Western Tract Mission (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)
The Western Tract Mission (WTM) was formed in 1941 at Langham, Saskatchewan by George W. Elliott, a Mennonite Brethren layman who had a burden to reach the unsaved. Western Tract Mission is an evangelical, interdenominational faith mission in which Mennonites have played a prominent role. John D. Friesen of the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) served on the WTM General Council for several decades starting in 1963, and Henry Hildebrand of Briercrest Bible Institute served on the Board of Reference for many years. Many of WTM's staff and volunteer workers in 2008 continued to be Mennonite. In 1947 The Western Tract Mission moved to Saskatoon, and in 1952 was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the Province of Saskatchewan. Members of the WTM elect a Board of Directors which governs the work of the ministry. Western Tract Mission is also a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Western Tract Mission was founded to distribute tracts and other literature. Literature primarily is distributed by mail in Canada and other countries. Up to four million pieces of literature in English, French, German and Ukrainian were distributed annually in 2007. To foster distribution, "Mailbox Clubs" for children helped in the mailing out of tracts, as did local Tract Clubs like the Warman Tract Club. In 1997 the Mission added a special outreach to Hutterites. The Mission also operates its own Bible Correspondence School with materials from lower grades to adult, and it has an Outreach Ministries Department. Jake and Dora Hoeppner of the EMMC served for many years as outreach evangelists. Because of the significant sales of printed materials, Hoeppner encouraged formation of a separate bookstore in Saskatoon in 1965 called "Harvest House Christian Supplies." This store operated until 1992 when it was closed and its bookselling was taken over by the Mennonite-owned "Fellowship Bookcentre."
In 1943 Western Tract Mission began a monthly newsletter called Western Tract News, in 1995 the newsletter was renamed Reflections. It also published several small books of poetry by the General Conference Mennonite evangelist Isaac P. Friesen and hundreds of different tracts and pamphlets, mostly using previously established texts. A few of these publications were written by Mennonites.
Bibliography
Friesen, John D. Holding forth the word of life : Messages and sermons from experiences. Saskatoon. Sask.: Published by the author, 1989.
Stobbe, Arnold, ed. Western Tract Mission Inc.: 1941-2001 : 60 years "Still Spreading the Word." Saskatoon, Sask.: Western Tract Mission, 2001.
Additional Information
Address: 401 33rd Street West, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Website: Western Tract Mission
| Author(s) | Victor Wiebe |
|---|---|
| Date Published | October 2008 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wiebe, Victor. "Western Tract Mission (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Western_Tract_Mission_(Saskatoon,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=96816.
APA style
Wiebe, Victor. (October 2008). Western Tract Mission (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Western_Tract_Mission_(Saskatoon,_Saskatchewan,_Canada)&oldid=96816.
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