Fonds ORG - Bethany Mennonite Church (Lost River) fonds

Mennonites settled in the area north east of the Hague Osler Reserve at the beginning of the 20th century. In late 1916 and early 1917 a series of meetings were held which resulted in the founding of the Bethany Mennonite Church in the Lost River area of Saskatchewan, which is just a bit south-east of Nipawin. With the coming of Russian Mennonite immigrants in the 1920s the congregation grew and reached its peak in the early 1950s. The membership was 170 in 1940 and 162 in 1952. In 1961 it had declined to 70 and in 1970 it was 60. In 1971 the congregation withdrew from the Conference of Mennonites in Canada.

Since 1971 Bethany Mennonite Church has operated as an independent Mennonite church. It maintains some Mennonite affiliations, and also functions as the local community church welcoming worshipers from more than half a dozen different denominations.