Blumenort Mennonite Church (Gretna, Manitoba, Canada)

Blumenort Mennonite Church
Photo: Google street view.

The Blumenort Mennonite Church is located a little east of Gretna at Rosetown (known as Rosenort until 1976), Manitoba. It traces its origins to the Mennonites who came to Manitoba in the 1920s from the Soviet Union. These immigrants settled in villages on the Mennonite West Reserve filling the vacant farms the Reinländer Mennonite Church members left when they immigrated to Mexico. Under the leadership of Jacob J. Klassen, these Russian Mennonites, began meeting in homes for worship services in September of 1923. In 1926 the Blumenort Mennonite Church at Reinland was officially formed, and operated as a separate congregation until September 1968, when they joined the Rosenort congregation. During the early years the Blumenort church of Manitoba (Blumenorter Mennoniten Gemeinde) had 10 centers of worship. These included Blumenfeld, Neuhorst, Rosenort, Schoenwiese, Gnadenthal, Reinland, Hochfeld, Osterwick, Chortitz and Eichenfeld. Most of these dissolved gradually and the church was centralized at one meeting place in 1958.

Johann P. Bueckert was the elder from 1928 until 1954 followed by Paul J. Schaefer 1954-1969. Other ministers who were called to minister in the Blumenort Mennonite Church include: A. A. Teichroeb 1970-1974, C. C Thiessen 1975-1982, Peter D. Zacharias 1983-2006, and Rudy Franz, 2009-2020.

In 1950 there were 337 members; in 1965, 393; in 1975, 262; in 1985, 247; in 1995, 228; in 2000, 214; in 2009, 221.

In March 2017 the congregation voted to leave Mennonite Church Manitoba and Mennonite Church Canada. The decision was primarily a response to a resolution passed in July 2016 by Mennonite Church Canada related to same-sex matters.

Bibliography

Canadian Mennonite (24 January 1958): 8.

Mennonite Reporter (15 May 1978): 11; (15 June 1992): B1.

Ens, Adolf. "A Contribution to the History of the Blumenort Mennonite Church, Gretna, Manitoba." Research paper, Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 1962, 26 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.

"Two More Manitoba Churches Leave MC Canada." Canadian Mennonite (3 July 2017): 21, no. 14: 16.

Zacharias, Peter D. Footprints of a Pilgrim People: Story of the Blumenort Mennonite Church. Gretna: Blumenort Mennonite Church, 1985, 291 pp.

Archival Records

Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, MB: Mennonite Heritage Centre.

Additional Information

Physical location: 12159 Rd 3 N W, Gretna, Manitoba
[Co-ordinates 49.045278, -97.750278 (49° 02' 43" N 97° 45' 01" W)]

Postal Address: Box 457, Gretna, Manitoba R0G 0V0

Phone: 204-327-5208

Website: http://blumenortchurch.com/

Denominational Affiliation:

Mennonite Church Manitoba (Until 2017)

Mennonite Church Canada (1926-2017)

General Conference Mennonite Church (1927-1999)

Author(s)	Marlene Epp
Date Published	July 2017

Cite This Article

MLA style

Epp, Marlene. "Blumenort Mennonite Church (Gretna, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2017. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Blumenort_Mennonite_Church_(Gretna,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=169520.

APA style

Epp, Marlene. (July 2017). Blumenort Mennonite Church (Gretna, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Blumenort_Mennonite_Church_(Gretna,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=169520.

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