©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2002
Last updated 18 Feb 16

Mennonite Heritage Centre
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title:Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) fonds
Dates: 1955-2016
Extent: 2.2 meters of textual records
Extent: 6 photographs

Historical note

This congregation traces its beginnings to 1951 when two fellowship groups which met in the homes of Corny Derksen and Jake Derksen, decided to rent the Greendale hall in St. Vital for the purpose of establishing a mission church. Ministers D.D. Schulz and D.D. Klassen helped advise and organize the group in 1952. Their first building was constructed in 1954. Until 1957 the group was known as the "St. Vital Mennonite Mission Group". In 1958 the name was changed to Sterling Avenue Mennonite Church and Rev. H.T. Klassen became the leader, giving leadership till 1963. The congregation was accepted as a member of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba at its annual session in Morden, Manitoba on November 11, 1959. Other ministers who followed were: Rev. Jacob W. Schmidt, 1963-1968, Rev. David Letkemann, 1968-1969, Rev. John F. Wiebe, 1969-1973, Helmut Rauser, 1975-1976, Gary Loewen, 1977-1978, Don MacBurney, 1979-1980, Gary Martens, 1979-1984, Erwin Wiebe, 1984-1986, and Norm Voth, 1988- . The congregation met in the church building at 18 Sterling Avenue until the end of March 1970, when a new building was completed at St. Mary's Road and Marvin Place. Their name was then changed to "Sterling Mennonite Fellowship", which it retained when it moved to yet another new building in 1980 at 1008 Dakota Street at Nova Vista Drive.

Scope and content note

This fonds is arranged in 11 series consisting of Church bulletins, pastors' correspondence, treasurer's correspondence, Sunday School records, membership records, constitutions, church board and membership meeting minutes and reports, administrative files, financial records, ladies group records and a small photograph collection. These files all related to the activities of the congregation, first as mission outreach project and, secondly, as an established church.

Finding aids

Finding aid consists of a series description and inventory file list.

Notes

Arrangement

Arranged and described by Alf Redekopp, assistant archivist.

Restrictions on access

none

Other notes

Accession No. 94-202.

Sterling Mennonite Fellowship Series Description

1) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) bulletins. - 1960-1992. - 40 cm of textual records.

This series consists of the weekly bulletins which outline the order of the worship service and the announcements for the week and other upcoming events.

The files are arranged chronologically.

The title is based on the contents.

Location: Volumes 51, 1616, 2419, and 2620.

Further accrual are expected annually.

2) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) pastor's correspondence. - 1959-1968. - 2 cm of textual records.

This series consists of 2 correspondence files of the pastors H.T. Klassen and J.W. Schmidt.

Title is based on the contents.

Location: Volume 2919-2, 2919-3

3) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) treasurer's correspondence. - 1964-1976, 1985.

This series consists of 2 files created by the church treasurer John A. Thiessen.

Title is based on the contents.

Location: Volume 2919-4, 2919-5

4) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) Sunday School records. - 1959-1981. - 9 cm of textual records.

This series consists of a record books listing films shown between 1959 and 1972, a guest book (1959-1981), and attendance and offering records for 1964-1967, and 1973-1974. There are also the Education board meeting minutes 1963-1968 and the Sunday School teachers meetings minutes, 1962-1983.

Title is based on the contents.

Location: Volume 2919-6, 2919-7, 2919-8, 4392-28, 4392-29.

5) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) membership records. - 1961-1990. - 10 cm of textual records.

This series consists of membership lists, records of membership transfers, and some death certificates for 1979-1987.

Title is based on the contents.

Location: Volume 4268.

6) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) constitutions. - 1958-1984. - 1 cm of textual records.

This series consists of constitutions accepted in 1958 and revised editions printed in 1970, 1981, 1983 and 1984. There is also an index to constitution revisions dated June 25, 1980.

Title is based on the contents.

Location: Volume 4392-1.

7) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) congregation and church board minutes and reports and other material. - 1952-1990. - 19 cm of textual records.

This series consists of the minutes of the St. Vital Mission group, church board minutes, and reports and minutes from the annual congregational meetings. There are also minutes

Title is based on the contents of the series.

Location: Volume 4392-2 to 4392-26.

8) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) administrative office files. - 1975-1987. - 16 cm of textual records.

This series consists of various files related to the functions and programs of the church. Some of the files pertain to activities of the Service committee and the Christian Endeavour and youth committee work during the late 1960s. There are pastoral search committee files, church retreat files, a Vacation Bible School file, and topical files such as war tax, prison, congregation statistics and gift discernment.

Title is based on the content and function of these files.

Location: Volume 4392-30 to 4392-52, 4393-23.

9) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) financial records. - 1959-1980, 1984-1988. - 21 cm of textual records.

This series contains financial ledgers recording the weekly offerings and giving the details for the expenditures. There are also building committee records such as the specifications for the construction of the Church at Marvin Place and documents pertaining to its sale and the 1981 building plans. There duplicate receipts booklets for 1967 to 1974.

Title is based on the content.

Location: Volume 4393-1 to 4393-13, 4393-14 to 4393-18.

10) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) Ladies Mission Band records. - 1955-1979. - 6 cm of textual records.

This series consists of the constitution, minutes and financial records of the ladies group in the church.

Title is based on the content.

Location: Volume 4393-13, 4393-19 to 4393-22.

11) Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) photograph collection. - 1960, 1976. - 6 photograph (5 b&w; 1 colour).

This series consists of photographs depicting various functions of the church such as Sunday School, girl's club, adult Bible Study group, evening worship service and the exterior of the church building.

Title is based on the content.

Location: work room Acc. No. 94-202.

