North Kildonan Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

North Kildonan Mennonite Church. Source: Jubilate, p. 57

The North Kildonan Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba traces its beginning to the Mennonite immigrants from the Soviet Union that came to settle in this rural area on the northern edge of the city of Winnipeg in 1928. They settled on small farm properties to meet the immigration requirements of the time. They were also close enough to an urban settlement where earnings could be supplemented through employment in service industries, in domestic positions, and in construction projects. They initially met in homes to worship. The Mennonite Brethren in North Kildonan built their first worship building 1929. They were assisted materially and spiritually by adherents of the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group who also worshipped with them. In 1935, the families which were affiliated with the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group organized their own group and built a meetinghouse at 256 Devon Avenue. This marked the beginning of the North Kildonan Mennonite Church as an affiliate of the Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group. Their building on Devon Avenue was expanded in 1938 and in 1943. In 1951 a basement structure for a new worship site was completed at 1131 Roch Street. When a significant influx of new Mennonite settlers arrived, the upper level was completed in 1956. Further expansions took place in 1964 and again in 1980.

The North Kildonan Mennonite Church became independent of the Schoenwieser group in 1957. Until then, they called regularly on the services of Aeltester J. H. Enns, for baptisms and communion services. Daniel Loewen worked closely with Enns, as Assistant Aeltester. A close relationship with First Mennonite Church where J.H. Enns was based was maintained for many years after they became independent.

The North Kildonan Mennonite Church continued to grow rapidly during the late 1950s and early 1960s with more immigrants from Europe and South America, so that another congregation, Springfield Heights Mennonite Church, was founded in 1964.

The language of worship was only German at the beginning. This language was fostered and greatly encouraged among the children. In 1938 Anna Vogt began the first German Kindergarten in North Kildonan. Both English and German were used as the languages of worship for many years, with English becoming more and more prominent since the 1970s.

Bibliography

Canadian Mennonite (20 May 1960): 23.

50th Anniversary: North Kildonan Mennonite Church 1935-1985. Winnipeg, MB, 1987, 157 pp.

Mennonite Reporter (15 September 1986): 14.

Fast, Karl, ed. Fiftieth Anniversary of the Mennonite Settlement in North Kildonan. Winnipeg, 1978, 128 pp.

Fast, Karl. Fuenfundzwanzig Jahre der mennonitischen Ansiedlung zu Nord Kildonan, 1928-1953. 1953, 70 pp.

North Kildonan Mennonitengemeinde, 1935-1975. Winnipeg: North Kildonan Mennonitengemeinde, 1975, 96 pp.

Archival Records

Church records at Mennonite Heritage Centre

Additional Information

Address: 1131 Roch Street, Winnipeg MB R2G 1S1

Telephone: 204-663-5059

Denominational Affiliations:

Schoenwieser Mennonite Church group (1935-1956)

Mennonite Church Manitoba (1958-present)

Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1958-present)

General Conference Mennonite Church (1959-1999).

North Kildonan Mennonite Church Membership

Year	Members
1957	335
1965	348
1970	415
1975	458
1985	512
1995	478
2000	431
2010	401
2015	360

North Kildonan Mennonite Church Ministers

Minister	Years of Service
Daniel Loewen	1933-1934 1943-1950
Victor Schröder	1936-1969
H. Janzen	1936-1937
Peter Dirks	1939-1941
Is. Klassen	1945-1958
Jacob Friesen	1951-1956
Abe Rempel	1967-1978
Jakob Wiebe	1978-1995
Henry Harder	1981
David Epp	1982-1993
Edward Enns	1988-1990
Albert Durksen	1990-2011
Harold Peters-Fransen (interim)	2011-2013
Gary Martens	2013-

Author(s)	John H. Enns
	Marlene Epp
Date Published	November 2015

Cite This Article

MLA style

Enns, John H. and Marlene Epp. "North Kildonan Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2015. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=North_Kildonan_Mennonite_Church_(Winnipeg,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=132875.

APA style

Enns, John H. and Marlene Epp. (November 2015). North Kildonan Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=North_Kildonan_Mennonite_Church_(Winnipeg,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=132875.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 921. All rights reserved.

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