congregational meeting minutes (1992), congregational directory (1992), mediation letter (1992)
  5. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), church council meeting minutes (1993), congregational meeting minutes (1993), congregational directory (1993), ministerial meeting minutes (1993), annual reports (1993), membership list (1993)

Volume 3809

  1. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), church council meeting minutes (1994), congregational meeting minutes (1994), annual reports (1994), membership list (1994), congregational directory (1994), congregational newsletter (1994), congregational constitution (1994)
  2. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1995), church council meeting minutes (1995), congregational meeting minutes (1995), annual reports (1995), membership list (1995), 50th anniversary registration form
  3. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church council meeting minutes (1996)
  4. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1996), annual reports (1996), directory (1996), directory (1996)
  5. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1997), church council meeting minutes (1997), congregational meeting minutes (1997), annual reports (1997), membership list (1997)

Volume 2006

  1. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1998), church council meeting minutes (1998)
  2. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1999), church council meeting minutes (1999)
  3. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2000), church council meeting minutes (2000)
  4. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2001)
  5. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2002)
  6. Carmen Bergthaler Mennonite Church annual meeting minutes (1996-1998)

Volume 2270

  1. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church council meeting minutes, congregational meeting minutes, and annual reports book (1965-1972)
  2. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church dedication of new church building (1982)
  3. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church pictorial directory
  4. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church annual reports (1967, 1971-1983)
  5. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church semi-annual meeting minutes (1978, 1982)
  6. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church council meeting minutes (1976-1983), congregational meeting minutes (1977)
  7. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church council meeting and congregational meeting minutes notebook (1960-1965)
  8. Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church miscellaneous correspondence (1964-1966)

Volume 2234

1.  Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2003)

2.  Carman Bergtahler Mennonite Church bulletins (2004)

3.  Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2005)

4.  Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2006)

5.  Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2007)

6.  Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2008)

7.  Carman Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2009)


Volume 5523

1.  Carman Mennonite Church bulletins (2010)

2.  Carman Mennonite Church bulletins (2011)

Microfilm

Microfilm No.203 (MHC Project No. 51)

  1. Membership lists, 1968-1979.
  2. Minutes
    1. Combined church council and brotherhood meetings, 1960-1965.
    2. Church council meetings, 1965-1979.
    3. Brotherhood meetings and annual reports, 1965-1979.
  3. Correspondence. -- 1964-1967.

Microfilm No.435 (MHC Project No.145)

  1. Congregational meeting Minutes, 1945-1959.
  2. Record books which include annual reports, congregational meeting minutes, church council meeting minutes, correspondence, etc., 1973-1984.
  3. Miscellaneous materials
    1. Pictorial directory. -- [197-?]. (at the time when Ed Pries was pastor)
    2. "Farewell to the old church building, Carman, 11 October 1981" by D. D. Klassen, 3 p.
    3. "Remarks at the dedication of our new Church, 16 vMay 1982", 4 p.
    4. Bulletin of dedication, 16 May 1982.
    5. "Affidavit of Execution ... 5 March 1979" by David Friesen, 1 p.
    6. Resolution of incorporation, 5 March 1979, 1 p.