©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 08 March 2017

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Arnaud Mennonite Church

Retrieval Numbers: Volumes 1943, 3552, 4500, 4629, 4827, 5421; microfilm no. 358, 707.

Title: Arnaud Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1936-2016
Extent: 45 cm of textual records and 2 microfilm reels

Historical note

Mennonites settled in the Ste. Elizabeth, Arnaud, and Dominion City areas in 1925. They met to worship in private homes and rented facilities when these became available. In 1929 it was decided to build a meeting house at Ste. Elizabeth. This was the first meeting house built by the 1920s Russian Mennonite immigrants in western Canada. Travel conditions and means made it difficult for the entire group to worship together at Ste. Elizabeth. So in 1944 another meeting house was built in Arnaud. The Mennonite Brethren families had already built a meeting house in Arnaud in 1935 so many of the other Mennonite families worshiped there until 1944. An attempt at remaining an equal congregation in the Lichtenauer Mennoniten Gemeinde did not work out so two independent congregations emerged after 1944, the Lichtenau Mennonite Church at Ste. Elizabeth and the Arnaud Mennonite Church. They did co-operate in some programmes such as the Jugendverein. For some major celebrations, such as the 40th anniversary of the settlement in 1965 the three congregations, Lichtenau, Arnaud M.B., and Arnaud M., celebrated together. The Arnaud Mennonite Church continued to survive after Arnaud M.B. congregation dissolved in 1980 and the Lichtenau congregation 1990. The leaders of the congregation were: Johann Poettker (at Ste. Elizabeth 1933-1944) (at Arnaud 1944-1996), Abram Warkentin (1944-1965), Peter Harder (1953-1959), John Krueger (1962-1976), David Wiebe (1977-1986), Jacob Funk (1986-1990), Abe Neufeld (1990-1991), Byron Rempel-Burkholder (1992-1993), Lynell Bergen and Bryan Dyck (1993-2000), Lynne & Omar Martin (2001- ).

Scope and content note

This fonds contains financial records realted to the travel debt (Reiseschult) owed to the Canadain Mennonite Board of Colonization, church levies and church expenses (1936-1956) bulletins (1977-2000), minutes and reports (1943-1992) , minutes of congregational mission societies (1962-1983), related documents of these mission societies (1962-1983), congregational annual reports (1982, 1993, 1995), and various congregational registers (1944-1999), and a 50th anniversary book of the congregation. The records pertain to the founding and development of the Mennonite congregation in Arnaud, Manitoba and they documents the leaders and participants in this congregation.

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

Language

Some German.

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on access.

 

Other notes

Textual records have been deposited by the congregation at the Mennonite Heritage Centre on a regular basis. Described by Bert Friesen 10 December 2001. Last updated by Conrad Stoesz, Aug 13, 2004 and June 10, 2009.

Arnaud Mennonite Church fonds file list:

Volume 1943

  1. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1977-1978)
  2. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1980)
  3. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1981)
  4. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), annual reports (1982)
  5. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1983)
  6. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1984-1985)
  7. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1986), calendar of activities (1986)

Volume 3552

  1. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1987), calendar of activities (1987)
  2. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1988), calendar of activities (1988)
  3. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), calendar of activities (1989)
  4. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), calendar of activities (1990)
  5. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1991), calendar of activities (1991), Sunday School register (1991)
  6. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1992)
  7. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), annual reports (1993)
  8. Arnaud Mennonite Church 1944-1994 (60th anniversary) book; 

Volume 4500

  1. Arnaud Mennonite Church annual reports (1995)
  2. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1996)
  3. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1997)
  4. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1998)
  5. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1999)
  6. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2000)
  7. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2001)
  8. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2002)
  9. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2003)
  10. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2004)

Volume 2152

  1. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2005)
  2. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2006)
  3. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2007)
  4. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2008)
  5. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2009)
  6. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2010)
  7. Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2011)

Volume 4629

  1. Arnaud Christian Fellowship meeting minutes and related documents including a constitution (1962-1968)
  2. Arnaud Christian Fellowship meeting minutes and related documents including a Manitoba Women in Mission directory for 1976-1977 (1971-1983)
  3. Arnaud Mennonite Church Missionsverein meeting minutes and related documents (1962-1976)

Volume 4827

  1. Arnaud Mennonite Church membership list (1944-1989)
  2. Arnaud Mennonite Church transfer certificates (1967-1999)
  3. Arnaud Mennonite Church 50th anniversary book (1994)
  4. Arnaud Mennonite Church membership register (1980-1999)
  5. Arnaud Mennonite Church family register (1949-1998)

Volume 2301 (Acc. No. 04-04)

  1. Copies of Arnaud Mennonite Church Ministers meeting minutes, congregational meeting minutes, finance reports, annual reports. -- 1943-1975.

