Mission nurse, educator, mentor and church leader continued ministry in ‘retirement’

In memory of Frieda Schellenberg Erb, 1940 to 2021

Katie Doke Sawatzky, Mennonite Church Canada, and Lynda Hollinger-Janzen, Mennonite Mission Network     |     December 2nd, 2021

Frieda Schellenberg Erb founded Centro de Desarrollo Infantil Las Ovejitas (Little Sheep Children’s Development Center) and was part of the leadership team at Iglesia Menonita Zona Norte (North Zone Mennonite Church) in Choele Choel where she and her husband, Delbert Erb, were members.
Photo Source: Courtesy of the Erb family.

Frieda Schellenberg Erb, 81, who touched many lives through her lifetime of ministry in Bolivia and Argentina, died November 14, 2021, in Choele Choel, Argentina.

She founded Centro de Desarrollo Infantil Las Ovejitas (Little Sheep Children’s Development Center) and was part of the leadership team at Iglesia Menonita Zona Norte (North Zone Mennonite Church) in Choele Choel where she and her husband, Delbert Erb, were members.

The congregation honored Frieda with a Facebook post the day of her death: “Today a faithful servant of Christ, who blessed our lives with her effort and work for the most needy — especially with the little ones, departed into the presence of our Lord…Sister in Christ, grandmother and mother to many, we will remember her with much love.”

Born October 19, 1940, in Watrous, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Elizabeth (Kroeker) and Jacob Schellenberg, Frieda grew up in a family of 11 children. In the early 1960s she went to Bolivia through Mennonite Central Committee, where she worked as a nurse and with the Bolivia Mennonite Church, which was just emerging that time.

Frieda served in Bolivia for more than 20 years. Following her marriage to Delbert Erb in 1982, they served together in Bolivia for a year, before going to Argentina, where Delbert had worked previously. Supported by Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Church Canada Witness and Mennonite Mission Network, Frieda and Delbert served with Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina (IEMA— Argentina Mennonite Church) during a period in which IEMA was growing in its own missionary vision.

“I was 21 when I went to Bolivia in 1978 to join the MCC Bolivia team of 50 volunteers,” says Ingrid Schultz, former chaplain for MCC Bolivia. “Frieda Schellenberg was such an important part of the story of MCC Bolivia and touched the lives of many volunteers, myself included. She was an encourager, a role model and a good leader as she made herself vulnerable and shared honestly about her own struggles and hopes at our Bible studies and at team meetings.”

Delbert reported in the Nov. 25, 2019, Anabaptist World, that by 1989 the IEMA was developing their own mission programs. This led to the formation of the Patagonia Mission Project (PMP), which inspired the Erbs to retire in Choele Choel in 1996, where they continued to contribute to this Argentine missionary endeavor. Frieda also served as Latin American Secretary for Mennonite Board of Missions for several years alongside her work with the church in Argentina.

Frieda Schellenberg Erb in the church she served in the church in Choele Choel, Argentina. (Photo courtesy of Erb family.)

Frieda and Delbert. (Photo courtesy of Erb family.)

“Frieda and Delbert had already ‘retired’ by the time I started worked with Mennonite Mission Network in 2002,” says director for Latin America with Mennonite Mission Network, Linda Shelly.

“However, they intentionally chose to live in Choele Choel, because they saw ample opportunity to serve there with their gifts for as long as they were able. I appreciate the many ways in which they supported the churches in Patagonia and facilitated South/North relationships that strengthened mission work across continents.”

Janet Plenert served as Mennonite Mission Network’s director for Latin America from 2000-2002 and in a variety of leadership roles with Mennonite Church Canada Witness from 2001-2011. Plenert emphasized Frieda’s hospitality along with her energy for God’s work.

“She was creative and innovative, beginning with her Bolivia MCC work decades ago when she was involved in nursing and education programs,” she says. “Her loyalty to the work of God’s church seemed to compel her to action. Frieda and Delbert retired from church ministry into a retired life of church ministry. They just kept going, doing what they loved.”

Frieda is survived by her husband Delbert Erb, two step-sons David Erb and Miguel Erb in Buenos Aires, Argentina, step-daughter Patricia Erb in Ontario, Canada, and many friends in her church families in Bolivia, Argentina Canada and the United States.

Top: David (son) and Patricia; Bottom: Miguel (son), Delbert and Frieda in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Erb family.)

 

A memorial service was held November 15. A virtual memorial service will take place December 11 at 11:00 a.m. EST. Anyone wishing to participate may register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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Media contact:

Jeanette Hanson