Morden Mennonite Church (Morden, Manitoba, Canada)
The Canadian Pacific Railway built a station at the current town site of Morden in 1882. This caused the towns of Mountain City to the south and Nelson to the north to dissolve and move to Morden, which then became a thriving town by 1885. Mennonites lived in the surrounding area as early as 1876. By 1918 some moved into the town site. These Mennonites were from various conference backgrounds. Both Michael Klaassen from Herold and C. Bergmann from Altona gave leadership to this group during the 1920s. In 1928 the Bergthaler Church of Manitoba decided to start a more permanent work in Morden and sent Peter P. Epp that year. They met in rented facilities. The Mennonite Brethren decided to form their own congregation in 1930 and so in 1931 a Bergthaler congregation was formally organized under the leadership of Peter P. Epp with 30 charter members.
In 1938 the congregation built its own meetinghouse. In 1949 this building was expanded. In 1958 a new larger meeting house was completed.
The congregation has been affiliated with Mennonite Church Manitoba, Mennonite Church Canada and the General Conference Mennonite Church (1968-1999). The language of worship is English and German; the transition from German occurred in the 1970s.
The congregation changed its name from Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church in 2003.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (3 March 1964): 11.
Gerbrandt, H. J. Adventure in Faith. Altona, MB: Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba, 1970.
Milstones and Memories, 1931-1981: Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Morden. Morden, MB: Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church, 1981.
Pauls, Jake I. "History of Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1966, 44 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Archival Records
Church records at Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Additional Information
Address: 363 Gilmour, Morden, MB R6M 1M5; located at the corner of 8th and Gilmour.
Phone: 204-822-7450
Website: https://mordenmennonitechurch.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
Pastoral Leaders at Morden Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Michael Klaassen | 1922-1934 |
| Peter P. Epp | 1924-1935 |
| Jacob M. Pauls | 1934-1952 |
| Wilhelm Buhr | 1938-1953 |
| Johann Janzen | 1938-1952 |
| Abram Born | 1954-1968 |
| Jakob F. Pauls | 1954-1971 |
| Abram Neufeld | 1968-1979 |
| John Friesen | 1970-1976 |
| Otto Hamm | 1978 |
| William Block | 1979-1984 |
| Abe Hiebert | 1985-1990 |
| Walt Braun | 1991-1996 |
| Rick Neufeld | 1997-2004 |
| Harold Peters Fransen (Interim) | 2004/2005 |
| Harold Schlegel | 2005-2012 |
| Diane Hildebrand Schlegel | 2005-? |
| Michael Pahl | 2013-2020 |
| Larissa Pahl | 2013-2020 |
| Ben Pauls (Interim) | 2021 |
| Justin Majeau | July 2021-present |
Membership at Morden Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 202 |
| 1965 | 261 |
| 1975 | 388 |
| 1985 | 413 |
| 1995 | 339 |
| 2000 | 360 |
| 2020 | 376 |
| Author(s) | Marlene Epp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Epp, Marlene. "Morden Mennonite Church (Morden, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2021. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morden_Mennonite_Church_(Morden,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=172213.
APA style
Epp, Marlene. (June 2021). Morden Mennonite Church (Morden, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morden_Mennonite_Church_(Morden,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=172213.
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