Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church (Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada)
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| Main Centre MB Church Source: Saskatchewan MB Conference website |
The Main Centre Mennonite Brethren was founded in June 1904 by recently arrived settlers from Steinbach, Manitoba. Main Centre is located 50 km east-north-east of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and just north of Herbert. It was founded by 15 charter members and began worship under the leadership of Benjamin Janz. The church met in Main Centre school until the construction of a church building in 1907, with subsequent building programs in 1922 and 1945. Main Centre was originally called the Bethel Mennonite Brethren Church.
The first baptism was held on 16 August 1905. In 1915 they hosted the North District Conference of the Mennonite Brethren (later known as the Canadian Conference). Membership peaked in 1937 at 239. The economic oppression of the Great Depression forced many farmer–members to move to British Columbia or to other, more fertile, parts of Saskatchewan.
Bibliography
The History of the Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church, 1904-1979. 1979, 40 pp.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 62; (28 August 1992): 25.
Toews, John A. A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church: Pilgrims and Pioneers. Fresno, CA, 1975, 160.
Archival Records
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg, MB: Volume 592, Reel 45.
Additional Information
Mailing Address: Box 86, Main Centre SK S0H 2V0
Telephone: 306-784-3266.
Denominational Affiliations:
Saskatchewan Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church Ministers
| Minister |
Years |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Janz | 1904–1915 |
| Jacob D. Ewert | 1906–1917 |
| Johann P. Wiebe | 1917–1923 |
| Henry P. Janz | 1924–1932 |
| Jacob A. Martens | 1924–1927 1929–1940 |
| Klaas Ewert | 1928 |
| Nick P. Janz | 1923–1935 1943–1950 |
| Jacob F. Redekop | 1932–1945 |
| Abram P. Janz | 1940-1941 |
| Abram D. Rempel | 1941-1943 |
| John D. Goertzen | 1943-1953 1954-1956 |
| Johann Siemens | 1953-1954 1956 1958-1961 |
| Abram Goerz | 1956-1958 |
| Abram Siebert | 1958 |
| Rudy Heidebrecht | 1960 |
| David Epp | 1961-1969 |
| Edward Hamm | 1969-1973 |
| Alvin Penner | 1973-1979 |
| Murray Unruh | 1980-1984 |
| Reg Toews |
1986-1992 |
| Ken Epp |
1992-present |
Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church Membership
| Year |
Members |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 102 |
| 1985 | 83 |
| 1994 | 68 |
| 2000 | 74 |
| 2010 |
66 |
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 442. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2012 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Regehr, Jacob I. and Marlene Epp. "Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church (Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2011. Web. 12 February 2012. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M345ME.html.
APA style: Regehr, Jacob I. and Marlene Epp. (August 2011). Main Centre Mennonite Brethren Church (Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2012, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M345ME.html.
