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Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church – Lashburn, SK

Proper Title

Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church fonds

Dates of Creation

1936–1982

Physical Description

21 cm of textual records and one microfilm reel

Administrative History

The Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church, located close to the Alberta border on the highway between North Battleford and Lloydminster in northern Saskatchewan, was a member of the Canadian Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches, Rosthern District. The settlers in this mixed farming community met at first in homes under the leadership of H.S. Rempel. They organized on January 20, 1937.

The first church leader at Lashburn named in Saskatchewan Conference yearbooks was A.A. Polinsky. In 1938, when the church had a membership of 35, they bought an immigration building for a church at a cost of $525.00. After the building burnt down in 1940, the members met in the United Church until about 1943 when a new church was built. By 1945, there were only 18 members.

Representatives of the Maidstone MB Church and the Lashburn MB Church held a special meeting in 1964 to discuss the possibility of amalgamating, but they decided against this union. On November 29, 1964, when Paul J. Wiebe a high school teacher in Lashburn was the pastor, the 28-member Lashburn church dedicated a new church building in town. (See Mennonite Brethren Herald, 31 December 1964, p.14). In 1966, the membership of the Lashburn Church had risen to 40. The last entry in the Saskatchewan Conference yearbooks for Lashburn is in 1980 when the membership was 15.

Leaders of the Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church were A.A. Polinsky (1937–1943), Emil Gripp (1944–1953), Bert Sommerfield (1954–1955), A.H. Dueck (1956–1958), Franz Dyck (1959–1960), Paul J. Wiebe (1961–1965), Otto Derksen (1966–197-?), David Esau ([197-?]–1975), and A.S. Redekopp (1976–1979). In 1982, the remaining eleven members were encouraged by the Saskatchewan Conference of Church Ministries to transfer to other churches.

Scope and Content

This fonds consists of the following series: Historical records, membership and family registers, financial records, minutes of congregational and board meetings, minutes of women’s meetings.

Custodial History

Many of the records were microfilmed in 1978 through the work of the Historical Commission of the Mennonite Brethren Conference. The textual records came to the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies in 1996 from the Bethany Bible School in Saskatchewan where they had been housed since the church closed in 1982.

Notes

  • Volume 617.
  • Formerly classified under the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches inventory BF519.
  • Finding aid for microfilm: R15, pp. 373–797.
  • Microfilm file list adapted from a previous finding aid by Leslie Wiebe June, 2003. Updated by Kate Woltmann October, 2013.
  • Files added from Accession No. 2013-22.
  • Finding aid consists of a series description and a file list.

Series Descriptions

I. Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church historical records.
1963–1982.
1 cm of textual records.

  • This series consists of a file containing information about microfilming the records, membership transfers, and a 1976 yearbook of the church containing a membership list and reports of church committees.
  • Finding aid: Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church list 1–2.

II. Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church membership and family records.
1936–1982.
2.5 cm of textual records.

  • This series consists of a file of membership transfers and a book of family records including place and date of birth and baptism, marriage records and death dates.
  • Finding aid: Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church list 3–4, 32.

III. Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church financial records.
1936–1982.
6 cm of textual records.

  • This series consists of ten books of records of receipts and disbursements. Records from 1936 to 1954 are in German, from 1954 to 1980 in English.
  • Finding aid: Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church list 5–14.

IV. Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church minutes of congregational and board meetings.
1937–1982.
6 cm of textual records.

  • This series consists of both congregational and board meetings. Book I is in the German Gothic script; the remaining ten books are in the English language.
  • Finding aid: Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church list 15–25, 32.

V. Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church minutes of women’s meetings.
1956–1979.
5 cm of textual records.

  • This series consists of five notebooks containing minutes and financial records of women’s missionary circle meetings.

File List

Volume 617

1. Microfilm correspondence. -- 1979.
Membership transfers. -- 1977, 1982.
Minutes and correspondence relating to a possible merger between Maidstone and Lashburn. -- 1964.
Correspondence. -- 1963, 1977, 1978.
Funeral notices and burial permits. -- 1976, 1978, 1979.
Evaluation questionnaire. -- 1978.
Statistical reports. -- 1974.
2. Family directory and year-book of the Lashburn Mennonite Brethren Church. -- 1976.
3. Certificates of membership transfer. -- 1956–1971.
4. Book XII: Membership and family records. -- 1936–1980.
5. Book I-A: Minutes and financial records. -- 1936–1968.
6. Book IX: Financial records. -- 1969–1971.
7. Book X: Financial records. -- 1974–1975.
8. Book XI: Financial records. -- 1972–1973.
9. Record of envelope receipts. -- 1976.
10. Receipts and disbursements. -- 1976–1977.
11. Envelope receipts. -- 1978.
12. Receipts and disbursements. -- 1978–1979.
13. Envelope receipts. -- 1977.
14. Financial records. -- 1980–1982.
15. Book I-B: Minutes of congregational meetings. -- January 1937 to January 1953.
16. Book II: Minutes of Church Council meetings. -- September 1959 to May 1965.
17. Book III: Minutes of congregational and board meetings. -- December 1965 to December 1967.
18. Book IV: Minutes of Church Council meetings. -- April 1965 to October 1967.
Minutes of congregational meetings. -- June 1966, November 1966, June 1967.
19. Book V: Minutes of congregational meetings. -- December 1967 to December 1969.
20. Minutes of annual business meeting. -- 1965.
21. Book VI: Minutes of congregational meetings. -- 1970.
22. Book VII: Minutes of congregational and board meetings. -- January 1972 to November 1973.
23. Minutes of board meetings. -- 1975–1976.
24. Book VIII: Minutes of congregational meetings. -- 1977–1978.
25. Minutes of annual congregational and board meetings. -- 1979–1980.
26. Missionary Circle notes. -- 1956–1962.
27. Financial records. -- 1962–1965.
28. Ladies Missionary Prayer Group minutes. -- 1965–1966.
29. Minutes of Ladies Missionary Fellowship. -- 1967–1972.
30. Financial records of Ladies Circle. -- 1969–1979.
31. Undated notes.
32. Correspondence, Reports, Minutes & Correspondence dealing with the close of the church, membership info, Family Directory/Yearbook (1979). -- 1975–1982.

Microfilm file list

Reel 15

  • Membership and Family Records (Book XII). – [195-]–[197-]. – p.788–797.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book II). – 1959–May 1965. – p.515–540.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book III). – Dec.1965–Dec.1967. – p.541–563.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book IV). – Nov.1966–Jun.1967. – p.607–626.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book V). – Dec.1967–Dec.1969. – p.564–606.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book VI). – 1970–1972. – p.627–640.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book VII). – Jan.22, 1972–Nov. – p.641–657.
  • Congregational Meeting Minutes (Book VIII). – 1977–1978. – p.658–701.
  • Financial Records (Book Ia). – 1936–1968. – p.373–499 (+120).
  • Financial Records (Book Ib). – 1937–Jan.1953. – p.500–514 (+10).
  • Financial Records (Book IX). – 1969–1971. – p.702–731.
  • Financial Records (Book XI). – 1972–1973. – p.758–787.
  • Financial Records (Book X). – 1974–1975. – p.732–757.
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