Carman
Carman Mennonite Church
Located at the north end of Carman (105 Main St N), the present church is the second to be built at this site. The congregation first met in 1945 in a local home. In 1948, the church was dedicated, having been built entirely by volunteer labour. The church initially was served through the Canadian Conference Board of Missions 1949 when Rev. Henry Funk became the full-time pastor, serving for five years.
The church amalgamated with the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba in 1954 and a new building was constructed in 1982. Since it first organized, the church has had an active Ladies’ Aid.
Carman Gospel Light Mennonite Brethern Church (Friends Community Church)
The Carman Gospel Light Church began in 1956 when Reverend Peter Martens was asked to investigate possibilities for new ministries in Manitoba by the Home Missions Committee of the Mennonite Brethren Conference of Manitoba. Henry Redekop, an instructor at Winkler Bible School, led the group in a rented room in Carman. The fellowship was called Carman Gospel Light Mission.
That year, teachers were elected to start Sunday School, Peter Martens was asked to be the pastor and a lot was purchased (on what is now 4th Ave NW and 1st NW). The building was completed and dedicated in 1958. The name of the congregation was changed to the Gospel Light MB Church in 1961. In 1962 the church was received into the Manitoba and Canadian Conferences. In 1964 the church bought a lot for a parsonage, which was later sold in 1973. By 1974 the church membership had grown to the extent that three homes were used to accommodate the overflow.
In 1975, a building, known as the Hut, was erected beside the old church building. The church became self-supporting and in 1978 they built a new building which seated over 400 people. In 1985 the church changed its name to Carman Gospel Light Church; it closed its doors officially on 30 April 2003. A new Mennonite Brethren congregation began a year later in Carman, called the Friends Community Church. (Source: Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethern website)
Graysville
Graysville Bergthaler Mennonite Church
Mennonite families began arriving in the Graysville and Stephenfield area from the mid-1920s. Services were held at first in homes; then Mennonite denominations joined and, for many years, used the Orr Church on SW 10-6-6W for their services.
In 1953, the Bergthaler Mennonites purchased the church and moved it to SE 28-6-6W on PR 245 where it remains active.
Homewood
Homewood Bergthaler Mennonite Church
The Mennonite settlement in Township 7-4W initially held worship services in homes and local schools, including Broad Valley and Hopeland, or travelled to Winkler for church services. In 1942, the congregation began constructing a meeting house on NW 19-7-4W. The church was dedicated in January 1943.
Mennonites first settled in the Homewood area during the 1920s. In 1933, David D. Klassen made his first visit to the community, and in 1937 he moved there to provide pastoral leadership for the growing number of Mennonite families. That same year, a Bergthaler congregation was organized and met in rented facilities until its first meeting house was completed in 1942.
As the congregation grew, four acres of land were purchased on SE 25-7-4W, where a larger church was built in 1961. The new church was dedicated on January 7, 1962. The original meeting house was sold to the Rosenort Evangelical Mennonite Church. The congregation maintained active Senior and Junior Ladies’ Aid groups, which played an important role in the life of the church.
In 1969, the word Bergthaler was dropped from the congregation’s name, and it became known as Homewood Mennonite Church. David D. Klassen continued to serve the congregation until 1985, more than 50 years after his first visit to Homewood. The church continued to serve the community until November 7, 1999, when the congregation dissolved and the church building was sold to Vita Bible Church. A commemorative plaque now marks the site of the original church.
Other leaders who served the congregation included Peter Giesbrecht (1947–1975), Edward Cornelsen (1967–1971), Henry Isaak (1972–1975, 1978, 1985, 1990), Egon Enns (1976–1977), Abe Hiebert (1979–1985), Peter Penner (1986–1989), and Martin Sawatzky (1991–1999).
Roseisle
Roseisle Evangelical Mennonite Congregation
From about 1955, Mennonite families representing various denominational backgrounds began moving into the Roseisle area. The Roseisle Evangelical Mennonite congregation formed when several of these families wanted to have services locally. Bible camps were held, then the Rosenort Evangelical Mennonite Church was asked to conduct a Sunday School which began in 1959. Dave Harms, the first pastor, came from the Rosenort church in 1961. A school was moved to the west end of town; later an addition was added. In 1998, a new church was built. It has kitchen facilities and meeting rooms and is of sufficient size to serve as a community meeting centre.
For more history, visit the history on Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
Stephenfield
Stephenfield Sommerfeld Mennonite Church
The Stephenfield Sommerfeld Mennonite congregation at Stephenfield, Manitoba began services about 1951.The first building was occupied in 1953 when it was moved from Grosweide to a site one mile north and two miles west of Stephenfield on NW 36-7-7w, north-east of what became Stephenfield Lake. A cemetery lay southeast of the church. For many years the single grave marked the cemetery site. The grave has now been moved to Winkler and there are no markers at the site. The church was later moved to its present location north of Stephenfield where it was active until closure in 1993; it has served the Grossweide and Stephenfield congregations for almost 100 years.
For more history, go to the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.
The building now serves as a private residence.