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Authority record
Mennonite Heritage Archives

Winnipeg Chinese Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHA-2020
  • Corporate body
  • 1974-

The Winnipeg Chinese Mennonite Church traces its beginning to the Bible study group consisting of Mandarin-speaking immigrants that began meeting in the early 1970s, forming a congregation in 1975. The congregation met in the Bethel Mennonite Church and in 1979 joined the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba. Chinese students were attracted to this congregation from the beginning. The leaders of the congregation were: Frances Tung (1979-1981), Jonathan Chen (1983), Pak Lee Chong (1984-1987), David Chi Ming Tam (1988-1992), Wank King Hung (1993-1999), John Wang (2000- ).

Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church (Winkler, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHC-2018
  • Corporate body
  • 1895-

Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church has its beginning in the village of Hoffnungsfeld, just west of Winkler. Men and women met for Bible study and prayer, appreciated freedom in worship, and placed a high value on missions and Christian Education. The church built a sanctuary in Winkler in 1895, marking the birth of the church as a separate entity. The Bergthaler church was the first church building in Winkler, and the first Mennonite church in a town in all of western Canada. Jacob M. Wiens is considered the founding leader of the group.

nitially all services were conducted in the German language. Beginning in the early 1970s, services were also offered in the English language. At this time, Christian Education programs were expanded, youth programs were added, a large number of women and men were commissioned to serve in mission assignments – at home and abroad, and a system of bishops and lay ministers was replaced with a team of salaried pastors and lay leaders.

A new sanctuary, complete with a full basement, was dedicated in 1947. In 1970, this building was converted to a three-story education wing and a new place of worship, with a seating capacity of 1,000, was constructed. Since that time the church has added an office wing, a new Dining Hall, and an Education Complex.

The church was first named the Bergthaler Mennonite Church at Winkler and was re-named in 1978 to Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church.

In December 2015 it was announced that the congregation was leaving both Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church Manitoba over the issue of same-sex marriage.

Wingham Mennonite Church (Elm Creek, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHA-2020
  • Corporate body
  • 1938-2004

The Wingham Mennonite congregation in Elm Creek, MB began services about 1930, and formally organized in 1938. The first building was occupied in 1939, with a subsequent building program in 1961. Cornelius Rempel is considered the founding leader of the group.
The congregation was affiliated with Mennonite Church Manitoba. The language of worship was German prior to 1970. Prior to 1982 Wingham was part of the Blumenorter church group. The church dissolved on April 25, 2004.
The leaders of the congregation were: Cornelius Rempel (1938-1945), Peter Fehr (1946-1965), Abram Epp (1965-1969), Johann Giesbrecht (?-?), Isaak Penner (?-?), Jakob Nikkel (?-?), Daniel D. Peters (1984-1993), Edward Funk (1994-1997), and Martin Sawatzky (1997-2004).

Wiens family (Descendants of Herman*1731)

  • CA-MHA-2020
  • Family
  • 1764-

This Wiens family begins traces its history back to Herman Wiens (b. ca. 1731), their earliest known ancestor who lived in Czattkau, Prussia, and had a number of children including these three that have a further documented hsitory -- Agatha (1764-1839), Jacob (1767-1845) and Peter (1770-?). Peter was a teacher in Czattkau, Prussia and started an arithmetic book used as a textbook in his teaching. The book was augmented with multihued fraktur artwork. According to the family Peter Wiens one day disappeared without a trace.

Peter’s older brother Jacob Wiens (1767-1845) joined the Mennonite migration to Russia in 1795 and settled in the village of Schoenhorst, Chortitza Colony. His first wife, Sara Dicken, died in 1795. They had one daughter, Maria (1792-1815). Jacob Wiens then married Sara Brandt (1772-1861) in December 1795. Jacob and Sara had 14 children, 7 of which survived into adulthood. Between 1809 and 1814 the family moved from Schoenhorst to the village of Osterwick. Jacob became relatively well-to-do, owning farm properties #14 and # 5 (Wirtschaften). In 1824 he is listed as having 23 mature rams, 4 young rams, and 14 lambs. Jacob was wealthy enough to lend money to various people and he kept a record of these debts. After he died in 1845, his son Jacob (1816-1888) collected the outstanding debts.

Jacob Wiens jr. (1816-1888) was born in the village of Osterwick, Chortitza Colony and baptized on May 20, 1835. In 1836 he married Katherina Klassen (1817-1885). Jacob was a school teacher in Osterwick and in 1841 moved to the village of Kronsthal where he continued to teach. In 1844 Jacob purchased half a Wirtschaft from Hermann Neufeld for 1000 rubles. Jacob continued the practice of journaling and filled the last half of the book started by his uncle Peter Wiens.

In June 1876 Jacob Wiens immigrated to Canada, settling his family in the village of Hoffnungsfeld, Manitoba in the Mennonite West Reserve (near current day Winkler, Manitoba). Jacob recorded his immigration experience. While in Hoffnugsfeld Jacob became a "news correspondent" for the community and submitted regular letters to Mennonitische Rundschau, a weekly newspaper widely read by Mennonites in Europe and North America. Jacob Wiens died July 9, 1888 in Hoffungsfeld, Manitoba.

