Emmaus Mennonite Church Group (Saskatchewan, Canada)
Emmaus Mennonite Church Group (Gemeinde), located in the area of Swift Current, a city of about 9,000 in south-western Saskatchewan, a wheat-growing area, is a member of the Conference of Mennonites of Canada. The congregation has (1954) seven church build¬ings, the largest of which, with a seating capacity of 250, is in Swift Current.
In 1913 the Home Mission Board of the Canadian Conference began to serve the scattered families living in the area and in 1914 the first 12 candidates were baptized. During the following years this group was served by Elder Johann Gerbrandt, Drake, Sask.; Gerhard Buhler, Herbert, Sask.; Peter J. Epp, Eigenheim, Sask.; and Elder Benjamin Ewert. After World War I, a number of families from Russia settled here. As a result a congrega¬tion was organized June 16, 1928, and Isaac H. Wiens was ordained as the first minister, although Benjamin Ewert served for some time longer as elder.
The first meetinghouse was built in 1916 near Neville. The other six churches have been built with aid from the General Conference Home Mis¬sion Board since 1937. The membership in 1954 was 371, about half urban and half rural.
The congregation has Sunday schools, Christian Endeavor groups, women's mission groups, prayer meetings, and choirs. The German language is used for some morning services and the English in Sun¬day schools and in some morning and all evening services. The ministers in 1954 were Werner Zacha-rias, David Quiring, Wilhelm Zacharias, Cornelius P. Kehler, Jacob J. M. Friesen, and Valentine E. Nickel, who was ordained as elder Oct. 31, 1948.
Bibliography
Epp, Judy. "Emmaus: Church of the Swift Current Reserve," Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1972, 23 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Sawatzky, Ernie. "The History of the Emmaus Mennonite Church of Swift Current and South." Research paper, Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 1961. 26 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
| Author(s) | Valentine E Nickel |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Nickel, Valentine E. "Emmaus Mennonite Church Group (Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Emmaus_Mennonite_Church_Group_(Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=112570.
APA style
Nickel, Valentine E. (1956). Emmaus Mennonite Church Group (Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Emmaus_Mennonite_Church_Group_(Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=112570.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 204-205. All rights reserved.
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