©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2002
Last updated February 18, 2021
Title: Elim Mennonite Church (Grunthal, Man.) fonds
Dates: 1927-1994
Extent: 8 cm of textual records
Extent: 1 microfilm reel
Mennonites settled in the Grunthal, Manitoba area in the 1920s, many on land previously farmed by Mennonites who had now migrated to Mexico. Initially they worshipped together in the Chortitzer Mennonite Church. In 1927 the Mennonite Brethren formed their own congregation and were then followed by the General Conference group organizing the Elim congregation. There were 35 charter families. Johann J. Enns became the first leader of the congregation in 1927. Since the members were scattered in the area and travel was difficult, several meeting places were organized. The meeting places were in Barkfield, Rosengard, and Chortitz. The leaders for these groups were respectively Jacob Penner, Heinrich Olfert, and Heinrich Janzen in Grunthal. These groups met in private homes and the Grunthal and Rosengard Schools. In 1933 a building was purchased and renovated for the Grunthal group. The membership was 199 in 1946. By this time transportation had improved to the extent that they could all worship in a central meeting house. In 1949 a new, larger meeting house was completed. In 1961 this meeting house was destroyed by fire and that same year, 1961, another meeting house was completed. In 1966 the membership stood at 279. The membership stood at 184 in 2000. The leaders of the congregation were: David Fast (1934-1953), A.A. Peters (1927-1934), Heinrich Janzen (1928-1930), Heinrich Olfert (1928-1930), Jacob Penner (1928-1935), David Fast (1936-1952), Wilhelm Heinrichs (1937-1946), Abram Froese (1943-1970), W. Peters (1934-1944), Johann J. Enns (1927-1943, then as the first Ältester, 1943-1965), H. A. Warkentin (1949-1957), Nick Janz (1961-1996), C. M. Froese (1961-1984), Diedrich Gerbrandt (1985-1990), Herb Franz (1992-2000), Henry Warkentin (1981- ), Frank Klassen (1984-2006), Robert Warkentin (2001-2003), bryaan Ens (2003-2005), Jarrod Chamberlin (2005-2013), and Harold Peters-Fransen (2013- ).
This fonds contains bulletins (1959-1973), directories (1969, 1978, 1994), annual reports (1969, 1977-1979), congregational meeting minutes (1927-1979, includes reports 1969-1979), attendance records for membership meetings (1958-1969), church board/council meeting minutes (1978-1979), annual statistical reports (1927-1979), position paper on baptism (1932), MCCC refugee programme guide (1979), miscellaneous correspondence (includes certificates of citizenship, 1927-1979), membership and family register (1927-1979). This fonds also contains the cashboiok, meeting minutes, and correspondence of the Tabea Verein Ladies aid group. The records pertain to the beginning and development of the Elim Mennonite congregation at Grunthal, Manitoba and they document who the leaders and participants were in the congregation.
Inventory file list available.
Much German.
No restrictions on access.
Some textual records were microfilmed in 1980 at the Mennonite Heritage Centre. Textual records were deposited in 1994. Described by Bert Friesen 11 December 2001, updated by Andrew Klassen Brown in July 2020
Accession number 1995-076.
Volume 6463
1.
Tabea
Verein Cashbook and Meeting Minutes. -- 1964-1976.
2a. Tabea Verein Correspondence. -- 1961-1977. -- [Note: The Paraguyan publication Im Dienste der Liebe has been removed from this collection and added to the the peirodical section in MHA.].
2b. Correspondence from Mennonite Central
Committee. – 1970.
2c. Correspondence from Greater Europe Mission. –
1967-1978.
2d. Correspondence from The Mustard Seed
re: work in Taiwan (Formosa), China. – 1965-1970.