Sterling Mennonite Fellowship fonds inventory file list:

1. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1960-1964).
2. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1965-1969).

1. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1970-1974).
2. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1975-1979).

1. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1980-1984).
2. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1985).
3. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1986).
4. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1987).

1. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1988).
2. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1989).
3. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1990).
4. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1991).
5. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1992).

1. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship historical sketches (1977-1984).
2. Pastor’s correspondence (1959-1966).
3. Pastor’s correspondence (1968).
4. Correspondence of the Treasurer John Thiessen (1964-1976).
5. Correspondence of the Treasurer John Thiessen (1985).
6. Film’s Record [book] (1959-1972).
7. Guest book (1959-1981).
8. Sunday School attendance and offering records (1964-1965, 1966-1967, 1973-1974).

1. Membership lists (1961-1989).
2. Membership transfers (1960-1970).
3. Membership transfers (1970-1976).
4. Membership transfers (1976-1980).
5. Membership transfers (1980-1985).
6. Membership transfers (1986-1990).
7. Death certificates (1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1987).

1. Church constitutions (1958-1984).
2. St. Vital Mennonite Mission Group reports (1955-1956).
3. St. Vital Mennonite Mission minutes (1952-1964). 1 bound volume. This item contains Committee and General meetings minutes (1952-1959), Church Committee minutes (1959-1964), and Congregation meeting minutes (1959-1964). The item consist of one bound volume with several loose items such as reports inserted at the appropriate place.
4. Church board minutes (pp.1-129) and Congregational meeting minutes (pp. 131-180) (1964-1970). 1 bound volume.
5. Church board minutes and congregational meeting minutes (1970-1978). 1 bound volume.
6. Church board meeting minutes (1978-1984). 1 bound volume
7. Church minutes (1958-1968). 1cm of textual records (1 folder).
8. Membership meeting minutes (1983-1989). 1 file. This file contains an incomplete set of minutes for the designated period.
9. Board meeting minutes (1963-1968).
10. Board meeting minutes (1975, 1977).
11. Board meeting minutes (1978).
12. Board meeting minutes (1979).
13. Board meeting minutes (1980).
14. Board meeting minutes (1981).
15. Board meeting minutes (1982).
16. Church evaluation forms (1984)
17. Board meeting minutes (1983).
18. Board meeting minutes (1984).
19. Board meeting minutes (1985).
20. Board meeting minutes (1986).
21. Board meeting minutes (1987).
22. Board meeting minutes (1988).
23. Board meeting minutes (1989-1990).
24. Annual reports (1959-1969).
25. Annual reports (1970-1979).
26. Annual reports (1980-1984).
27. Audited financial statements (1984-1988).
28. Education board meeting minutes (1963-1968)
29. Sunday School teachers meeting minutes (1962-1983)
30. Service committee programs (1966-1972)
31. Christian Endeavour committee (1965-1967)
32. Church survey (1975)
33. Here’s Life Canada 1978.
34. Correspondence (1979-1983)
35. Church evaluation (1982).
36. Youth committee minutes and other material (1959-1967).
37. Youth constitutions (1960, 1963, 1967).
38. Pulpit Committee (1979)
39. Pastoral search committee (1983-1984).
40. Search committee (1983-1984).
41. Pioneer Clubs (1986-1987).
42. Church retreat (1979)
43. Church retreat questionnaire (forms).
44. Gift discernment (1978)
45. Bernice Schellenberg (Jesperson) Operation Mobilization (1978-1981).
46. St. Vital Ecumenical council (1979, 1981).
47. Prison (1981-1983).
48. War tax issue (1978).
49. Vacation Bible School (1975-1986).
50. Bulletins/Joint services (1983-1986).
51. Church retreats (1979-1984).
52. Statistical report (1986, 1987).

1. [Specifications for] Church at Marvin Place & St. Mary’s Road St. Vital / by Architect W.I. Enns. (1968). 2 bound volumes labelled set 1 and set 2.
2. Record of offerings (1959-1975).
3. Financial Ledger (1961-1976).
4. Financial Ledger (1977-1979).
5. Board meeting minutes (1979). (1 of 2 items)
6. Board meeting minutes (1979). (2 of 2 items)
7. Board meeting minutes (1980). (1 of 3 items)
8. Board meeting minutes (1980). (2 of 3 items)
9. Board meeting minutes (1980). (3 of 3 items)
10. Sunday School Financial ledger (1962-1968).
11. Safety duplicating receipts (1967-1971).
12. Safety duplicating receipts (1971-1974).
13. Youth Fellowship financial records (1961-1969). (2 bound items)
14. Church plans (1979).
15. 11 Marvin Place (property documents) (1962-1970).
16. Building Committee Report ([196-]).
17. Building Committee (1980).
18. Sale of Church (1967, 1979-1980).
19. Ladies Mission Band Constitution ([196-]).
20. Ladies Mission Band (1955).
21. Ladies Fellowship financial records (1964-1977). (2 notebooks)
22. Ladies Mission Band minutes (1955-1979). (6 bound items)
23. General Conference Statistical Reports (1961-1979).

1. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1991).
2. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1992).
3. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1993).
4. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1994), annual meeting minutes (1994).
5. Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1995).
6. Annual Reports (1992-1994, 1997, 1999).
7. Christmas program (1987, 1994), annual meeting minutes (1992, 1994, 1995, 1998), Pastoral review meeting minutes (1994).

Volume 2766

1.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1996)

2.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1997)

3.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1998)

4.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (1999)

5.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (2000)

6.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (2001)

7.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (2002)

8.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (2003)

9.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (2004)

Volume 6346

1.  Sterling Mennonite Fellowship bulletins (2016)