Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada)

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The Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada was established after John Holdeman made visits to Southern Manitoba in 1879 and again in 1881/82. People from 12 families were baptized in Steinbach by the end of his visit.

Wilhelm Giesbrecht and John D. Dyck were ordained to pastoral leadership on 6 January 1884, though John Dyck was asked to move to Gretna, Manitoba immediately after his ordination.

The congregation gradually grew through the conversion of children and the addition of some English-speaking neighbors. Until 1940 Steinbach was considered part of a larger congregation that included Kleefeld, Hochstadt, Blumenort, Blumenhof, and later Greenland.

Steinbach's first church building was erected in 1911. In 1960 the congregation erected another new building on Loewen Boulevard. It was later enlarged to accommodate larger cloakroom facilities.

Since soil south of Steinbach was of marginal quality, many families moved to other locations, including the United States or Western Canada. In 1966 some young couples moved to Bredenbury, Saskatchewan to help start a new congregation. Another group left in 1980 to help start a church in Birnie, Manitoba.

The congregation began the Country View School in 1976, initially in an unfinished bungalow. In 1977 a permanent school was built a little west of Steinbach.

During the 1970s the congregation worked with neighboring congregations to establish Maplewood Manor, a home for the aged and those with physical limitations.

In 2019 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were Ralph Toews, Lorne Bartel, Michael Penner, and Lorne Toews.

Bibliography

Canadian Mennonite (2 December 1960): 3.

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (2009): 43; (2019): 55-56.

Harder, Leland. Steinbach and Its Churches. Elkhart, Indiana: Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 1970, 109 pp.

Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 113-116.

Mennonites in Canada collection, "70-Steinbach," Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

Additional Information

Address: 280 Loewen Blvd., Steinbach

Phone: 204-326-3681

Website:

Denominational Affiliations:

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite

Ordained Pastors at the Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Name Years
of Service
Wilhelm Giesbrecht (1849-1917) 1884-1917
John D. Dyck (1856-1918) 1884-1884
George F. Giesbrecht (1878-1970) 1921-1970
Jacob F. Barkman (1883-1949) 1921-1949
Frank P. Wiebe (1900-1991) 1942-1949
Herbert Barkman (1917-2013) 1949-1953
Alfred P. Barkman (1915-2005) 1950-1998
Ronald J. Wiebe (1923-1996) 1954-1996
Linden Wohlgemuth 1967-1980
Lorne Toews 1981-present
Ralph Toews 1988-present
Lorne Bartel 2002-present
Michael Penner 2010-present

Membership at Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Year Membership
1955 160
1985 130
2000 142
2009 168
2019 150

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

By Jacob F. Barkman. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 625. All rights reserved.

Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church at Steinbach, Manitoba was organized in 1881 when a large part of the Kleine Gemeinde in this area, with the elder and half of the preachers, joined the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Worship services were conducted in homes and then in a school building until 1911, when a church building was erected that had a seating capacity of 400. Wilhelm Giesbrecht was in charge of the services from the beginning until his death in 1917. Neighboring ministers then served the congregation until 1921, at which time Gerhard F. Giesbrecht and Jacob F. Barkman were ordained to the ministry. The services, conducted in both German and English, include regular Sunday morning and evening services, Sunday school, midweek Bible study, Christian Endeavor, hospital services, and singing practices. The sewing circle takes an active part in missionary efforts. The membership in 1957 was 160, with A. P. Barkman as minister in charge, assisted by Gerhard F. Giesbrecht and Ronald Wiebe.


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published August 2020

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2020. Web. 7 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Steinbach_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Steinbach,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=169100.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (August 2020). Steinbach Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 7 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Steinbach_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Steinbach,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=169100.




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