View source for Goerz, Franz (1820-1901)

Franz Goerz, elder of the Rudnerweide Mennonite congregation, [[Molotschna Mennonite Settlement (Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Molotschna settlement]], [[Taurida Guberniya (Ukraine)|Taurida]], South [[Russia|Russia]], was born in 1820 at Rudnerweide, when that village was only one year old. In 1841 he married and after that lived at [[Gnadenfeld (Molotschna Mennonite settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Gnadenfeld]]. In 1850 he became minister and in 1861 was ordained elder of his native Rudnerweide congregation. After the death of [[Lenzmann, August (1823-1877)|Elder August Lenzmann]] (1877) Goerz for five years served also as elder of the [[Gnadenfeld Mennonite Church (Gnadenfeld, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Gnadenfeld congregation]]. In 1891 he retired from his duty as elder because of ill health. He died in 1901 at Gnadenfeld, having served his large congregation 30 years as elder and 10 additional years as minister. In the 1870s during the crisis brought about through the introduction of universal military service in Russia, Goerz was several times one of the delegates sent to St. Petersburg to plead the Mennonite cause.
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[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Ministers]]
[[Category:Elders]]