View source for Schellenberg, David (1852-1919)

David Schellenberg: [[Mennonite Brethren Church|Mennonite Brethren]] (MB) elder in [[Russia|Russia]]; born in [[Neukirch (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Neukirch]], [[Molotschna Mennonite Settlement (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Molotschna Mennonite settlement]], South Russia, 13 September 1852, the son of Abraham J. Schellenberg (3 December 1807 - 23 April 1884) and Maria (Pauls) Schellenberg (10 August 1823 - 17 November 1876). In 1879 he married Lena Enns (13 September 1852, Tiegerweide, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, South Russia – 15 December 1907, [[Rückenau (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Rückenau]], Molotschna Mennonite settlement, South Russia), a daughter of Daniel and Maria Peters Enns. Four children were born to this union. After his wife’s death he married Sara Koop (nee Klassen). David died in 1919. His funeral was held on 3 March 1919, when the Molotschna settlement was overrun by [[Makhno, Nestor (1888-1934)|Makhno]] bands.

David supplemented his [[Elementary Education|elementary education]] with extensive reading. After years of Sunday-school teaching he was called to the ministry at the age of 24 and ordained on 15 April 1878. When his older brother, Elder [[Schellenberg, Abraham (1845-1920)|Abraham Schellenberg]], left Russia on 15 May 1879 to immigrate to America, he took a part of his church with him and David Schellenberg was elected as elder of the remainder on 14 April 1881, and ordained to the office on 23 May 1882.

P. M. Friesen pays the following tribute to David Schellenberg: "The elder was modest and wise and gladly recognized the talents of others. Many blessings accompanied the earlier part of David Schellenberg's eldership. This changed however later, until circumstances developed in 1909 which brought the office of elder in Rückenau to a standstill." The leadership was henceforth given to a church council. The last ten years of his life were spent in quiet but in full fellowship with his church.

[[Janz, Benjamin B. (1877-1964)|B. B. Janz]], a contemporary of David Schellenberg, in consultation with other contemporaries, wrote a biography in the German, of which the above is an abbreviated translation.
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