  2. Copies of Arnaud Mennonite Church Council, Congregational, and annual meeting

                       minutes and reports. -- 1976-1982.

  3. A history of the Arnaud Mennonite Church / Harold Penner. -- 1965.

  4. A history of the General Conference Mennonite Church at Arnaud/ Medeline Enns. -- 1965.

Volume 2302 (Acc. 04-040)

  1. Copies of Arnaud Mennonite Church council, congregational and annual meeting minutes and reports. -- 1983-1986.
  2. Copies of Arnaud Mennonite Church council, congregational, annual meeting and other committee minuets and reports. 1987-1988.
  3. Copies of Arnaud Mennonite Church council, congregational, annual meeting and other committee minutes and reports. -- 1989-1992.


Volume 5391
1.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1962) only two
2.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1966) incomplete
3.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1967) incomplete
4.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1968)
5.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1972) only two
6.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1973) incomplete
7.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1974)
8.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1976)
9.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (1977)

Volume 5421 (Acc 09-031)

  1. Beiträge: Monatliche 5 cent Beiträge gesamelt für die Selbsthilfekasse im Manitoba von dem Arnaud District = Contributions" Monthly 5 cent contributions gathered for the self-help fund in Manitoba of the Arnaud district. -- 1936-1949.
  2. Beiträge: Jährliche Boardsteuer von 50 cents pro Person von 16-60 Jahren zur Unterhaltung der Can. Mennonite Board of Colonization zu Rosthern Sask. Gesammelt von Arnaud District. = Contributions: Yearly board levies of 50 cents per person from the ages of 16-60 to support the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization in Rosthern Saskatchewan. Gathered from the Arnaud District. -- 1938-1946.
  3. Financial ledger recording donations and expenses of the Arnaud church including church building fund. -- 1949-1956.
  4. Financial ledger documenting donations and expenses of the Arnaud Mennonite church. -- 1945-1949.
  5. Meeting of immigrants in Arnaud on 1 June 1925 [minutes].

Volume 5726
1.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2012)
2.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2013)
3.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2014)
4.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2015)
5.  Arnaud Mennonite Church bulletins (2016)

Microfilm

Microfilm No. 358 (MHC Project 113)

  1. Kirchenbuch (family register) 1890-1982.
  2. Church meeting minutes (Annual congregational meetings and church council meetings) June 1944 - June 1982.
  3. Frauen Verein (Ladies Group) minutes and accounts. November 1944 - November 1962.
  4. Sunday School 1959-1981.
    1. Minutes of Teachers' Meetings
    2. Accounts
  5. Spiritual Life Committee minutes. May 1977 - June 1982.
  6. History
  7. "Arnaud Mennonite Church", P.R. Harder, Arnaud Through the Years, by Arnaud Historical Committee. Steinbach, Manitoba: Arnaud Historical Committee, printed by Derksen Printers, 1974, pp. 78-83.
  8. Kathler, Jacqueline, "A look at the Arnaud Mennonite Church from 1965 to 1982", research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1982. Located in the Vertical File at Mennonite Heritage Center Archives, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Microfilm No. 707 (MHC Project No. 156c)

  1. Minutes, 1962-1970.
  2. Minutes, 1971-1983.
  3. Journal of activities and treasury notes, 1962-1975. [Note: incomplete]
  4. Three documents
    1. Letter of May 4, 1964: Mrs. P. Redekopp to Mrs. Friesen.
    2. "Statuten der Manitoba Frauenorganization (1952)"
    3. Arnaud Christian Fellowship's Certificate of Membership in the Manitoba Frauenkonferenz.