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Mennonite Heritage Archives

Toews, David, 1870-1947

  • CA-MHSBC-2018
  • Person
  • 1870-1947

David Toews was born February 9, 1870 in Lysanderhoeh, Am Trakt colony, Russia to Mennonite minister Jacob Toews (1838-1922) and Marie Wiebe (1838-1924). In 1880 the family moved east to Turkestan to avoid military service and where leaders such as Klaas Epp predicted Christ would return. In 1884 the Toews family abandoned the trek and moved to Newton, Kansas. In the autumn of 1885 David Toews enrolled at Halstead Seminary in preparation to become a teacher. He began his teaching career in small Mennonite communities of Kansas in 1888. In 1891 he retuned to Halstead for more education.

In 1893 his former teacher, Heinrich H. Ewert, invited Toews moved to Gretna, Manitoba to teach in the Mennonite village schools. From 1895-1897 Toews studied at Wesley College (now University of Winnipeg) for his teacher's certificate. He taught in Burwalde, Manitoba and later in Tiefengrund, Saskatchewan. Here he met and married Margarete Friesen (1881-1941) in 1900. Together they had 9 children. The youngest, Irene died in 1926 in a house fire. This had a deep impact on Toews who received many cards and condolences during this time.
David Toews was ordained as minister in the Rosenorter Gemeinde (conference) on August 18, 1901 in Tiefengrund. He was ordained as bishop in September 14, 1913. Toews went on to a life of service to the church and the Mennonite people. He was one of the 9 men who founded the Conference of Mennonites in Canada (now Mennonite Church Canada) in 1902 serving on the executive committee in various roles from 1904-1940. In 1906 he moved to Rosthern to become principal of the German-English Academy (now Rosthern Junior College). He gave up his teaching duties in 1917 so he would have more time for church work.

In 1922 Toews invited church leaders to discuss the growing distress of their co-religionists in southern Russia. A new organization was struck which became known as the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization and Toews was elected chairman. This board was seen to speak for the Canadian Mennonites who had immigrated from Russia. Toews was dubbed "The Mennonite Moses" for helping bring 21,000 Mennonites out of Russia in the 1920s. To do this Toews personally signed a gentlemen's agreement with Col. Dennis of the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) for an amount of 1.5 million dollars. This debt was repaid in November 1946, a short time before his death.
During the Second World War Toews was one of the leaders who negotiated with the Canadian government for an alternative service program for conscientious objectors. Toews and many other ministers advocated on behalf of their people during these difficult times. Bishop Toews became one of the most influential Canadian Mennonite leaders which grew out of his love for his Mennonite people. Toews died February 25, 1947.

Slagel, Arthur W., 1891-1943

  • CA-MHC-2015-010
  • Person
  • 1891-1943

Arthur Slagel was born to D. W. and Mary Slagel in Flanagan, Illinois. He graduated Goshen College and performed service work with a Near East Relief expedition in Constantinople. He later served with American Mennonite Relief (AMR) in the Soviet Union, establishing and operating feeding stations.

Arthur Slagel (1891-1943) was one of three American volunteers sent to Russia with Orie Miller and Clayton Kratz in 1920. Initially Slagel remained in Constantinople to gather relief supplies and from there organized the shipment to the Russian Mennonite colonies. From 1922-1923 Arthur Slagel supervised the feeding program for 75,000 people in the Ukraine, including 60,000 Mennonites. The AMR under his direction appointed local committees whose duties were to receive and distribute relief supplies in their districts according to the official AMR instructions. Slagel oversaw the delivery of food for three Mennonite centres -- Chortitza, Ohrloff and Halbstadt.

During his three years on this assignment he also witnessed the first groups of Mennonites leaving for Canada in 1923. He also traveled to Moscow and other countries before returning home to the United States.

Upon his return to the United States, he resided in Chicago and worked for the Donnelly Advertising Corporation and later the Thiesan Printing Company.

