© Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Last updated 26 February 2008)

Historical note

Gospel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg traces its beginning to 1956 when a group of Mennonite families from the Rudnerweider Mennoniten Gemeinde from rural Manitoba found themselves living in Winnipeg without a church of their kind. Initially they attended the Sterling Avenue Mennonite Church in St. Vital. In 1957 the group purchased an existing church building at 232 Nassau Street and founded the Gospel Mennonite Church as a local meeting place for the Rudnerweider Mennonite members in Winnipeg. In 1959 the Rudnerweider Mennoniten Gemeinde decentralized its church organization and formed the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) and Gospel Mennonite Church was one of its member congregations.

The Gospel Mennonite Church's first minister was Ben Sawatsky, who served the congregation until 1967. Died Gerbrandt led the church from 1967 to 1979 with Ed Stoesz then taking over as minister. Stoesz remained at Gospel Mennonite until 1989 when Willie Martens was hired as pastor.

Scope and content note

The materials in this fonds document the founding and development of the first Rudnerweider (EMMC) congregation in Winnipeg starting in 1956 up to 1999.

There are three series in the Gospel Mennonite Church fonds:

1. Membership records (1958-1969)
2. Minutes, reports and correspondence (1956-1994)
3. Annual reports (1981-1999)

Index terms

Creators

Gospel Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Adjunct descriptive data

Finding aids

Serues description and inventory file list

Related material in this repository

Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference fonds

Notes

Custodial history

The material in this fonds were brought to the Mennonite Heritage Centre on April 11, 2001 Henry Dueck, former Executive Secretary of the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference of Canada and a member of Gospel Mennonite Church.

Language

English

Arrangement

Arranged and described by Myron Dyck in May 2001.

Restrictions on access

None to access

Other notes

Acc. No. 2001-042