©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2002
Last updated April 17, 2002

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title: Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1901-1996 , predominant 1925-1996
Extent: 30 cm of textual records

Historical note

The Mennonites from Russia arrived in the Herschel area in the winter of 1924-1925. They organized their congregation in 1925 as the Ebenfeld Mennonite Church and joined the Conference of Mennonites. In 1926 there were 117 members. In 1927 they built a meeting house. In 1936 the membership was 278. A number of different meeting places were begun over the next decades. In 1945 a new meeting house was built in Superb, one of the four meeting houses of this 'Gemeinde'. The other meeting places were Fiske and Glidden, along with Herschel. These were divided into four congregations in 1958 but still of the Ebenfeld 'Gemeinde'. In 1973 these congregations became independent congregations. In 1980 the Ebenfeld congregation changed its name to the current (2001) Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church. The leaders of the congregation were: Jacob Wiens (1925-1939), J. J. Thiessen (1939-1942)[visiting], Cornelius J. Warkentin (1943-1957) [and he remained bishop of the four congregations (1958-1970)]. Of the four congregations then from 1958 on, the leader of Herschel was the bishop Cornelius Warkentin (1958-1964), Arthur Wiens (1965-1985), David Neufeld (1986-1999), Claire and Garth Ewert-Fischer (2000- ). The leader of Fiske was K. Julius Martens (1958-1985). The leader of Glidden was C. J. Fast (1958-1970), when the congregation dissolved. The leader of Superb was P.A. Warkentin (1958-1973). Since 1990 the leader of Herschel has also been the leader in Fiske.

Scope and content note

This fonds consist of Congregational bulletins (1988-1996), membership and family register (1925-1969), congregational meeting minutes (1979-1988, 1950-1982, 1927-1949), annual congregational meeting minutes and reports (1962-1969, 1983), congregational financial report (1926-1930), congregational ministers' conference minutes (1942-1969), congregational Sunday School conference minutes (1946-1971), congregational library acquisitions ([193-?]), congregational correspondence record (1951-1965), congregational correspondence (1950-1961), certificates of marriage, residence, and character (1946-1968), programme for the congregational Good Friday service (1987), Jacob B. Wiens documents: sermon notes [192-?]-[193-], brief congregational history. - [193-?], sermon notes from Neukirch, Molotschna and Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church [19-?]-[193-?], essays on theological themes [193-?], records of names of preachers in Neukirch, Molotschna (1901-1920), marriages in Neukirch (1902-1920), summary of no. of sermons preached in Molotschna (1901-1920), and communion services held in Neukirch, Ohrloff, and Herzenberg (1911-1924), sermon summary data from Molotschna and Saskatchewan (1901-1936), and weddings performed (1921-1936), sermon summary data in Saskatchewan (1937-1939), and complete summary complied by his son (1901-1939).

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

Language

Much German.

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on access.

Other notes

Described by Bert Friesen 8 November 2001.

Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church fonds file list:

Volume 1432

  1. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1992.
  2. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1990, 1991.
  3. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1988, 1989.
  4. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes. - 1979.

Volume 2305

Volume 2306

Volume 3366

  1. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church sermon notes by J. Wiens. - [192-?]-[193-?].
  2. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church brief congregational history. - [193-?].
  3. J. Wiens sermon notes from Neukirch, Molotschna and Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church. - [19-?]-[193-?].
  4. J. Wiens notebooks with essays on theological themes. - [193-?].
  5. J. Wiens records of names of preachers in Neukirch, Molotschna (1901-1920), marriages in Neukirch (1902-1920), summary of no. of sermons preached in Molotschna (1901-1920), and communion services held in Neukirch, Ohrloff, and Herzenberg (1911-1924). - 1901-1924.
  6. Jacob Wiens sermon summary data from Molotschna and Saskatchewan (1901-1936), and weddings performed (1921-1936). - 1901-1936.
  7. Jacob Wiens sermon summary data in Saskatchewan (1937-1939), and complete summary complied by his son (1901-1939). - 1901-1939.
  8. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes. - 1979-1988.

Volume 3366a

Volume 3366b

Volume 3367

  1. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes. - 1927-1949.
  2. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church financial records (1926-1929), family register (1930), marriage register (1926-1939). - 1926-1939.
  3. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes. - 1939-1948.
  4. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes. - 1949-1963.
  5. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church annual congregational meeting minutes and reports. - 1962-1969.
  6. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church ministers' conference minutes. - 1942-1969.
  7. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Sunday School conference minutes. - 1946-1971.
  8. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church library acquisitions. - [193-?].
  9. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church correspondence record. - 1951-1964.
  10. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church correspondence record. - 1964-1965.
  11. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church correspondence (1950-1961), and certificates of marriage, residence, and character (1946-1968). - 1946-1968.
  12. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins (1987), annual congregational meeting minutes (1983-1987), annual report (1945), programme for the Good Friday service (1987), and correspondence (1960). - 1945-1987.

Volume 4491

  1. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1993.
  2. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1994.
  3. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1995.
  4. Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church bulletins. - 1996.