Arthur W. Slagel married Vesta Zook in 1925, who had been an American relief worker in Constantinople in 1921, working in an orphanage that Mennonite Central Committee had just taken over from the American Red Cross in 1921. Initially they made their home in Chicago. Their son Donald (Don) was born in 1928. In 1932 the Slagel family move to a farm in Topeka, Indiana. Slagel was killed in an acident at the farm in 1943. Vesta died in Meadows, Illinois in 1973.

Mennonite Collegiate Institute (Gretna, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1889-

The Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI), originally known as the Mennonitische Bildungsanstalt (Mennonite Educational Institute, MEI) was founded by the MEI School Society in 1888. Opening its doors in Gretna, Manitoba in 1889 under the direction of teacher Wilhelm Rempel, the school's primary mandate was the training of Mennonite elementary school teachers. With time, however, an increasing number of Mennonite parents came to value education beyond basic arithmetic and literacy skills, and sent their children to the institute for the more general purpose of acquiring a good education in a Christian context.
Heinrich H. Ewert was hired as the school's principal and teacher in 1891, opening the door for the provincial government's support since he had the qualifications required by Manitoba's Department of Education. Under Ewert's leadership the school experienced its incorporation in 1893, the curtailment of governmental support in 1903, and the 1904-1908 controversy regarding the location of a new school building since the MEI's facilities had become unable to meet the growing demands on the institution. When Altona was chosen above Gretna and Winkler as the site of the new school, Gretna supporters appointed Ewert as the principal of a new school of their own which they named the Mennonitische Lehranstalt (Mennonite Collegiate Institute). Both the MCI (Gretna) and the new MEI (Altona) were dedicated in 1908.

H.H. Ewert was succeeded by Gerhard H. Peters as principal of the MCI at the time of his death in 1934. Other principals include Paul J. Schaefer, 1948-1967; Gerhard Ens, 1967-1976, with Ernie Wiens as acting principal from 1971-1972 and Henry Dick as vice-principal during this time; Ken Loewen, 1976-1985; and Allan Dueck, 1985- , with vice-principal Dave Regehr.

Following its re-opening as the MCI, the school in Gretna underwent several administrative changes. In 1930 the School Society which had founded the institute transferred its control of MCI to the Mennonitische Schulkonferenz von Manitoba (Manitoba Church-School Conference). When this organization disbanded in 1936, the school fell into the jurisdiction of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba (CMM), which soon relinquished its control to the Schulverein der Mennonitengemeinden Manitobas (Manitoa Inter-Mennonite School Society) in 1939. The school was rebuilt in 1964/65 following a fire destroyed the facility in 1963, and major renovations to the dormitory and gymnasium were made in 1976. During the 1976, MCI again began accepting government funding, signalling a movement towards the educational mainstream that was ushered in with the appointment of Ken Loewen as principal. This trend was somewhat reversed with the Think Tank which met in 1986 to provide direction and purpose for the MCI and whose recommendations reflected a renewed commitment to the values espoused by the school's founders.

Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1967

Mennonite Fellowship is a congregation that emerged as an initiative of members of the Winnipeg Bergthaler Mennonite Church (later known as Home Street Mennonite Church) and persons moving to live in the Fort Garry area. It began services in 1966 in the Fort Garry area of Winnipeg and the group formally organized in 1967. The language of worship was English. The Fellowship met in rented facilities at Canadian Nazarene College until 1981 and then at Canadian Mennonite Bible College. In December 1984, the group moved into its newly constructed meeting place at 150 Bayridge Avenue. A lay ministry team of non-salaried congregational leaders has served this congregation from its beginning.

