©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2002
Last updated February 17, 2021.

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title: Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1901-2011, predominant 1925-2011
Extent: 57 cm of textual records and four photographs

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 (2000-2011), Lois Siemens (interim 2011), Gary and Margaret Ewert Peters (2011-). 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 immigration documents, church membership transfers, congregational bulletins and minutes, financial records, and sermons.  These records follow the Mennonites as they immigrated from Russia to Canada, thier transition in Canada from Ontario to Saskatchewan and the formation of a congregation.  Once established the church flourished but began to reduce in size along with urbanization of the rural population in the 1960s.  In 2019 four photos depicting the building of the church in 1927 were donated (see photo collection 728).

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

Language

Mostly English with some German.

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on access.

Related Materials

        Jacob B. Wiens fonds volume 5626:6 and audio cassette 320 and 321.

       

Other notes

         Described by Bert Friesen 8 November 2001, updated by Conrad Stoesz November 2, 2012, February 20, 2019, and by Andrew Klassen Brown in May 2020.

         Accession number: 2007-033, 2019-002, 2017-049.

 

 

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 2306b

     Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Cash book. -- 1957-1961.

 

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 3366c

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.

Volume 5632

1. Small black note book of poetry, Scripture and hymn texts from various sources. -- [191-?].

2. Marriage certificate stubs. -- 1931-1958; predominant 1945-1951.

3. Notebooks of essays on theological themes. -- [19-]. -- Note: the hard cover notebook includes some newspaper clippings.

4. Financial accounting and church minutes. -- 1928-1931.

5. Kassenbuch der Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde. -- 1940-1958.

6. Congregational meeting minutes of the Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde. -- 1927-1931.

7. Gemeinde Bestand = Congregational membership of the Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde. -- 1932. -- Note: this consists of a listing of heads of households, number males and females in the household, number of males and females who were members in the congregation, and where they lived.

8. Verzeichnis der Immigranten aus den Kirchengemeinden an der Molotschna 1924, Petersburg, ON, Can. -- 1924. -- Note: this notebook contains the families and their ages in 1924, who lived in the Molotschna colony, immigrated to Canada in 1924 and were being hosted by Swiss Mennonite families in the Petersburg (Peterborough?) Ontario area.

Volume 5635

1. Three notebooks of financial accounting for farm land purchased, know as the Lamburn farm, by bishop Jacob B. Wiens, Bernhard B. Wiens, A.K. Klassen, G.B. Wiens, M.J. Wiens, J.J. Isaak, P.P. Sawatzky, J.J. Wiens, B.J. Wiens, P.J. Wiens. -- 1925-1929.

2. Notebook of poetry and crochetting instructions. - -[194-?].

3. Annual meeting and board meeting minutes. -- 1969-1972

4. Sermons. -- 1944-1973.

5. Gliederverzeichnis = Membership list der Ebenfelder Mennoniten Gemeinde, SK. -- Nov. 10, 1965.

Volume 5642

1. Membership transfer douments (Gemeindeattest) and travel documents originating from congregations in Russia (eg. Chortitzer Mennoniten Gemeinde, and Canada. -- 1917-1965.

Volume 6451
6.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Handbooks and Constitutions. – 1988-2010.
7.    Pastoral Contracts and Agreements. – 1988-2011.
8.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Annual Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 1982-1989.
9.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Annual Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 1990-1999.
10.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Annual Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 2000-2004.
11.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Council Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 1988-1999.
12.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Council Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 2000-2007.
13.    Joint Executive Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 1988-1999.
14.    Joint Executive Meeting Minutes and Agendas. – 2000-2011.
15.    Church Council Correspondence. – 1985-2000.
16.    Life in the Church Workshops and Reports. – 1984-2001.
17.    Pastoral Evaluations. – 2001-2009.
18.    Committee Listings. – 1966-1997.
19.    Lady’s Aid Meeting Minutes. – 1966-1975.
20.    Hosting Committee Meeting Minutes. – 1979-2007.
21.    Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church Financial Statements. – 1977-1998.

Photo Collection 728
Four photos of the building of the church in 1927.  https://archives.mhsc.ca/herschel-ebenfeld-mennonite-church-photograph-collection