©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 14 March 2012

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title: Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1963-2011
Extent: 44 cm of textual records
Extent: 2 microfilm reels

Extent: 1 VHS video

Historical note

The Canadian Pacific Railway built a station at the current town site of Morden in 1882. This caused the towns of Mountain City to the south and Nelson to the north to dissolve and move to Morden, which then became a thriving town by 1885. Mennonites lived in the surrounding area as early as 1876. By 1918 some moved into the town site. These Mennonites were from various conference backgrounds. Both Michael Klassen from Herold and C. Bergmann from Altona gave leadership to this group during the 1920s. In 1928 the Bergthaler Church of Manitoba decided to start a more permanent work in Morden and sent Peter Epp that year. They met in rented facilities. The Mennonite Brethren decided to form their own congregation in 1930 and so in 1931 a Bergthaler congregation was formally organized under the leadership of Peter Epp with 30 charter members. In 1938 they built their own meeting house. In 1949 this building was expanded. The membership stood at 202 in 1954. In 1958 a new larger meeting house was completed. In 1970 there were 366 members and 360 in 2000. The name was changed to Morden Mennonite Church in the fall of 2003.  The leaders of the congregation were: Michael Klassen of Herold (1922-1934), Peter Epp (1924-1935), Jacob M. Pauls (1934-1952), Wilhelm Buhr (1938-1953), Johann Janzen (1938-1952), Abram Born (1954-1968), Jakob F. Pauls (1954-1971), Abram Neufeld (1968-1979), John Friesen (1970-1976), Otto Hamm (1978), Wm. Block (1979-1984), Abe Hiebert (1985-1990), Walt Braun (1991-1996), Rick Neufeld (1997- ).

Scope and content note

This fonds contains congregational bulletins (1963, 1965-2003), congregational meeting minutes (1932-1980, 1986-1989, 1992, 1993, 1999), congregational annual reports (1969, 1970, 1972-1980, 1982, 1986-1989, 1992, 1993, 1999), congregational directories (1969, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1994), congregational constitution (1973), Sunday School register (1974), ministerial committee meeting minutes (1972-1975, 1986-1989), education committee minutes (1986-1988), mission and service committee meeting minutes (1986-1988), church council meeting minutes (1965-1980, 1986-1989), congregational issues papers (1986, 1989, 1990), congregational ordination service (1988), congregational miscellaneous correspondence (1988), a brief congregational history (1966, 1987) congregational registers (1953-1980). The records pertain to the history of a Bergthaler Mennonite congregation in Morden. Further, it documents who the leaders, members, and participants were in this congregation.

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

Language

Some German.

Accession Numbers

           2005-021

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on access.

Other notes

Some congregational textual records were microfilmed in 1981. The congregation deposited textual records on a regular basis. Described by Bert Friesen 19 November 2001, updated by Conrad Stoesz May 13, 2005.

Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church fonds file list:

Textual records

Volume 34

  1. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1963)
  2. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1965)
  3. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1966)
  4. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1967)
  5. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1968)
  6. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1969), annual reports (1969), directory (1969)
  7. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1970), annual reports (1970), directory (1970)
  8. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1971)
  9. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1972)
  10. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1973), congregational constitution (1973)
  11. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1974), Sunday School register (1974)
  12. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1975)
  13. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1976), annual reports (1976), directory (1976)
  14. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1977), annual reports (1977), directory (1977)

Volume 1610

  1. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1978)
  2. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1979)
  3. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1980), annual reports (1980), directory (1980)
  4. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1981)
  5. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), annual reports (1982), directory (1982), congregational meeting minutes (1982)
  6. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1983)
  7. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1984), directory (1984), pictorial directory (1984)
  8. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1985)

