Rosthern Mennonite Church (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Rosthern Mennonite Church, Rosthern, SK.
Source: Mennonite Church Saskatchewan Website

Rosthern was only a plate stuck on a telegraph pole and a water reservoir for refilling the steam engines when the first Mennonite settlers arrived in 1891. Upon arrival in Rosthern, the railway coaches were shunted onto a siding and these settlers lived in them for five weeks while deciding just where they would settle. A formal church organization of settlers in the area was formed in 1894, and a church building for the whole area was built of logs at Eigenheim, six miles west of the Rosthern settlement, in 1896. In 1897 the name Rosenorter Gemeinde (Rosenort Church Group) was chosen. The founder of the Rosenorter Church was Peter Regier (1851-1925). He had been appointed Ältester (bishop) in 1887 in Prussia and immigrated to Tiefengrund, Saskatchewan in 1893.

A number of the members of the Rosenort Mennonite Church lived in Rosthern, and met in homes, which had become too small to accommodate the growing group. A small church building was constructed in 1903, and still stands in its original spot today (it is the meeting place of the Church of New Jerusalem). However, the church continued to grow rapidly through baptisms as well as the arrival of new settlers, and a new building was erected in 1912 on approximately the site of the present church. One of the earliest leaders of this church was David Toews, who served the congregation from 1913-1946.

During the 1920s, word came to Canada of the extreme hardships that Mennonites in Russia were suffering. Toews had a dream of resettling many of these Mennonites in Canada. Although government policies, both in Canada and Russia, were against this possibility, Toews began to work toward making his dream come true. He spent much time and effort talking to everyone from government officials to railroad executives, and eventually over 20,000 Mennonites from Russia came to Canada. A number of these people settled in the Rosthern area, and brought considerable new energy and gifts to the congregation here.

The church building constructed in 1912 served for many years, but by the early 1960s was showing signs of being much too small for the congregation. It was decided to build a new church, so the lot beside the church building was purchased, and in 1963-64 a new brick building was constructed. This building featured a much larger sanctuary, as well as a number of classrooms for Sunday School, a large library area, a large and well-equipped kitchen, and a lower hall that could accommodate the congregation for wedding meals, banquets, etc. With some renovations, this building has served as the congregation's place of worship for 45 years.

In 1954 the Rosenort church group divided into two parts because of its unwieldy size. The groups were known as the Rosenort Mennonite Church (Tiefengrund, Garthland, Capasin, Hague, Hochfeld, Neuanlage and Aberdeen) and the United Mennonite Church of Saskatchewan (Rosthern, Osler, Laird and Horse Lake). These multi-congregational churches dissolved in 1962 and the Rosthern Mennonite Church became truly independent.

The Rosenort congregation began to be divided into smaller autonomous congregations beginning in 1929, and in 1954 Rosthern became part of the United Mennonite Church of Saskatchewan, which also included congregations at Laird, Osler and Horse Lake. In 1962 this was again decentralized, and the Rosthern Mennonite Church became a completely separate congregation.

Lay leadership was always part of the church in the earlier years, taking some of the burden of ministry of the large congregation from the senior pastor. In 1988, a second pastor was hired, when Michael Peak became the associate/youth pastor. Since then, Chester Wiebe, Mark & Candace Wurtz, Marco Funk, Lucas Plett  and Wendy Luitjens have held this position. At the present time, the youth are led by a volunteer team of parents and interested young adults.

Over the years, people working at the various institutions in the Rosthern area often became a part of the congregation, and the institutions offered people in the congregation many chances to serve God and the church. Rosthern Junior College, the Mennonite Youth Farm, including its various homes, the Home for the Aged, and more recently the Clothes Basket, have all been places in the community where faith could be demonstrated in practical ways. In earlier years, the Mennonite Board of Colonization, the German-language newspaper Der Bote, and the Mennonite bookstore were also important institutions to the church and community.

The Rosthern Mennonite Church celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003, and continues as an active congregation today.

Bibliography

Heese, Justina. "Our Church Family History." Unpublished typescript, 1978, 33 pp. Mennonite Historical Society of Canada collection, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

Rempel, J. G. Die Rosenorter Gemeinde in Saskatchewan. 1950, 183 pp.

Rosthern Mennonite Church. "History of Rosthern Mennonite Church." Web. 10 July 2010. http://www.rosthernmennonitechurch.com/.

Archival Records

Records at Mennonite Heritage Centre - Rosthern Mennonite Church fonds.

Additional Information

Address: Box 519, 3016 5 St., Rosthern, SK, S0K 3R0

Phone: 306-232-5577

Website: Rosthern Mennonite Church

Denominational Affiliations:

Mennonite Church Saskatchewan (1960-present)

Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1903-present)

General Conference Mennonite Church (1908-1999)

Rosthern Mennonite Church Ministers

Minister	Years
Peter Regier	1884-1925
David Toews	1913-1947
Johann Dueck	1930-1950
Gerhard Epp	1930-1950
I. I. Friesen	1930-1939
Isaac P. Friesen	1930-1943
Johann Rempel	1931-1955
Isaac Epp	1941-1948
Jacob Gerbrandt	1945-1947
Peter Koop	1946-1978
Heinrich Klassen	1946-1958
Jacob C. Schmidt	1954-1963
Henry Zacharias	1960-1966
Henry Funk	1962-1973
Edward Enns	1962-1964
Paul Schroeder	1964-1968
Leonard Enns	1969-1970
Waldemar Regier	1970-1978
Died Gerbrandt	1979-1985
Rudy Froese	1985-1997
Craig Friesen	1997-2005
Wilmer & Barb Froese	2006-2010
Craig Neufeld	2011-2018
Claire Ewert Fisher (Interim)	2019-2021
Andrea Enns-Gooding	July 2021-present

Rosthern Mennonite Church Membership

Year	Members
1963	400
1965	413
1975	416
1985	390
1995	313
2000	300
2010	186
2020	98

Author(s)	Justina Heese
	Frank Letkeman
	Ewald Epp
Date Published	July 2021

Cite This Article

MLA style

Heese, Justina, Frank Letkeman and Ewald Epp. "Rosthern Mennonite Church (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2021. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rosthern_Mennonite_Church_(Rosthern,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=172472.

APA style

Heese, Justina, Frank Letkeman and Ewald Epp. (July 2021). Rosthern Mennonite Church (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rosthern_Mennonite_Church_(Rosthern,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=172472.

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