In Search of Unity: Story of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba
by Anna Ens
Book, 1996, 290 pp
Borrowed Items Ship free with Membership
The Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba was formed in 1933. Or was it in 1936, or in 1947?
In sorting out the story of the tattered beginnings of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba (CMM), Anna Ens sets the stage for a history which, she maintains, is a long search for unity. In her view, the CMM's major agenda was bringing together two diverse groups, the Bergthaler and three immigrant Gemeinden (a multi-congregational church), into one united conference.
Anna Ens' meticulously-researched and well-documented study takes the reader on an interesting journey through numerous difficult issues. During the World War II years, when the conference was in the process of forming, disagreements on how to relate to the government over the issue of exemption from military service severely strained relations between the Bergthaler Gemeinde and the three immigrant Gemeinden: Schoenwieser, Whitewater, and Blumenorter.
The war was not quite over when a conflict arose between the Schoenwieser Gemeinde and the rest of the Gemeinden. This conflict resulted in the Schoenwieser Gemeinde withdrawing from the CMM, and not rejoining for more than two decades.
Church splits over the transition to the English language, the pain of leadership changes from lay ministry to professional pastors in autonomous congregations, the origin of radio work, camps, youth work, the changing role of women, all this and more Ens discusses in a style that is readable, interesting, and even handed.
The book is liberally documented, although the author notes in the foreward that a more fully documented version of the manuscript is in the Mennonite Heritage Archives. The book includes a listing of the archival sources which were researched for the book, as well as a list of the people interviewed. An extensive selected bibliography is also added.
To help her tell the story, Anna Ens included numerous pictures, maps, charts, and tables. Ens compiled a list of all the Aeltesten (bishops) who served the Gemeinden of the CMM. An organizational chart of the present CMM is provided in the appendix.
In sorting out the story of the tattered beginnings of the Conference of Mennonites in Manitoba (CMM), Anna Ens sets the stage for a history which, she maintains, is a long search for unity. In her view, the CMM's major agenda was bringing together two diverse groups, the Bergthaler and three immigrant Gemeinden (a multi-congregational church), into one united conference.
Anna Ens' meticulously-researched and well-documented study takes the reader on an interesting journey through numerous difficult issues. During the World War II years, when the conference was in the process of forming, disagreements on how to relate to the government over the issue of exemption from military service severely strained relations between the Bergthaler Gemeinde and the three immigrant Gemeinden: Schoenwieser, Whitewater, and Blumenorter.
The war was not quite over when a conflict arose between the Schoenwieser Gemeinde and the rest of the Gemeinden. This conflict resulted in the Schoenwieser Gemeinde withdrawing from the CMM, and not rejoining for more than two decades.
Church splits over the transition to the English language, the pain of leadership changes from lay ministry to professional pastors in autonomous congregations, the origin of radio work, camps, youth work, the changing role of women, all this and more Ens discusses in a style that is readable, interesting, and even handed.
The book is liberally documented, although the author notes in the foreward that a more fully documented version of the manuscript is in the Mennonite Heritage Archives. The book includes a listing of the archival sources which were researched for the book, as well as a list of the people interviewed. An extensive selected bibliography is also added.
To help her tell the story, Anna Ens included numerous pictures, maps, charts, and tables. Ens compiled a list of all the Aeltesten (bishops) who served the Gemeinden of the CMM. An organizational chart of the present CMM is provided in the appendix.
Please provide your contact information. We will check this item's availability and get back to you soon with the price and expected time of delivery.
You may also like
