File 8 - Peter J. Kornelson sermons

Peter J. Kornelsen was born on June 19, 1881 in a small village in the Slavgorod Colony, South Russia. He was the fourth and only surviving child in a family of six. When he was eight years old his parents bought part of a business and moved to Muntau, Molotschna Colony. Not long after they moved again to the near-by village of Tiegenhagen where Kornelson spent what he described as the happiest years of his life. On May 8, 1903, after hearing the preaching of Evangelist Jakob Quiring, he was baptized in the Rueckenau Mennonite Brethren Church. That same year he became engaged to Maria Konrad but they had to wait four years before they could marry so that Kornelsen could finish his forestry service. They were married on October 15, 1906 and had two daughters, one of which died in infancy. For one year between 1917-1918, Kornelsen studied at the Berlin Allianzbibleschule. He was ordained to the ministry by Wilhelm Dyck at Millerovo on September 19, 1919. Kornelsen then served as pastor in the Tiegenhagen church until 1924 when he immigrated to Canada with his family. They arrived in Winkler on August 11, 1924. In 1925 they tried to farm near Morden but Maria was not strong enough and so soon after they moved to Winnipeg. Kornelsen became the founding minister of the South End Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg where he served as lead pastor from 1936 until 1947. (South End MB Church later became Portage Avenue MB Church.) His daughter, Mary, described him as a dedicated, strong, and sincere Christian. Peter J. Kornelsen died on October 6, 1969 after 50 years of ministry.