Groening, George (1918–2022)
George Groening: teacher and pastor; born 23 March 1918 in Lowe Farm, Manitoba, Canada, the ninth of twelve children born to Henry Groening (6 November 1875 – 28 August 1940, R.M. Morris, Manitoba) and Marie (Penner) Groening (20 August 1885 – 14 November 1959, Lowe Farm, Manitoba). On 13 August 1944, he married Nettie Heinrichs, daughter of Peter Heinrichs (1890-1965) and Helena (Giesbrecht) Heinrichs (1889-1936). George and Nettie had five daughters, two of whom predeceased him: Carla in 1964, and Grace in 2019. Joanna, Marlee, and Gwen survived him. George died in the Menno Home in Abbotsford, British Columbia on 15 September 2022 in his 105th year and was buried in Rose Farm Cemetery, Lowe Farm, Manitoba.
After his conversion in 1935, George experienced a strong sense of a calling to ministry. In 1941 at the age of 23, he was baptized by Bishop David Schulz in Lowe Farm, Manitoba, and in September 1948, was ordained to ministry. Apart from attending Normal School in preparation for teaching, George equipped himself by personal study. He was known for his wide reading.
Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939, George applied for and was granted conscientious objector (CO) status. He first worked in a diesel power plant in Wasagaming, Manitoba. Other CO assignments included working on a dairy farm, planting trees, building roadways on Mt. Seymour in Vancouver, as well as teaching at Kronsweide, Rose Farm, and at an Aboriginal residential school in Norway House, some 30 kilometers north of Lake Winnipeg. This experience awakened in him an interest in mission work. Consequently, during the 1950s he became chair of the Mennonite Pioneer Mission (later Native Ministries), and during the 1960s, chaired the Conference of Mennonites in Canada Board of Missions.
Following his release from CO obligations, George was invited to minster in the Lowe Farm Bergthaler Mennonite Church in 1947, where he served for six years. The Conference took note of this up-and-coming leader. In 1954 he was asked to pastor Bethel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg. Here he enjoyed 12 fruitful years, seeing the emergence and healthy growth of this church and overseeing several church plants. In 1966 he was hired to pastor Foothills Mennonite Church in Calgary, Alberta. This became a difficult assignment, causing him to question further pastoral work. Providentially, in 1971 Eden Mennonite Church in Chilliwack, British Columbia invited George to pastoral leadership. He flourished in pastoring this congregation and served there until his retirement in 1984.
During his time at Eden, George served as moderator of the Conference of Mennonites in BC (1975-1979), and later, for ten years, he chaired the board of Columbia Bible College.
George Groening was an uncommonly organized person and an able communicator, frequently invited to speak at events within and outside of his own denomination. His 3,800 archived sermons show that he thought and spoke with a disciplined economy of words.
Bibliography
Biographical Sketch, Mennonite Heritage Archives
Interview with Ralph Groening
Obituary, Memorial Bulletin, Eden Church, 26 November 2022
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press
Personal Memoir, “The Story of George and Nettie (Heinrichs) Groening”
Archival Records
His personal papers are deposited with the Mennonite Heritage Archives in Winnipeg.
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AUTHOR1_LASTNAME, AUTHOR1_FIRSTNAME and AUTHOR2_FIRSTNAME AUTHOR2_LASTNAME. "Groening, George (1918–2022)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. ARTICLE_DATE. Web. 25 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groening,_George_(1918%E2%80%932022)&oldid=175592.
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AUTHOR1_LASTNAME, AUTHOR1_FIRSTNAME and AUTHOR2_FIRSTNAME AUTHOR2_LASTNAME. (ARTICLE_DATE). Groening, George (1918–2022). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groening,_George_(1918%E2%80%932022)&oldid=175592.
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