©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 21 Feb 2019

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Retrieval numbers: Volumes 8, 2405, 4263, 4824, 846, 5525, 6290; microfilm 162.

Title: Leamington United Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1967-2015, 2017-2018
Extent: 36 cm of textual records
Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

Historical note

This congregation was organized in 1929 as the Essex County Vereinigte Mennonitengemeinde. The first services were held in 1925 as recently arrived Mennonites from Russia began to settle in Ontario. These Russian Mennonite immigrants initially formed one congregation with meeting houses in Waterloo, Leamington, and Reesor. Jacob H. Janzen served as Ältester over the three congregations until they became independent. By 1931 the membership was 335 in Leamington with two meeting places -- one in Leamington and one in Kingsville, both in rented facilities. In 1934 a meeting house was completed in Leamington. Nicolai Driedger was ordained as Ältester in Leamington in 1933. Until the end of the WWII there was a steady influx of Mennonites moving to the area from other parts of Canada so that their meeting housed needed to be expanded in 1936. In 1945 a Bible school was begun in the congregation. In 1947 the membership was 711. The United Mennonite Educational Institute (U.M.E.I.) was begun in 1948. In 1965 a senior citizens home was completed. In 1949 another expansion of the meeting house was completed. In 1954 a second meeting house was completed north of Leamington close to U.M.E.I. The leaders of the congregation include: Jacob H. Janzen (1929-1931), Nicolai Driedger (1931-1971), Issak Klassen (1937-1946), Abram Rempel (1931-1970), W.C. Schellenberg (1929-1941), C.H. Tiessen (1925-1939), Jacob Driedger (1931-1968), H.P. Lepp (1927-1943), Heinrich Winter (1948-1965), Jacob Neufeld (1951-1973), Henry Dueck (1974-1981), Cornelius Driedger (1979-1980), Henry Winter (1982-1983), Menno Epp (1984-1998), Wendy Janzen (1999), Darrell Fast (2000- ).

Scope and content note

This fonds contains bulletins (1976-2015, 2017-2018), directories (1969-1992), general ledger (1939-1942), church register including family and marriage (1929-1952), congregational meeting minutes (1976-1983), various programmes (1976-1984), covenant of membership (1980), assorted related institutions' material (1967-1988), congregational newsletters (1978-2001), Oak Street Leaves (monthly newsletter from 2017-2018), annual reports (1978-1979), assorted brochures of related institutions ([197-?]), various newspaper clippings (1977-1984), a brief congregational history ([197-?]), register of deceased members (1978), three photographs : b&w ; 10 x 7 cm of congregations (1976), correspondence (1974-1984), and various related institutions' minutes (1967-1982). The records pertain to the development of the Mennonite congregation in Leamington, Ontario. They document some of the leaders and participants in the congregation.

Index terms

Subject terms

Leamington United Mennonite Church

Creators

Leamington United Mennonite Church

Adjunct descriptive data

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on access.

Other notes

Textual records have been deposited by the congregation on a regular basis at the Mennonite Heritage Centre. Described by Bert Friesen 12 June 2002; updated by Selenna Wolfe 21 February 2019. 

Leamington United Mennonite Church fonds file list:

Volume 8

1. Leamington United Mennonite Church directories (1969, 1975, 1977), United Mennonite Educational Institute brochure ([197-?])
2. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1976), congregational meeting minutes (1976), United Mennonite Educational Institute auditorium dedication service programme (1976), Grade 11 play programme (1976), music festival programme ([197-?]), graduation programme (1976)
3. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1977)
4. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1975)
5. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1978)
6. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1979), directory (1979)
7. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1980), directory (1980), covenant of membership (1980)
8. Leamington United Mennonite Church annual reports (1978-1979), annual reports (1979) and minutes (1978) for Leamington Mennonite Home, Home Activity Centre, Homeview Apartments, Leamington United Mennonite Apartments
9. Women in Mission (S.W. Ont.) spring conference reports (1979), newsletters (1979, 1981)
10. Leamington and vicinity newspaper clippings (1977-1981)
11. Leamington United Mennonite Church brief congregational history ([197-?]), register of deceased members (1978), provincial conference ministers’ and deacons’ convention minutes (1967), three photographs : b&w ; 10 x 7 cm of congregations (1976), assorted brochures of senior housing (1972) and newsletters (1978-1979), correspondence (1974, 1981), drama programme ([19-?]), congregational special programmes ([19-?]), U.M.E.I. musical programme (1980)
12. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1981)

Volume 2405

1. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), newspaper clippings ([197-?]), U.M.E.I. programmes (1982), North church women meeting minutes (1982), CMBC programme (1982), arena sales committee newsletter (1982), annual reports (1982), and minutes (1981) for Leamington Mennonite Home, Home Activity Centre, Homeview Apartments, Leamington United Mennonite Apartments
2. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), newspaper clippings (1981), U.M.E.I. programmes (1981), deutschen Verein programme (1981), 25^th anniversary celebrations for ordinations programme (1981)
3. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1983)
4. Mennonite sale and auction correspondence (1984), newspaper clippings (1983-1984), Women in Mission convention reports (1984), Leamington Mennonite Home and Home Activity Centre newsletters (1983), arena sale committee newsletter ([198-?]) and report (1983), annual reports (1983), and minutes (1982) for Leamington Mennonite Home, Home Activity Centre, Homeview Apartments, Leamington United Mennonite Apartments, Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1983-1984), "Church Building: 'A Labour of Love'" booklet (1984)
5. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1984-1985)
6. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1985), U.M.E.I. programme (1984)
7. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1986-1987)
8. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1987)
9. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1988), Mennonite community sale financial statement (1988)
10. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1989)
11. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1990)
12. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1991)

Volume 4263

1. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1992), directory (1992)
2. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1993)
3. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), newsletters (1994)
4. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1995), newsletters (1995)
5. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1996), newsletter (1996)
6. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1997), newsletters (1997)
7. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1998), newsletters (1998)

Volume 4824

1. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (1999), newsletters (1999)
2. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2000), newsletters (2000)
3. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2001), newsletters (2001)
4. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2002, newsletters (2002)
5. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2003), newsletters (2003

Volume 846

1. Newsletter of the Leamington United Mennonite Young People (1962-1964)
2. Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2004)

3.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2005)

4.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2006) 

5.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2007)

6.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2008)

Volume 5525

1.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2009)

2.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2010)

3.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2011)

4.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2012)

5.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2013)

6.  Leamington United Mennonite Church bulletins (2014) 

Microfilm No. 161, 162 - Table of Contents

MHC microfilm reel no. 161

Leamington United Mennonite Church

1. Gemeindeblatt. -- 1959-1975.
2. Die Vereinsglocke. -- 1945à

MHC microfilm reel no. 162

Leamington United Mennonite Church (con't)

1. Dier Vereinsglocke -- ??-1958.
2. Financial records. -- 1939-1944.
3. Church register. -- 1929-1952.
4. Marriage register. -- 1932-1977.