Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite Church (Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada)
The Hoffnungsfelder Rabbit Lake congregation began services in 1926, and formally organized in 1928. The first building was occupied in 1929. P. H. Plenert is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through immigration from the Soviet Union.
The group was known as Rabbit Lake Mennonite Church until 1935 when the name was changed to Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite. The Hoffnungsfelder church group had five settlement centers: Mayfair, Mullingar, Rabbit Lake, Bournemouth, and Glenbush, of which Rabbit Lake was originally the primary location.
By 2004, attendance had declined to the point where the congregation began to worship regularly with the Glenbush congregation. Christmas and Easter services along with funerals were still held in the Rabbit Lake church.
The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1960s.
 |
 |
| Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite Church Source: Mennonite Church Saskatchewan |
Interior of Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite Church Photo by Victor Wiebe |
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (12 November 2012): 21.
CMC Nexus (November 1996): 4-5.
"Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite Church at Rabbit Lake, Sask," translation by Frank H. Epp from "Kirchenbuch der Hoffnungsfelder Mennoniten-Gemeinde bei Rabbit Lake, Sask." by A. A. Friesen. Mennonites in Canada Files - Rabbit Lake, 1920, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Unpublished congregational history, 1978, 16 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Additional Information
Address: Box 58, Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan S0M 2L0 (Located 2 km south, 1.5 km west of Rabbit Lake)
Phone: 306-824-4448
Denominational affiliations:
Conference of Mennonites of Saskatchewan/Mennonite Church Saskatchewan
Conference of Mennonites in Canada (1931-1999)
Mennonite Church Canada (1999-present)
General Conference Mennonite Church (1938-1999)
Hoffnungsfelder Church Pastors
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Jacob Janzen | 1930-1938 |
| Cornelius Mathies | 1930-1946 |
| Peter Plenert | 1930-1946 |
| Abram Martens | 1933-1937 |
| Abram Warkentin | 1933-1934 |
| Dan Loewen | 1935-1942 |
| Heinrich Klassen | 1938-1945 |
| J. Hildebrandt | 1954-1966 |
| C. Martens | 1964- |
| Don Unger | 1983-2011 |
| Chad Doell |
2012-present |
Hoffnungsfelder Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 25 |
| 1975 | 22 |
| 1985 | 24 |
| 1995 | 20 |
| 2000 | 24 |
| 2010 | 27 |
©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Epp, Marlene and Sam Steiner. "Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite Church (Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2012. Web. 24 May 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/H6517.html.
APA style: Epp, Marlene and Sam Steiner. (November 2012). Hoffnungsfelder Mennonite Church (Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 May 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/H6517.html.
