Eigenheim Mennonite Church (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Eigenheim was one of the congregations of the Rosenorter Gemeinde of Saskatchewan with a meeting house. The founder of this Gemeinde was Peter Regier (1851-1925). He had been appointed Altester in 1887 in Prussia. He emigrated to Tiefengrund in 1893. Enough families had settled in the area so that in 1894 the Rosenorter Gemeinde of Saskatchewan had been founded. The community in which the people lived was then named Eigenheim ("my own home"). The name Eigenheim was also the name of the local school district.
In those early days of settlement, it became a major effort to care for the spiritual needs of the people. Transportation was by oxen or horses. Peter Regier's workload lightened when his brother-in-law Abraham Friesen arrived from Prussia. He had already been ordained into the ministry. Gerhard Epp was ordained to the ministry in July of 1895 to serve in the Rosenorter church. Due to the inconvenience of meeting in homes, a church was built out of logs. This first Mennonite church in the Northwest was dedicated in June 1896. A few years later, the church was too small the original structure was replaced with a larger building in 1902.
In 1899, another settler in the area, Johann Dueck, was ordained to the ministry. With the death of Abraham Friesen in 1901, an election was held for a new minister. Rev. David Toews was chosen. In 1909, there were enough families in the wider area to form districts with a minister in charge of each. One of these was Eigenheim, under the leadership of Gerhard Epp. In 1929, Eigenheim withdrew from the Rosenorter organization and decided to continue as an independent congregation. Gerhard G. Epp was ordained as an elder and Jacob Klaassen, Johann Dueck, and Henry T Klaassen as ministers.
Bibliography
Klaassen, H. T. Birth and Growth of Eigenheim Mennonite Church, 1892-1974. Rosthern, Sask.: Eigenheim Mennonite Church, 1974, 85 pp.
Klaassen, Walter. "The days of our years": A History of the Eigenheim Mennonite Church Community, 1892-1992 Rosthern, Sask.: The Church, 1992, 312 pp.
Mennonite Reporter (24 August 1992): 15.
Rempel, J. G. Die Rosenorter Gemeinde in Saskatchewan. 1950, 183 pp.
Additional Information
Mailing address: Box 550, Rosthern, SK S0K 3R0
Location: 6 miles west of Rosthern on Hwy. 312
Phone: 306-232-4732
Website: https://eigenheimchurch.wixsite.com/welcome
Denominational Affiliations:
Mennonite Church Saskatchewan (1959-present)
Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1929-present)
General Conference Mennonite Church (1938-1999)
Pastoral Leaders at the Eigenheim Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Peter Regier | 1894-1913 |
| Abraham Friesen | 1894-1901 |
| Gerhard Epp | 1894-1919 |
| Johann Dueck | 1899-1939 |
| David Toews | 1901-1929 |
| Cornelius Ens | 1911-1923 |
| Jacob Klaassen | 1919-1943 |
| Gerhard G. Epp | 1919-1963 |
| Henry T. Klaassen | 1919-1964 |
| Irvin Schmidt | 1964-1976 |
| Arthur Regier | 1976-1977 |
| Werner Froese | 1977-1986 |
| Barb & Wilmer Froese | 1988 |
| Walter Braun | 1989-1992 |
| Peter Janzen | 1992-1995 |
| Benno Klassen | 1996-2003? |
| Allan Friesen | 2003?-2017? |
| Pauline Steinmann (Interim) | 2018 |
| Rachel Wallace | 2019-present |
Eigenheim Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 245 |
| 1965 | 208 |
| 1975 | 166 |
| 1985 | 164 |
| 1995 | 136 |
| 2000 | 133 |
| 2010 | 150 |
| 2015 | 141 |
| 2020 | 142 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Gerhard G. Epp. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 170. All rights reserved.
Eigenheim Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite), located six miles west of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, a member of the Canadian Conference, was organized in 1894 as a subsidiary of the Rosenort Church of Saskatchewan by members of that church who settled in the Eigenheim area at that time. The congregation built a church in 1896. It became an independent congregation in 1929. In 1954 the congregation had 245 members with G. G. Epp as elder and H. T. Klaassen as minister.
The congregation has German services, 14 Sunday-school classes, two ladies aid societies, a large choir, and Friday evening catechism and Bible classes through the winter months. Jacob Klassen (d. 1948) and Johann Dueck have also served the congregation as ministers.
| Author(s) | Alf Redekopp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | July 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Redekopp, Alf. "Eigenheim Mennonite Church (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2021. Web. 3 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eigenheim_Mennonite_Church_(Rosthern,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=174971.
APA style
Redekopp, Alf. (July 2021). Eigenheim Mennonite Church (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eigenheim_Mennonite_Church_(Rosthern,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=174971.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.