©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 22 Feb 2006

Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Title: Cornerstone Mennonite Church (Saskatoon, Sask.) fonds
Dates: 1960-2005
Extent: 84 cm of textual records

Historical note

Mennonites settled in the reserve north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the 1920s. The depression caused some to move to the city to look for a livelihood. The second World War exposed many who served away from the communities in CO camps or in the military service to a different way of life from which they chose not to return to their rural home communities. Also, large families found it difficult to find enough land for all of the next generation so many looked to the city for new opportunities. After the second World War there were many such opportunities in Saskatoon. In the late 1940s there were two Mennonite congregations in Saskatoon, but neither appealed to many of these new settlers. So another congregation was begun in 1949 called Mayfair Mennonite Mission. Their first meeting house was the former home of the Bethesda Mennonite Church in Langham. In 1954 the membership was 66. In 1957 a larger meeting house was obtained, the former First Mennonite meeting house in Saskatoon. In 1964 this building was expanded and another congregation grew out of it called Mount Royal Mennonite Church. The membership had increased dramatically in the previous few years to reach 225 in 1964. The congregation continued its steady growth. In 1980 the membership had reached 302. In 1987 it was decided to build a new meeting house in a new location in Saskatoon. This meeting house was completed in 1988. In September 1988 the church which as originally referred to as the Mayfair Mennonite Mission changed its name to Cornerstone Church (Mennonite). In 1990 the membership was 260 and in 2000 it was 284. The leaders of the congregation were: Peter Sawatzky (1950-1968), Norm Bartel (1968-1981), Carl Ens (1982-1988), Malvin Braun (1989- ).

Scope and content note

The fonds contains bulletins (1960-2004), correspondence (1960-1965), 25th anniversary book (1974), annual reports (1965-1999, 2002), directories (1976-1995), and congregational newsletters (1977-2000). The records pertain to the founding and development of the Mennonite congregation in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Finding aids

Inventory file list available.

Notes

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 30 January 2002.

Cornerstone Mennonite Church, Saskatchewan fonds file list:

Volume 72

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1960-1961)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1962)
  3. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1963)
  4. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1964)
  5. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1965)
  6. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1966)
  7. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1967)
  8. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1968)
  9. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1969), wedding programme (1969)
  10. Mayfair Mennonite Church correspondence (1960-1965)
  11. Mayfair Mennonite Church 25th anniversary book (1974)
  12. Mayfair Mennonite Church annual reports (1965-1972)
  13. Mayfair Mennonite Church annual reports (1973, 1977)

Volume 1118

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1970)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1971)
  3. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1972)
  4. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1973)
  5. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1974)
  6. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1975)

Volume 1119

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1976)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1977)
  3. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1979)
  4. Mayfair Mennonite Church annual reports (1974-1976)
  5. Mayfair Mennonite Church 25th anniversary book and programme (1974)
  6. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1981), directory (1980), annual report (1979)

Volume 1938

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), annual reports (1982)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1978)
  3. Mayfair Mennonite Church newsletters (1977-1979)
  4. Mayfair Mennonite Church directories (1976-1979)
  5. Mayfair Mennonite Church annual reports (1977-1978)

Volume 2606

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1981), directory (1981), annual reports (1981)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1982), directory (1982), annual reports (1982), newsletters (1982)
  3. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1983), directory (1983), annual reports (1983), newsletters (1983)

Volume 2789

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1984), directory (1984), annual reports (1984)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1985), directory (1985), annual reports (1985)
  3. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1986), directory (1986)

Volume 4029

  1. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1987)
  2. Mayfair Mennonite Church bulletins (1988 to end of August), Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1988 from September), annual reports (1988)
  3. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), annual reports (1989)
  4. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), annual reports (1990)

Volume 4255

  1. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1992), newsletters (1992), annual reports (1992), directory (1992)
  2. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), newsletters (1993)
  3. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), newsletters (1994)
  4. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1995), newsletters (1995), directory (1995)

Volume 4436

  1. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1991), newsletters (1991), annual reports (1991)
  2. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1996), newsletters (1996)
  3. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1997), newsletters (1997)
  4. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1998), newsletters (1998)
  5. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (1999), annual report (1999)

Volume 4967

  1. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (2000), newsletters (2000), directory (2002)
  2. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (2001)
  3. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (2002), annual report (2002)
  4. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (2003)
  5. Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (2004)
Volume 2756
1.  Cornerstone Mennonite Church bulletins (2005)