Reimer, Jacob B., 1916-1985

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Person
  • 1916-1985

Jacob B. Reimer was born on September 13, 1916, in Silberfeld, a village between Gretna and Altona, Manitoba, the third son of Jacob F. and Katharina (Braun) Reimer’s ten children. He attended the school at Silberfeld for 4 years. In 1927, he and his parents were part of the group that immigrated from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Paraguay to establish the Menno Colony in the Chaco. His schooling ended when he was 14. In 1941, he was baptized, and on September 30, 1941, he married Aganetha Wiebe, who was born on March 18, 1918, in Steinbach, Manitoba. They had three daughters and one son, and adopted a second son; all studied in Canada; four live in Canada, while one remained in Paraguay. Reimer was elected as a member of the administration of the Menno Colony in 1945, as business manager of the Menno Colony cooperative, and was elected mayor (Oberschultz) in 1950, a position he held until 1967 and from 1974 to 1975. Active in community development, including schools, higher education, industry, settlement, and health services, he brought about many reforms, working closely with elder Martin C. Friesen. Reimer also served as chair of the Indian Settlement Board, an organization aimed at improving the lot of the indigenous peoples living in the Chaco. In the 1960s and ‘70s, he and his wife relocated to Canada several times, returning to Menno Colony after being invited back to continue his work with the colony administration board in 1970, ’73, and ’77. He died suddenly on February 4, 1985, at the age of 68, and was laid to rest in Loma Plata.

Charleswood Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1963-

Charleswood Mennonite Church in Winnipeg had its beginning in May 1963 under the sponsorship of The Bethel Mennonite congregation.The 31 charter members consisted on 18 transfers from Bethel Mennonite Church and 13 transfers from other Mennonite congregations. The organization began on September 15, 1963. The congregation was involved in sponsoring Crossroads, an inner-city project, Sargent MCC thrift shop, and Bethel Place.

Rivers Mennonite Church (Rivers, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1928-1984

Rivers Mennonite Church, located in the far western region of Manitoba, Canada, traces its beginnings to 1928 when a recent group of Mennonite immigrants from the Soviet Union met to worship and were served by Bishop Johann P. Klassen of the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group. The first permanent church building was completed on 19 November 1950. The congregation decided to close in 1983 and sell the church building. The building was sold and moved in 1984. (See GAMEO for fuller history).

Altona Bergthaler Mennonite Church (Altona, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1908-

The Bergthaler Mennonites first came to the West Reserve area from the East Reserve in 1877. These settlers formed four villages over the next decade. They first began worshiping together in 1880 in Rudnerweide. The education question caused these settlers to divide into two groups, the Sommerfelder and Bergthaler. Johann Funk was the leader of the Bergthaler and Abram Doerksen the leader of the Sommerfelder. In 1895 the Bergthaler built a new meeting house in Hochstadt. However, the centre for worship shifted in 1907 when the new Mennonite Educational Institute was built in Altona. In 1912 it was decided to build a new meeting house in Altona. In 1919 this building was expanded and again in 1944. With the Bible School expanding in Altona it was decided to build a new building to accommodate the large gatherings in connection with the Bible School. A larger building was completed in 1954. The language transition occurred over the next two decades. The congregation has been affiliated with the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada and the General Conference Mennonite Church since 1968. The language of worship was originally German and the transition to English occurred in the 1960s.

Springfield Heights Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1964-

The Springfield Heights Mennonite Church began services and formally organized in 1964. The first building was occupied in 1965. The congregation originated through division from North Kildonan Mennonite due to the latter's size and the desire of some to use the German language. Their first meeting house was completed in 1965 and further expanded in 1978.

Carman Mennonite Church (Carman, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Organisation
  • 1962-

A worshiping group was officially organized in Carman as a Bergthaler group in 1945. Until 1953 the group was viewed as a mission station of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada with leadership provided by the Berghtaler Church of Manitoba. In 1954 it became a congregation identified as the Graysville-Carman congregation. In 1962 the Carman part of this congregation was called the Caman Bergthaler Mennonite Church. Sometime after the Bergthaler Church of Manitoba decentralized and dissolved the corporation, the name was changed to Carman Mennonite Church.

Elim Mennonite Church (Grunthal, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2018
  • Organisation
  • 1927-

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. 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.

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