Shantz, Stanley Devitt (1914-1990)
Stanley Devitt Shantz: minister and bishop of the Sharon Mennonite Church at Guernsey, Saskatchewan, the Holyrood Mennonite Church in Edmonton, the Baden-Geiger Church in Baden, Ontario, and First Mennonite Church in Vineland, was born 23 May 1914 near Guernsey, Saskatchewan, and died 1 March 1990 in Kitchener, Ontario. He was married to Fern Burkhart on 22 April 1945. They had three sons and one daughter. Fern (Burkhart) Shantz died in 1979, and on 6 April 1985 Stanley Shantz married Kathryn Yoder.
Stanley Shantz received Christ as his savior at an evangelistic service in the summer of 1928 and was baptized and received into the fellowship of the Sharon Mennonite Church at Guernsey, Saskatchewan, in September of 1928. He was active in the congregation as chorister and Sunday School Superintendent. In 1937 he spent three months at the Ontario Mennonite Bible School, and the 1940 and 1941 winter terms at the Regina Bible Institute. After his marriage in 1945 the couple took up residence on their own farm. It was here that their children were born. On 13 June 1943 the Sharon Mennonite Church at Guernsey ordained Stanley Shantz as a minister in the congregation. He was ordained as bishop on 1 July 1952.
Stanley Shantz had a keen interest in missions, serving as president of the Alberta-Saskatchewan Mennonite Conference's Mission Board for a number of years. He proved his interest in missions in a practical way when, while still farming in the Guernsey area, he and his family spent two winters at Calling Lake, Alberta. That service brought him into very close contact with Ike and Millie Glick and with other members of the Edmonton Mennonite Fellowship (later renamed the Holyrood Mennonite Church). He accepted a call to serve as the pastor at Holyrood in 1962, remaining there until 1971. The parsonage became a convenient stopping off and resting place for many missions and voluntary service workers in northern Alberta, with Fern serving as the quiet and gracious hostess for the many visitors.
In 1972, in response to a call from the Ontario Mennonite Conference, Stanley Shantz accepted a call to serve the Baden-Geiger congregation in Ontario as pastor. Later, Stanley Shantz served as pastor of the First Mennonite Church at Vineland, Ontario, and as interim pastor in a number of congregations.
Bibliography
Regehr, T. D. Faith, Life and Witness in the Northwest, 1903-2003: Centennial History of the Northwest Mennonite Conference. Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 2003.
Stauffer, Ezra. History of the Alberta-Saskatchewan Mennonite Conference. Ryley, Alberta: Alberta-Saskatchewan Mennonite Conference, 1960: 90-91.
"Stanley Shantz. A Mennonite Statesman." Northwest Conference of the Mennonite Church Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1990): 1-2.
Obituary Notice for Stanley Shantz in the Gospel Herald.
| Author(s) | Ted D Regehr |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2003 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Regehr, Ted D. "Shantz, Stanley Devitt (1914-1990)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2003. Web. 30 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Shantz,_Stanley_Devitt_(1914-1990)&oldid=143243.
APA style
Regehr, Ted D. (December 2003). Shantz, Stanley Devitt (1914-1990). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 30 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Shantz,_Stanley_Devitt_(1914-1990)&oldid=143243.
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