Bergthal Mennonite Church (Didsbury, Alberta, Canada)
The Bergthal Mennonite Church at Didsbury, Alberta began from settlers who moved here from Manitoba in 1901 and settled within sight of the Rocky Mountains. The congregation was founded in 1903 and built their first meeting house that year. The congregation joined the Conference of Mennonites in Middle Canada in 1910. Up until that time the congregation included a number of Sommerfeld Mennonite families, but many of them left after the congregation joined the conference. During its first years the congregation did not have a resident minister, but the church was served frequently by Gerhard Buhler, Frank Sawatzky, David Toews and C. F. Sawatzky. After 1929 the congregation had its own pastor.
In 1918-1919 the meeting house was moved west along with the cemetery. In 1923 and following, many new Mennonite immigrants from Russia joined the congregation, resulting in the construction of a basement in 1929 and an expansion of the meeting house in 1934.
In 1937 Menno Bible Institute was begun by the congregation. This Bible institute was taken over by the conference in 1946. The buildings were sold to the conference and a new meeting house for the congregation was completed in 1948. This building was enlarged in 1965-1966. The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1960s.
Bibliography
Brown, Helena M. "Will Bergthal Mennonite Church Survive Another 20 years? a Short Historical Sketch." Research paper, CMBC, 1974, 14 pp. MHC.
Brown, Helena M. "Bergthal Church (Didsbury, Alberta), 1903-1978." Research paper, CMBC, 1978, 18 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre archives (Winnipeg, Man.) (MHC).
Canadian Mennonite (1 July 1955): 11; (3 December 2001): http://www.canadianmennonite.org/vol05-2001/5-23/theconferences.html (accessed 22 September 2009); (25 May 2009): 14.
Dick, C. L. The Mennonite Conference of Alberta: A History of its Churches and Institutions. Edmonton: The Mennonite Conference of Alberta, 1981.
Goerzen, Robert E. "The Bergthal Mennonite Church of Didsbury." Research paper, CMBC, 1978, 14 pp. MHC.
Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives. "Bergthal Mennonite Church (Didsbury, Alta.)." 19 February 2009. Web. 22 September 2009. http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/holdings/AB/AB_bergthaldidsbury.htm.
Mennonite Reporter (7 August 1978): 15; (13 November 1989): B2.
Archival Records
Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Volumes 86, 1628, 2940, 4001, 4689.
Additional Information
Address: R.R. 2, Didsbury, Alberta T0M 0W0; the church is located three miles (five km) south, nine miles (15 km) east of Didsbury.
Phone: 403-335-4451
Website: Bergthal Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
General Conference Mennonite Church (1938-1999)
Bergthal Mennonite Church Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Abram Dyck | |
| Jacob Hamm | 1903-1910 |
| Gerhard Neufeld | 1910-1946 |
| Daniel Unruh | 1921-1923 |
| Isaac Epp | 1923-1925 |
| Cornelius D. Harder | 1927-1935 |
| J. P. Loewen | 1931-1988 |
| John J. Sawatzky | 1931-1945 |
| William Falk | 1931-1932 |
| Cornelius G. Neufeld | 1932-1991 |
| Jack Neufeld | 1932-1972 |
| Martin Goerzen | 1958-1963 |
| Werner Froese | 1967-1977 |
| Erwin Siemens | 1977-1981 |
| David Letkemann | 1982-1986 |
| Norman Bergen | 1988-1991 |
| Bruce Wiebe | 1992-2000 |
| Elwin Garland | 2002-2009 |
| Michael Nimz | 2009-2012 |
| Ken Bechtel (interim) | 2013-present |
Bergthal Mennonite Church Membership
| Years | Members |
|---|---|
| 1931 | 104 |
| 1938 | 105 |
| 1950 | 155 |
| 1965 | 204 |
| 1975 | 176 |
| 1980 | 193 |
| 1985 | 178 |
| 1995 | 159 |
| 2000 | 156 |
| 2020 | 102 |
| Author(s) | C. G. Neufeld |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | February 1989 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Neufeld, C. G. and Marlene Epp. "Bergthal Mennonite Church (Didsbury, Alberta, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 1989. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bergthal_Mennonite_Church_(Didsbury,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=171772.
APA style
Neufeld, C. G. and Marlene Epp. (February 1989). Bergthal Mennonite Church (Didsbury, Alberta, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bergthal_Mennonite_Church_(Didsbury,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=171772.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 280. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.