©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 18 March 2008

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

St. Catharines United Mennonite Church

Retrieval numbers: Volumes 12, 1605, 2427, 3902, 4267, 4494.

Title: St. Catharines United Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1963-1998
Extent: 52 cm of textual records
Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

Historical note

The St. Catharines United Mennonite Church was founded in 1944. Families from other rural Mennonite communities in southern Ontario had settled in this urban centre and begun worshipping together in 1942. The formal organization followed in 1944. They met in rented facilities and then their own meeting place in 1945. In this meeting house they had a charter membership meeting where 32 members became charter members. In 1946 the membership was 63 and in 1947 it was 92. In 1949 they built a new meeting house. By 1951 the membership was 223. Five years later in 1956 it was 416. In 1961 this building was expanded. In 1967 they built a new meeting house. In 1975 the membership was 655 and in 1980 it had reached 700. In 2000 the membership was 548. The leaders of the congregation were: Wilhelm Schellenberg (1942-1956), John Litke (1944-1968), Frank Andres (1949-1958), Gerhard Peters (1951-1956), Peter Heinrichs (1952-1972), Henry Epp (1960-1984), Norman Bergen (1969-1976), Otto Dirks (1981-1983), John Friesen (1984-1991), Jack Dyck (1991-2000), Gerhard Thiessen (2001), Ben Wiebe (2002- ).

Scope and content note

This fonds contains bulletins (1963-1998), annual reports (1962-1992), directories (1976-1997), congregational history (1977), newsletters (1976-1995), congregational office holders (1978-1980), correspondence (1979), and a programme (1990). The records pertain to the development of the Mennonite congregation in St. Catharines, Ontario. They document some of the leaders and participants in the congregation.

Index terms

Subject terms

St. Catharines United Mennonite Church

Creators

St. Catharines 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 11 July 2002.

St. Catharines United Mennonite Church fonds file list:

Volume 12

  1. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1963), annual reports (1962)
  2. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1965)
  3. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1973)
  4. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1974)
  5. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1975)
  6. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1976)
  7. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1977), a brief congregational chronology (1977)
  8. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church annual reports (1974-1977)
  9. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church directories (1976-1977)

Volume 1605

  1. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1978), directory (1978), annual reports (1978), congregational office holders (1978)
  2. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1979), correspondence (1979), newsletters (1979), student directory (1979), directory (1979), congregational office holders (1979), annual reports (1979)
  3. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1980), newsletters (1980), student directory (1980), Sunday School staff directory (1980), annual reports (1980), congregational office holders (1980), directory (1980)
  4. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1981), directory (1981), annual reports (1981)

Volume 2427

  1. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), annual reports (1982), directory (1982)
  2. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1983), annual reports (1983), directory (1983)
  3. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1984), student directory (1984)
  4. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1985), annual reports (1985), newsletters (1985)
  5. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1986)

Volume 3902

  1. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1988), newsletters (1988), Sunday School staff directory (1988), annual reports (1988)
  2. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), newsletters (1989), Sunday School staff directory (1989), directory (1989), annual reports (1989)
  3. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), directory (1990), Sunday School staff directory (1990), 25th anniversary programme for Marian and John Friesen (1990), annual reports (1990)
  4. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1991), directory (1991)

Volume 4267

  1. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1992), Sunday School staff directory (1992), annual reports (1992)
  2. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), Sunday School staff directory (1993)
  3. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), directory (1994), student directory (1994), Sunday School staff directory (1994)
  4. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1995), newsletters (1995)

Volume 4494

  1. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1996), Sunday School staff directory (1996) , directory (1996)
  2. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1997), Sunday School staff directory (1997)
  3. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1998)
  4. St. Catharines United Mennonite Church bulletins (1999) [incomplete], annual reports (1999)