©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003-2010
Last updated 27 February 2019 

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Waterloo Kitchener United Mennonite Church

Retrieval numbers: Volumes 17, 850, 1109, 2223, 2660, 2932, 4021, 4498, 5008, 2287, 5132, 5314, 5337, 5451, 6357, 6385

Title: Waterloo Kitchener United Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1948, 1963-2011, 2013-2016

Extent: 75 cm of textual records
Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

Historical note

The Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church was founded in 1925 in Waterloo, Ontario by Mennonite immigrants who had recently arrived from Russia beginning in 1924. They orginally worshipped with their Mennonite hosts but in 1925 organized their own congregation with 58 charter members. It was called the Ontario Refugee Mennonite congregation. They met in rented facilities. In 1927 they rented the building on George Street which they purchased in 1932. In 1931 the membership had grown dramatically to 393. This was also the year, 1932, when they were incorporated. It kept increasing to 522 by 1937. Then it levelled off to 280 by 1947. Then new immigrants began arriving again. This building was enlarged in 1951. The membership was 540 in 1958. In 1960 the building was again expanded. In 1960 the membership was 402. An addition was added in 1974. The congregation initiated senior housing for its members and the community by founding the Waterloo Mennonite Homes and building housing for them in 1980. In 2000 the membership was again 402. The leaders of the congregation were: J.H. Janzen (1925-1935, 1937-1949), Jacob Wiens (1930-1937), H. H. Epp (1948-1951, 1958-1965), H.P. Epp (1951-1956), A.P. Klassen (1957), Heinrich Penner (1958), Henry Isaac (1967-1972), Leonard Epp (1972-1980, 1988), Peter Sawatzky (1981-1989), Waldemar Regier (1989-1998), Monika & Darren Pries-Klassen (1999), Dave Rogalsky (2000- ).

Scope and content note

This fonds contains bulletins (1961-2016), constitution and bylaws (1954),[196-?]-([198-?]), directories (1964-1997), programme (1967-1981), annual reports (1977-1993, 2007), a brief congregational history (1977-1980), Waterloo Mennonite Homes annual reports (1980-1984), Inter-Mennonite meeting minutes (1981-1982), congregational meeting minutes (1981-1990, 2013-2016), funeral bulletins (2012-2013, 2015-2016), wedding bulletins (2013, 2015), and newsletters (1989-1997). The records pertain to the development of the Mennonite congregation in Waterloo, Ontario.

Index terms

Subject terms

Waterloo Kitchener United Mennonite Church

Creators

Waterloo Kitchener 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 29 August 2002. Some materials were received from Mennonite Library and Archives, Newton, Kansas in 2007.  Updated by Alf Redekopp 27 March 2008. Updated by Selenna Wolfe 18 December 2018 and 27 February 2019. 

Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church fonds file list:

 Volume 17

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (Bekanntmachungen, Programen) (1948)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church constitution (1954)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1961-1962)
4. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1963), constitution and bylaws ([196-?]), "Geschichte der Waterloo-Kitchener Vereinigten Mennonitengemeinde 1925-1953" (1953)
5. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1964), S. S. staff directory (1964)
6. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1965), directory (1965)
7. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1966), directory (1966), constitution (1966)
8. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1967), junior choirs song festival programme (1967), directory (1967)
9. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1968), directory (1968)
10. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1969), directory (1969)
11. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1970)

Volume 850

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1971), S. S. staff directory (1971)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1972)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1973), directory (1973)
4. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1975), annual reports (1975)
5. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1976), constitution revision (1976), directory (1976)
6. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1977), directory (1977), annual reports (1977), a brief congregational history (1977)

Volume 1109

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1978), pictorial directory (1978), directory (1978)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1979), directory (1979)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1980), a brief congregational history and congregational profile (1980), constitution and bylaws ([198-?]), Waterloo Mennonite Homes Inc. annual reports (1980), Offices' & Workers' list (1980)
4. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins(1981), annual reports (1981), Ontario Women in Mission report (1981), congregational meeting minutes (1981), Inter-Mennonite Conference meeting minutes (1981), directory (1981), The crucifixion (Cantata)

Volume 2223

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), directory (1982), inter-Mennonite Conf. annual meeting minutes (1982), congregational meeting minutes (1982), annual reports (1982)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1983), Waterloo Mennonite Homes annual reports (1983), annual reports (1983), pastor’s evaluation (1983)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1984), congregational meeting minutes (1984), Waterloo Mennonite Homes annual reports (1984), directory (1984), annual reports (1984), pictorial directory (1984)
4. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1985), congregational meeting minutes (1985), annual reports (1985)

Volume 2932

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1986), building committee report (1986), annual reports (1986), congregational meeting minutes (1986)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1987), congregational meeting minutes (1987), annual reports (1987)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1988), congregational meeting minutes (1988), annual reports (1988)
4. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), newsletters (1989), congregational meeting minutes (1989), annual reports (1989)

Volume 4021

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), congregational meeting minutes (1990), newsletters (1990), directory (1990)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church newsletters (1991)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1992), newsletters (1992), directory (1992), annual reports (1992)

Volume 2660

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), annual reports (1993), newsletters (1993), directory (1993)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), newsletters (1994), directory (1994)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1995), newsletters (1995)

Volume 4498

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1996), newsletters (1996), directory (1996)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1997), newsletters (1997), directory (1997)
3. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1998)
4. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (1999)
5. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2000), directory (2000)

Volume 5008

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2001)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2002), annual reports (2002)

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2003), annual reports (2003), directory (2003)

Volume 5132

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2004), congregational minutes (2004), annual reports (2004)

Volume 5314

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2005), annual reports (2005), congregational minutes (2005)

Volume 5337

1. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2006), annual reports (2006)
2. Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church bulletins (2007), annual reports (2007), minutes from annual meeting (Feb 2008)