(c)Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 23 Feb 16
Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Title: Eigenheim
Mennonite Church
fonds
Dates: 1929-2015
Extent: 36 cm of textual records
Extent: 2 microfilm reels
Historical note
Eigenheim was one of the
congregations of the Rosenorter gemeinde
of Saskatchewan with a meeting
house. The founder of this Gemeinde was Peter Regier
(1851 - 1925). He had been appointed Altester in 1887
in Prussia. He
emigrated to Tiefengrund in 1893. Enough families had
settled in the area so that in 1894 the Rosenorter Gemeinde of Saskatchewan
had been founded. The community in which the people lived was then named Eigenheim ("my own home"). The name Eigenheim
was also the name of the local school district.
In those early days of settlement it became a major effort
to take care of the spiritual needs of the people. Transportation was by oxen
or horses. Peter Regier's work load lightened when
his brother-in-law Abraham Friesen arrived from Prussia.
He had already been ordained into the ministry. Gerhard Epp was ordained to the
ministry in July of 1895 to serve in the Rosenorter
church. Due to the inconvenience of meeting in homes, a church was built out of
logs. This first Mennonite church in the Northwest was dedicated in June of
1896. A few years later, the church was too small the original structure was
replaced with a larger building in 1902.
In 1899, another settler in the area, Johann Dueck, was ordained to the ministry. With the death of
Abraham Friesen in 1901, and election was held for a new minister. Rev. David Toews was chosen. In 1909, there were enough families in
the wider area to form districts with a minister in charge of each. One of
these was Eigenheim, under the leadership of Gerhard
Epp. In 1929, Eigenheim withdrew from the Rosenorter organization and decided to continue as an
independent congregation. Gerhard G. Epp was ordained as an elder and Jacob Klaassen, Johann Dueck, and Henry
T Klaassen as ministers.
Membership in the Eigenheim church
continues to decrease due to the decrease in farm families in the area. In
1963, membership was 221. In 1980 it was 172 and in 2000 the membership was
129.
The leaders of the Eigenheim
congregation were: Peter Regier (1894-1913), Abraham Friesen (1894-1901),
Gerhard Epp (1894-1919), Johann Dueck (1899-1939),
David Toews (1901-1929), Cornelius Ens (1911-1923),
Jacob Klaassen (1919-1943), Gerhard G. Epp
(1919-1963), Henry T. Klaassen (1919-1964), Irvin Schmidt
(1964-1976), Arthur Regier (1976-1977), Werner Froese (1977-1986), Barb &
Wilmer Froese (1988), Walter Braun (1989-1992), Peter Janzen (1992-1995) and Benno Klassen (1996- ).
Scope and content note
This fonds contains bulletins
(1973-2002), church register (1909-1929), membership and family register
(1911-1976), baptismal register (1911-1962), congregational meeting minutes
(1931-1994), council of boards meeting minutes (1992-1993), annual reports
(1949-1993), directory (1994), constitution (1929), programmes
(1949-1963, 1992), and newsletters (1989-1992). The records pertain to the
founding and development of the Mennonite congregation near Rosthern,
Saskatchewan called the Eigenheim Mennonite Church.
They document the leaders and participants of this congregation.
Finding aids
Inventory file list available.
Notes
Language
Much German.
Restrictions on access
No restrictions on access.
Other notes
Textual records were microfilmed by the Mennonite Heritage
Centre in 1990. Textual records were deposited by the congregation at the
Mennonite Heritage Centre on a regular basis. Described by
Bert Friesen 14 January 2002. Historical Note update January 22, 2003 by
Alf Redekopp.
Eigenheim Mennonite Church fonds
file list:
Volume 60
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1973)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1974)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1975)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1976)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1977)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1978)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1979)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1980)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1981)
Volume 1619
- Annual reports - 1949-1957
- Annual reports -- 1959-1960, 1962-1977
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1982)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1983)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church constitution (1929), position paper on Christian community ([197-?])
Volume 3549
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1984)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1985)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1986)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1987)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1988)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1989), newsletters (1989)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1990), newsletters (1990)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1991), newsletters (1991)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church funeral service programme (1992),
congregational meeting minutes (1992), council of boards meeting
minutes (1992), newsletters (1992), annual reports(1992)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1993), council of boards
meeting minutes (1993), congregational meeting minutes (1993), annual
reports (1993)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1994), directory (1994), congregational meeting minutes (1994)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church Christmas programmes (1940-1951), Sunday school and Gemeindefest programmes(1953-1963)
Volume 4427
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (1995)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (1996), directory (1996)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (1997)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (1998)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (1999)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (2000)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (2001)
- Eigenheim
Mennonite Church bulletins (2002)
- Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2003)
- Eigneheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2004)
Volume 2145
1. Eigenheim Mennonite Church
bulletins (2005)
2. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2006)
3. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2007)
4. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2008)
5. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2009)
6. Eigeneheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2010)
7. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2011)
8. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2012)
9. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2013)
10. Eigenehim Mennonite Church bulletins (2014)
Volume 6293
1. Eigenheim Mennonite Church bulletins (2015)
Microfilm
Microfilm 421 (MHC Project No. 151)
- Membership Ledger, ca. 1911-1932.
- Protokollbuch, 1931-1958.
- Family Records book, ca. 1872-1976.
Microfilm No. 424 (MHC Project No. 155)
- Protokollbuch der Eigenheim Gemeinde - 1932.
- Kirchenbuch zu Eigenheim, ca. 1927-1962.
- Church Register, 1908-1976.