Volume 3252

  1. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1986), minutes of ministerial committee meetings, education committee meetings, mission and service committee meetings, church council meetings, congregational meeting (1986), programme and attachments of lay witness mission symposium (1986), annual reports (1986)
  2. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1987), brief congregational history (1987), minutes of mission and service committee meetings, church council meetings, education committee meetings, congregational meeting, and ministerial committee meetings (1987), annual reports (1987)
  3. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1988), minutes of church council meetings, education committee meetings, ministerial committee meetings, congregational meeting, and mission & service committee meetings (1988), annual reports (1988)
  4. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church papers (1988)
  5. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church miscellaneous correspondence (1988)
  6. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church ordination service (1988)
  7. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), minutes of church council meetings, ministerial meetings, congregational meetings (1989), annual reports (1989), proposal for church planting (1989)
  8. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), directory (1990), installation of church officers (1990)
  9. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1991)

Volume 4251

  1. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1992), annual reports (1992), congregational meeting minutes (1992)
  2. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), annual reports (1993), directory (1993), congregational meeting minutes (1993)
  3. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), directory (1994)
  4. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1995)
  5. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1996)
  6. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1997)
  7. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1998)
  8. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (1999), annual reports (1999), congregational meeting minutes (1999)

Volume 4919

  1. Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2000), directory (2000)
  2.   Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2001)
  3.   Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church bulletins (2002), directory
  4. Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2003)
  5. Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2004)

Volume 3219   
1.  Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2005), directory (2006), pictoral directory (2004), report book (2002)
2.  Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2007), 2006 calendar sheets, report book (2006), report book (2007, directory (2007), directory (2006), Minutes of Church Council and Business Administration Committee (2006-07).
3.  Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2008), directory (2008), report book (2008), business administration meeting minutes (2008), church council meeting minutes (2008), calendars (2008)

Volume 5459
1.  Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2009), worship service summar (2009), annual report book (2009), 2008-2009 picture directory, Church Council minutes (2009), Business Administration minutes (2009), Congregational minutes (2009)
2.  Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2010), 2010 calendar sheets; 2010 Worship Service summary; Church Council meeting minutes (2010); Business Admin. Minutes (2010); Congregational Meeting Minutes (2010)
3.  Morden Mennonite Church bulletins (2011); 2011 calendar sheets; 2011 worship service summary; annual report book (2011); church council minutes (2011); business admin. minutes (2011); congregational meeting minutes (2011)

Video

274. A Time to Build, Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Morden building dedication service/ produced by Video Impressions, Winkler. -- May 6, 2001. -- VHS.

Microfilm

Microfilm No. 226 (MHC Project No. 82)

  1. Church Membership Registers
    1. Church Register (Kirchenbuch), 1953-1966.
      1. Index (Register)
      2. Church Chronicle (Gemeinde Chronik)
      3. Family Register (Familienverzeichnis)
      4. Membership Register (Gliederverzeichnis)
      5. Baptismal Register (Taufhandlungen)
      6. Record of Marriages (Trauhandlungen)
    2. Church Register 1966-1980.
      1. Index Register
      2. Register of Families
      3. Record of Baptisms
      4. Record of Marriages
      5. Record of Deaths
    3. Original Church Membership File (Beginning with 1972)
    4. Present Church Membership File
  2. Church History
    1. Term Paper: "A History of the Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church" by Jake I. Pauls, 1966.
  3. Minutes
    1. Membership Meetings Minutes, 1932-1980.
    2. Church Council Minutes, 1965-1980.
    3. Ministerial Committee Minutes, 1972-1976.

Microfilm No. 227 (MHC Project No.82)

  1. Annual Reports, 1972-1980.

Microfilm No. 425 (MHC Project No.149)

  1. Church Membership Register
    1. Church Register, 1966-1986.
      1. Record of Baptisms, 3 June 1979 - 18 May 1986, pp.218-222.
      2. Record of Marriages, 15 July 1978 - 28 June 1986, pp. 228-229.
      3. Record of Deaths, September 1972 - 4 September 1985, pp. 235-236.
  2. Church History
    1. Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Morden. "Milestones and Memories, 1931 to 1981". Morden, Manitoba: The Bergthaler Mennonite Church, 1981. Printed by Derksen Printers, Steinbach, Manitoba. 192 p.
  3. Minutes
    1. Membership Meeting Minutes, 27 January 1980 - 13 April 1986.
    2. Church Council Minutes, 29 January 1979 - 3 June 1986.