© Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Last updated 26 February 2008)

Historical note

Gospel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg traces its beginning to 1956 when a group of Mennonite families from the Rudnerweider Mennoniten Gemeinde from rural Manitoba found themselves living in Winnipeg without a church of their kind. Initially they attended the Sterling Avenue Mennonite Church in St. Vital. In 1957 the group purchased an existing church building at 232 Nassau Street and founded the Gospel Mennonite Church as a local meeting place for the Rudnerweider Mennonite members in Winnipeg. In 1959 the Rudnerweider Mennoniten Gemeinde decentralized its church organization and formed the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) and Gospel Mennonite Church was one of its member congregations.

The Gospel Mennonite Church's first minister was Ben Sawatsky, who served the congregation until 1967. Died Gerbrandt led the church from 1967 to 1979 with Ed Stoesz then taking over as minister. Stoesz remained at Gospel Mennonite until 1989 when Willie Martens was hired as pastor.

Scope and content note

The materials in this fonds document the founding and development of the first Rudnerweider (EMMC) congregation in Winnipeg starting in 1956 up to 1999.

There are three series in the Gospel Mennonite Church fonds:

1. Membership records (1958-1969)
2. Minutes, reports and correspondence (1956-1994)
3. Annual reports (1981-1999)

Index terms

Creators

Gospel Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Adjunct descriptive data

Finding aids

Serues description and inventory file list

Related material in this repository

Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference fonds

Notes

Custodial history

The material in this fonds were brought to the Mennonite Heritage Centre on April 11, 2001 Henry Dueck, former Executive Secretary of the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference of Canada and a member of Gospel Mennonite Church.  Another batch came via Lil Goertzen of the EMMC office [ca. 2017?] with EMMC conference materials.

Language

English

Arrangement

Arranged and described by Myron Dyck in May 2001.

Restrictions on access

None to access

Other notes

Acc. No. 2001-042

Scope and content note

This first file of this series consists of applications for church membership and catechism classes at the Gospel Mennonite Church. Also included in this series is a list of new born babies on the Gospel Mennonite Church Cradle Roll (1958-1961) as well as the records of transferred and excommunicated church members (1961-1969). A second file contains membership information, such as date and location of birth, names of parents and children, information regarding baptism and marriage.

Scope and content note

The material in this series consists mainly of minutes, reports, and correspondence produced during the everyday running of the Gospel Mennonite Church. This series is organized chronologically under under the following headings: a) Administration b) Council c) Education or Christian Education, including material from the Education, Music and Youth Committees d) Missions, e) Christian Service, including material from laymen's committees and the ladies groups f) Finance, and g) Ministerial.

Scope and content note

This series consists of the reports prepared for the annual congregational meeting by the various committees, as well as a proposed budget for the following year.

Volume 5832

1             Annual Meeting, Mission, Christian Service, Administration & Finance. -- 1959-1965.

2             Christian Service Brigade 1969, Constitution 1969, Christian Service, EMM Board of Education, Board of Education, Council Meetings, Mission Board, Pioneer Girls, Visitation. -- 1969-1970.

3             Mission Board Meetings, Christian Service Board Meetings, Gospel Mennonite Church. -- 1978-1984.

4             Financial. -- 1979-1984.

5             Council Minutes. -- 1979-1983.

6             Board of Administration Meetings. -- 1980-1984.

7             Congregation, Miscellaneous, Stewardship. -- 1983-1986.

8a           Church Council, Finance, Education & Publication, Mission & Service. -- 1985-1986.

8b           Gospel Mennonite Church, Nassau St. Wpg. -- 1989.

9             Maranatha Ladies. -- 1967-1981.

10           Annual Reports. -- 1995-2001.

11           Finance Offering. -- 1962-1968.

12           Finance Offerings. -- 1963-1971.

13           Christian Education. -- 1993.

14           Christian Education. -- 1994-1995.

15           Church Camp. -- 1992.

16           Church Constitution. -- 198-?

17           EMMC Quarterly Mission. -- 1978-1983.

18           Mission Board. -- 1964-1970.

19           Mission Board. -- 1978-1982.

20           Correspondence with EMMC. -- 1989-1990.

21           Richmond Gospel Beginnings. -- 1986-1987.

22           Pioneer Girls. -- 1939-1989.

23           Church Council Governance. -- 1996-1999.

24           Poetry - Randy Enns. -- 1990-1993.

25           Miscellaneous. -- 1985-1992.

26           Year Book           [198-?].

27           Correspondence with Missionaries. -- 1981-1982.

28           Congregation Minutes. -- 1980-1982.

29           Ladies Mission Committee. -- 1961-1973.

30           EMMC Missionary directory [incomplete]. -- 1979-1986.

31           EMMC Convention bulletins. -- 1999, 2002.

Volume 5833 Gospel Mennonite Church           

1             Application for Membership. -- 1970-1991.

2             Transfer Forms. -- 1981-1996.

3             Membership. -- 1987.

4             Membership. -- 1989.

5             Inactive Members. -- 1989.

6             Inactive Membership. -- 1993.

7             Membership. -- 1992-1993.

8             Membership-transfers - out. -- 1994.

9             Membership. -- 1995.

10           Membership. -- 1998.

11           Church Membership. -- 1999.

12           Bulletins. -- 1979.

13           Bulletins. -- 1980.

14           Bulletins. -- 1981.

15           Bulletins. -- 1982.

16           Bulletins. -- 1983.

17           Bulletins. -- 1984.

18           Bulletins. -- 1985.

19           Bulletins. -- 1986.

20           Bulletins. -- 1977.

21           Bulletins. -- 1988.

22           Bulletins. -- 1989.

23           Bulletins. -- 1990.

24           Bulletins. -- 1991.

25           Bulletins. -- 1992.

26           Bulletins. -- 1993.

27           Bulletins. -- 1994.

28           Bulletins. -- 1995.

29           Bulletins. -- 1996.

30           Bulletins. -- 1997.

31           Bulletins. -- 1998.

Volume 5834 Gospel Mennonite Church

1             Education. -- 1990-1992.

2             Gospel Mennonite Church Website. -- 1998.

3             Fifty Five +   (55+). -- 2002.

4             Membership. -- 1996.

5             Membership File. -- 1996-1997.

6             Membership. -- 1996.

7             Mission Letters. -- 1996.

8             Mission Letters. -- 1996-1998.

9             Membership. -- 1992-1996.

10           Men’s Retreat. -- 1991.

11           Fred Tipping Place (music lyrics). – [199-?]

12           Matthews - Victor Life in the Spirit seminar. – [199-?].

13           Organizational Structure . -- 1997-2000.

14a        Missions. -- 1999-2000.

14b        Miscellaneous Correspondence. -- 1996-1997.

15           Miscellaneous. -- 1984-2000.

16           Dan Rutherford. -- 1996.

17           William Martens. -- 1997.

18           Al Letkeman. -- 1997.

19           Correspondence (Active). -- 1980-1987.

20           Correspondence. -- 1987-1989.

21           Correspondence. -- 1988.

22           Correspondence. -- 1990.

23           Correspondence. -- 1991.

24           Correspondence. -- 1992.

25           Correspondence. -- 1992.

26           Correspondence. -- 1993.

27           Correspondence. -- 1993.

28           Correspondence. -- 1993.

29           Correspondence. -- 1994.

30           Correspondence. -- 1994.

31           Letters Received. -- 1995.