Series 6 - Societies

1) Mennonitische Flüchtlingsfürsorge.
Mennonite Refugee Care was organized in 1920 in Ludwigshafen, Germany with its seat in Heilbronn. The purpose of this organization was to assist with pastoral and material aid to German refugees from Russia in the aftermath of WW I. Travelling evangelist Abram Warkentin represented the Russian Mennonites. The Committee was dissolved in 1926.

2) American Mennonite Relief
A. J. Miller, director of American Mennonite Relief, stated that the AMR "is an unofficial, volunteer, American organization for social service. It maintains a base at Constantinople where relief supplies are ready for prompt shipment to Russia to be received and distributed by the American Mennonite Relief organization."
It was set up under the Mennonite Central Committee to distribute relief in Russia. It operated during the entire Russian famine period, working under its agreement of 1 October 1921, with the Moscow government and under the agreement with the Soviet Republic obtained by the American Relief Administration (ARA) with which and under which organization AMR carried on its relief activities up to the time of the closing of the ARA in 1923. A resolution of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) on 1 August 1925, called for the closing of the work of the AMR on 1 October, but the organization was not disbanded until 1926.

3) Mennonite Colonization Board (Newton, Kansas, USA)
The Mennonite Colonization Board was organized in the spring of 1924 to give financial aid to the movement of Mennonite immigrants from Russia to Canada. D. E. Harder was the first president.
The Mennonite Colonization Board had two active projects. The one was financial aid to immigrants to Canada. By 1 August 1925, $15,000 had been raised and sent to Canada, $12,000 as loans to be repaid. The second project, colonization of Russian Mennonites in Mexico, arose because of the inability of some of the prospective Russian emigrants to pass the Canadian health requirements.
In 1947 the Mennonite Colonization Board was dissolved and its assets turned over to the Mennonite Central Committee.

4) Emergency Relief Board (General Conference Mennonite Church)
Emergency Relief Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church was organized as a standing body of the General Conference in 1899 under the name of Emergency Relief Commission.
At its regular session in 1920, the General Conference authorized the Emergency Relief Commission to give aid to the needy Mennonite brethren in Russia and to send a representative to that country to investigate the conditions and to help in relief work; it further authorized the commission to unite its relief efforts with those of the all-Mennonite organization then in the process of formation, the Mennonite Central Committee. B.H. Unruh was the commissioner.