Springfield Heights Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
In the years immediately following World War II, the migration of Mennonites from Europe to Canada resulted in a rapid increase in membership at the Mennonite churches in the North Kildonan part of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
In addition, there was an influx of people moving from the country to the city of Winnipeg, and other new immigrants from Germany and Paraguay. This created a real space problem for the Mennonite community in North Kildonan. These factors and others led to the decision to plant a new congregation in January 1964.
Initially, this new congregation met at the Springfield Heights School, thus providing the name, Springfield Heights Mennonite Church (SHMC). When a group of people transferred in from the Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church, the decision was made to build, and on 14 March 1965, the congregation dedicated its new home at the corner of Sharron Bay and Defehr Street.
The congregation’s growth twice necessitated the establishment of daughter churches. Jubilee Mennonite Church began its ministry as Northdale Mennonite Fellowship on 1 January 1975, and on 1 January 1980, Douglas Mennonite Church opened its doors. Somewhat later, a number of members from SHMC also joined the newly created River East Mennonite Church.
In 2023 the congregation voted to withdraw from Mennonite Church Manitoba and Mennonite Church Canada effective 1 July 2023.
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (23 March 1965): 1.
"Our history." Springfield Heights Mennonite Church. Web. 28 June 2021. https://springfieldheights.ca/about-us.
Springfield Heights Mennonitengemeinde, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1971. Winnipeg: Springfield Heights Mennoniten Gemeinde, 1971, 52 p.
Fast, Karl, ed. Fiftieth Anniversary of the Mennonite Settlement in North Kildonan. Winnipeg: The Anniversary Committee, 1978, 128 p.
Hiebert, Angi. "The History of the Unique Separation of the Douglas Mennonite Church from the Springfield Mennoniten Gemeinde (1976-1982)." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1983, Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Klassen-Wiebe, Nicolien. "Two congregations withdraw from MC Manitoba." Canadian Mennonite 27, no. 9 (5 May 2023): 22-23.
Additional Information
Address: 570 Sharron Bay, Winnipeg MB R2G 0H9
Telephone: 204-663-5036
Website: https://springfieldheights.ca/
Denominational Affiliations:
Mennonite Church Manitoba (1972-present)
Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1975-present)
General Conference Mennonite Church (1975-1999)
Springfield Heights Mennonite Church Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Bruno Enss | 1964-1967 |
| George K. Epp | 1967-1968 |
| Franz Dyck | 1968-1974 |
| Erwin Strempler | 1974-1975 |
| Frank Isaac | 1975-1988 |
| Johannes Stolz | 1988-1990 |
| Hermann Dueck | 1991 |
| Jake Harms | 1992-1993 |
| Henry Kliewer | 1994-2000 |
| Ferdinand Funk | 2001-2009 |
| James Schellenberg | 2009-2012 |
| Jack Dyck | 2013-2020 |
| Rafael Duerksen | 2018-2021 |
| Jose Luis Moraga | 2019- |
| Ben Pauls (Interim) | 2021-2022 |
Springfield Heights Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 194 |
| 1975 | 549 |
| 1985 | 505 |
| 1995 | 534 |
| 2000 | 504 |
| 2020 | 373 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Springfield Heights Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2023. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Springfield_Heights_Mennonite_Church_(Winnipeg,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=175648.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2023). Springfield Heights Mennonite Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Springfield_Heights_Mennonite_Church_(Winnipeg,_Manitoba,_Canada)&oldid=175648.
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