Voth, Henry H. (1918-1981)

Henry H. Voth (1918-1981).
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg, MB: CA CMBS NP026-23-30.

Henry H. Voth: minister and Bible college professor; born 15 September 1918 to Herman and Maria (Retzlaff) Voth in Kalontarovka, South Russia. He was the eighth of 10 children. In 1923, his family immigrated to North America, settling in Manitoba, Canada. On 11 April 1943 he married Erica Schroeder (11 January 1921, Rosenthal, Chortitza, South Russia - 15 March 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), daughter of Johann P. and Anna (Thiessen) Schroeder, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Voths had four daughters, all of whom survived childhood. Henry died suddenly on 21 March 1981 following a heart attack. The funeral was held on 25 March in Winnipeg.

In December 1923, Henry immigrated to North America with his parents and siblings. He spent most of his childhood in Manitoba, living mainly in Gnadenthal and Manitou. Following his graduation from high school, he worked for a short time in his brother’s business. After being drafted by the army in 1942, he performed alternative service in Clear Lake, Manitoba, before enlisting in a non-combatant role in the Medical Corps.

After completing his service, Voth returned to Winnipeg, where he met Erica Schroeder; the two were married at the South End Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg. Henry was converted in 1943 through the preaching of Oswald Smith at Elim Chapel in Winnipeg and baptized the next year at the North End Mennonite Brethren Church. He studied at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College (MBBC) in Winnipeg and at Waterloo College in Waterloo, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario.

Voth worked from 1951 until 1955 as the principal at the Sharon Mennonite Collegiate in Yarrow, British Columbia, and was ordained at the Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church during this time. For some of these years he served as editor of Konferenz-Jugendblatt der Mennoniten Brüdergemeinden in Kanada. Deciding to pursue Bible teaching further, Henry returned to his studies in Kitchener and Toronto, Ontario, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity from the Toronto Federated Theological College in 1957. During that time, he helped establish the Toronto Mennonite Brethren Church.

After that, Henry served as a pastor at the Vineland Mennonite Brethren Church until 1963, when he took a position as a professor at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College. After seven years of teaching, he became the pastor of the Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg in 1970, staying there for the next 10 years. In 1980, he resigned from the church due to health problems but returned to teaching at MBBC.

Meanwhile, Henry served as secretary of the Canadian Conference Sunday School Committee during his years at MBBC, secretary of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches from 1966 until 1972, and assistant moderator of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Churches from 1967 to 1971. In 1975, he took three months off from his work at the church to teach at the Instituto Biblico Asuncion in Paraguay, and in 1978, he was appointed to a study commission monitoring the restructuring of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The next year, he became the Canadian Conference representative for the Mennonite Central Committee (Canada) Peace and Social Concerns Committee. In 1978, he began studies towards a Doctor of Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary but was unable to complete his studies. He died suddenly of a heart attack on 21 March 1981 in Winnipeg. The funeral was held on 25 March at the Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church.

Henry H. Voth was a dedicated Bible teacher and pastor whose life and career had a profound impact on the people around him. Wherever he worked or volunteered, he gave an example of commitment for others to follow.

Bibliography

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. "Voth, Henry H. (1918-1981)." Web. 23 June 2010. http://www.mbconf.ca/home/products_and_services/resources/published_genealogies/personal_papers/voth_henry_h/.

GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 6.02 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite Historical Society, 2010: #222851.

Obituary. Mennonite Brethren Herald (24 April 1981): 30.

Obituary. Die Mennonitische Rundschau (22 April 1981): 27.

Obituary. Winnipeg Free Press. Web. 23 June 2010. http://www.passagesmb.com/obituary_details.cfm?ObitID=133088.

Author(s)	Susan Huebert
Date Published	September 2010

Cite This Article

MLA style

Huebert, Susan. "Voth, Henry H. (1918-1981)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Voth,_Henry_H._(1918-1981)&oldid=142860.

APA style

Huebert, Susan. (September 2010). Voth, Henry H. (1918-1981). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Voth,_Henry_H._(1918-1981)&oldid=142860.

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