©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2002
Last updated April 17, 2002

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title: Lichtenau Mennonite Church (Manitoba) fonds
Dates: 1932-1990
Extent: 16 cm of textual records

Historical note

Mennonite immigrants from Russia settled in the Ste. Elizabeth area in 1925. More families followed in subsequent years. Worship services began in homes and then rented facilities in 1926. In the first few years both "Kirchliche" and "Brüdergemeinde" background families worshipped together. A similar settling occurred in the Arnaud area. In 1929 they completed their own meeting house at Ste. Elizabeth. In 1944 another meeting house was built in the Arnaud area. The families in the Ste. Elizabeth and Arnaud areas who had formed the Lichtenauer Mennoniten Gemeinde, named so in part because many were members of this Gemeinde in Molotschna, now became two independent congregations. They co-operated in some programs such as the Jugendverein. The village served the needs of the families in the area until the late 1960s when the village disappeared except for a few residences and the Roman Catholic church building.  In 1970 the reunion committee published the history book Of Days Gone By.  The membership in 1966 was 99. In 1980 the membership stood at 78. At the time of dissolution there were only a handful, 10 to 12. The leaders of the congregation were: Johann Enns (1927-1932), Peter Enns (1930-1942), Nikolai Unruh (1933-1935, 1950-1990), Heinrich Friesen (1934-1967), P. Dirks (1935-1936), P. Heinrichs (1935-1948, 1951-1971), H. Warkentin (1935-1943), Arndt Lehn (1950-1967), Victor Enns (1968-1978), Jack Loepp (1974-1990).

Scope and content note

This fonds consists of congregational bulletins (1976-1978), membership records (1938-1944, 1976-1980), congregational chronicle (1963-1990), Gemeinde and congregational meeting minutes and annual reports (1932-1980), and a general ledger (1931-1954). The records pertain to the founding, development, and dissolution of the Mennonite congregation at Ste. Elizabeth, Manitoba. They document 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 were deposited at the Mennonite Heritage Centre after 1990. Described by Bert Friesen 7 December 2001.

Lichtenau Mennonite Church (Manitoba) fonds file list:

Volume 1609

1. Lichtenau Mennonite Church bulletins (1976)
2. Lichtenau Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes (1976), annual reports (1976)
3. Lichtenau Mennonite Church bulletins (1977)
4. Lichtenau Mennonite Church membership register (1976, 1980), congregational chronicle (1963-1981)
5. Lichtenau Mennonite Church Gemeinde and congregational meeting minutes (1932-1980), Gemeinde and congregational annual reports (1932-1980)
6. Lichtenau Mennonite Church congregational meeting minutes (1989, 1990), Der Bote articles about the congregation (1988-1990)
7. Lichtenau Mennonite Church bulletins (1978)
8. Lichtenau Mennonite Church correspondence ([196-?])

Volume 3356

1. Lichtenau Mennonite Church general ledger (1931-1948)
2. Lichtenau Mennonite Church general ledger (1948-1954)
3. Lichtenau Mennonite Church membership contributions ledger (1938-1944)