Kroeker, Herman (1923-2001)
Herman Kroeker: mission worker, radio preacher and pastor; born 30 March 1923 in Karassan, Crimea, Ukraine to Jakob F. Kroeker (1892-1969) and Maria (Sawatzky) Kroeker (1895-1996). He was the second oldest child in a family of four sons and three daughters. In 1945 he married Irene Goossen, daughter of Abram H. Goossen (1902-1942) and Elizabeth (Schmidt) Goossen (1906-1949). They had five children (Clifford, Kenneth, Sharon, Janet and Joan). Herman died 8 October 2001 in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Herman came to Canada in 1925 with his parents who initially settled at Drake, Saskatchewan. In 1941 the family moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Herman experienced spiritual rebirth in March 1938 through a message on Matthew 7:13-14 on the Haven of Rest radio program. On 5 July 1942, Dietrich J. Klassen of the Virgil Mennonite Brethren Church baptized him upon the confession of his faith. Herman graduated from Prairie Bible Institute (Three Hills, Alberta) and also was a student at the Virgil Bible School in Ontario. He was ordained to the ministry in the Mennonite Brethren Church on 12 October 1958 at Virgil.
From 1951-1957 Herman and Irene served as houseparents for the dormitory students at Eden Christian College (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario). During these years he also directed the Moments of Blessing radio broadcast on Niagara Falls Station CHVC, begun by the Virgil MB church. In 1957 the Kroekers with their family of five moved to Coldwater, Ontario to pastor at the Hampshire Mission Church. During the eleven years with this mission church, he helped it become the Christian Fellowship Chapel near Orilla (Ontario). He also continued working in radio ministry during those years through stations CFOR (Orillia) and CKEY (Lindsay).
Other churches that Herman pastored include: Mountview MB Church (Stoney Creek, Ontario), 1967-1973, Orchard Park Bible Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario), 1973-1979, Komoka Community Church (Ontario), 1979-1986, and Carrot River Gospel Mission (Saskatchewan), 1986-1991). After retiring to Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1991, he and Irene served in interim pastoral capacity at Moncton (New Brunswick), Stoney Creek (Ontario), and Orillia (Ontario).
Kroeker published a collection of his radio sermons in 1996 in a book entitled A Lift for Living. In his retirement he also continued to preach and lead a Sunday School group at Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church (St. Catharines, Ontario).
Herman Kroeker is remembered for his love of Jesus and his dedication to the spiritual well-being of others in the churches he pastored.
Bibliography
Bergmann, Helen Reimer, Ebenezer: Virgil Mennonite Brethren Church, 1937-1987. Virgil, Ontario: Virgil Mennonite Brethren Church, 1987: 24.
Friesen, C. Alfred. Memoirs of the Virgil-Niagara Mennonites: History of the Mennonite Settlement in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario 1934-84 / written and compiled by C. Alfred Friesen for the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary jubilee celebration, Oct. 13, 1984. (1984): 62.
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 7.05 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite Historical Society, 2013: #329165.
"Herman Kroeker." Mennonite Brethren Herald (23 Nov. 2001): 24-25.
| Author(s) | Alf Redekopp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 25 March 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Redekopp, Alf. "Kroeker, Herman (1923-2001)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 25 March 2014. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kroeker,_Herman_(1923-2001)&oldid=166723.
APA style
Redekopp, Alf. (25 March 2014). Kroeker, Herman (1923-2001). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kroeker,_Herman_(1923-2001)&oldid=166723.
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