Nettie Kroeker (1900-1989), a granddaughter of Jacob Wiens (1816-1888), published parts of the Wiens writings.

Wiebe, Johann P., 1862-1922

  • CA-MHA-2022
  • Person
  • 1862-1922

Johann Wiebe was born 1862 in the Bergthal Colony, Russia to Jacob Wiebe and Katharina Penner. Johann P. Wiebe was a mmeber of the Chortitzer Mennonite church. He married Helena Toews (1864-1905) in 1885 and they had three children. In 1906 he married Gertuda Esau (1878-) and they had two children together.

Whitewater Mennonite Church (Boissevain, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHA_2020
  • Corporate body
  • 1927-

The Whitewater Mennonite Church was organized April 18, 1927 by Mennonite families from the Soviet Union who settled in south western part of Manitoba. The first elder was Franz F. Enns of Lena, Manitoba, who had been elder of the Terek Mennonite Church in Russia. On June 16, 1938 G.G. Neufeld succeeded him. In 1958 the church had 565 members and a total population of 1209 persons in 257 families. It was a mulit-congregational church with the following affliates or local congregations: Whitewater (162 members), Rivers (96 members), Ninga (63 members), Lena (80 members), Crystal City (135 members), Manitou (29 members). Five of these groups had their own meetinghouses. In 1958 all worship was in German. In 1936 a meeting house was built near Boissevain. A larger meeting house was built in the town in 1960. In 1947 this church was merged into the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba.

Vietnamese Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

  • CA-MHA-2020
  • Corporate body
  • 1987-

-began in 1982 as a Winnipeg Vietnamese and Chinese Church sponsored by MCC, Manitoba Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba.
-in 1986 the congregation split into a Vietnamese church (CMM-related) and a Chinese church (MB-related).

Unrau, Jacob M., 1920-1999

  • CA-MHC-2016
  • Person
  • 1920-1999

Jacob (Jake) M. Unrau was born to John A. and Helena (Martens) Unrau on January 19, 1920 on his grandfather Martens' farm in Silberfeld, five miles from Gretna, Manitoba. He was the oldest of seven children from his father's first marriage. Other children include Margaret, Helen, Mary, Agnes, John, and Albert. His father was one of the last private school teachers in the Silberfeld and Halbstadt school districts and then began farming. Both parents were raised in the Sommerfelder church setting, and became very faithful members. Jake's mother, Helena died on April 5, 1931 at the age of 35 after a lengthy illness. In 1931, Jake's father married Karoline Bansen in the Altona Bergthaler Mennonite church. Five more children were added to the family through this marriage -- Henry, Paul, Diedrich, Karoline and Nick.

Jake attended school in the Silberfeld area, however when the family moved to Grunthal, Manitoba, he continued his education through correspondence courses. He was baptized by Bishop David Schulz of the Bergthaler Mennonite church in June 1939. Shortly thereafter he felt led to pursue mission work. This led him in 1940 to attend the Elim Bible school in Altona, Manitoba. In 1941 he was called to military service, but agreed with the church doctrine and opted for conscientious objectors status, which he received and worked in an Alternative Service Camp at Riding Mountain Provincial Park.

While in Bible school he met Trudie Giesbrecht whom he married on May 23, 1943. Trudie was the daughter of Cornelius Giesbrecht (1893-1985) and Aganetha Penner (1893-1984). They began working on a dairy farm near Homewood, Manitoba. Here they worked hard but felt they had another calling. In 1948 they began work with the newly formed Mennonite Pioneer Mission (MPM), an outreach ministry of the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba. They served the aboriginal community at Matheson Island in Manitoba's Interlake region from 1948-1956. They were the first live-in ministers at Matheson Island, where they planted a church and expanded their work into other communities.

In 1956 the family moved back to southern Manitoba and Jake attended Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC). After this furlough they again headed out into the mission field. From 1957-1965 Mennonite Pioneer Mission supported their work with another aboriginal community in Manigotogan. This post was not as isolated as Matheson Island, since this community had a road built for most of the trip. Some of their children stayed with relatives in southern Manitoba in order to attend school. In total the Jake and Trudie Unrau had six children: Patricia, Hedy, Larry, Mabel, Phyllis, and Vernelle.

In 1965 another break from mission work was in order and they moved back to Winnipeg where Jake attended CMBC once again. When arriving back at Manigotogan they realized that others had taken up their work and to stay would be somewhat redundant. Mennonite Pioneer Mission was aware of the drift of northern people south into the community of Selkirk, Manitoba. For this reason when friends of the Unrau's realized that they were looking for an assignment they approached MPM and asked that Jake be assigned to work in Selkirk as their minister. MPM agreed. They continued their church work in Selkirk until 1972.

In 1972 the Unraus continued their pastoral mission work in Hammon, Oklahoma with native Americans under the General Conference Mennonite church. In 1975 they returned to Winnipeg and audited courses at the University of Winnipeg. Jake and Trudie then began working with aboriginal people coming to Winnipeg for medical treatment under the auspices of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada Native Ministries. Jake and Trudie retired in 1985 and moved to Bethel Place, a Mennonite apartment building for seniors. From here they continued to be active in the church and in activities at the home. Jake Unrau passed away on December 17, 1999. Trudy Unrau died March 19, 2011.

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