Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church (Vauxhall, Alberta, Canada)
Creator: Henry J. Wiens (1885-1975)
Digitized by Hiebert Library. Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies.
The Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren congregation near Vauxhall, Alberta began services in 1933, and formally organized in 1934 with a membership of 44. The first building was occupied in 1937, with subsequent building programs in 1949 and 1984. Peter Langemann is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through colonization from Saskatchewan and elsewhere in Alberta. The Vauxhall area was attractive to settlers because it offered opportunities for irrigation and there were numerous farms available to rent and later buy.
On 17 June 1940 the church building was destroyed by fire by arsonists as an expression of anti-German feeling occasionally directed at the Mennonites during World War II. The Vauxhall Mennonite Church (GCM) was burned the same night. The basement for a new church was completed in 1941 and used for services. The building was completed in 1949.
The church conducted its own Bible school 1937-43. The language transition from German to English occurred in the 1960s. Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren planted a daughter church in the community of Hays in April 1987.
Bibliography
Esau, John J. "The Mennonite Brethren Settlement in the Vauxhall District." 1968, 4 pp. Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies
Mennonite Brethren Herald (24 January 1986): 17; (27 May 1988): 5.
Toews, John A. A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church: Pilgrims and Pioneers. Fresno, CA, 1975: 166. Available in full electronic text at: https://archive.org/details/AHistoryOfTheMennoniteBrethrenChurch.
Archival Records:
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Volumes 340-341, Microfilms R49, pp. 1361–2294, R50, pp. 1–1193.
Additional Information
Address: Box 75, Vauxhall AB T0K 2K0; located 7 km north, 2 km east of Vauxhall.
Telephone: 403-654-4282
Website: Vauxhall MB Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Alberta Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1934-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1934-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1934-2002)
Vauxhall MB Church Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Peter Langemann | 1934-1943 |
| Peter Redekopp | 1944-1945 |
| Henry Rempel | 1946-194? |
| David Baerg | 194?-194? |
| David Petkau | 194?-195? |
| D. J. Thiessen | 195?-195? |
| Henry A. Unruh | 1955-1956 |
| Bernard P. Epp | 1957-1959 |
| Henry A. Unruh | 1960-1965 |
| Abe Esau | 1966-1968 |
| Henry A. Unruh | 1969 |
| Wally Kroeker | 1970-1975 |
| Gerhard Reimer | 1975-1977 |
| Dewayn Isaac | 1977-1982 |
| David Nightingale | 1982-1987 |
| Adam Wiggins | 1988-1992 |
| Leo Siemens | 1993-1997 |
| Rudy Heidebrecht (interim) | 1998 |
| Bill Glasspell | 1999-2004 |
| Harry Heidebrecht (interim) | 2004-2005 |
| Elroy Senneker | 2005-2013 |
| Harold Reimer | 2016-present |
Vauxhall MB Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 83 |
| 1985 | 152 |
| 1995 | 102 |
| 2000 | 112 |
| 2010 | 120 |
| 2015 | 143 |
| Author(s) | A. A. Toews |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | July 2016 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Toews, A. A. and Marlene Epp. "Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church (Vauxhall, Alberta, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2016. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Vauxhall_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Vauxhall,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=163457.
APA style
Toews, A. A. and Marlene Epp. (July 2016). Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church (Vauxhall, Alberta, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Vauxhall_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Vauxhall,_Alberta,_Canada)&oldid=163457.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 799. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.