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Ens began his career as a teacher in the village of Gnadenfeld, Manitoba
where he taught 60 children in 8 grades in a one-room school. During
WWII, as a committed conscientious-objector, he worked as an orderly in
a mental hospital. He returned to teaching at the Mennonite Collegiate
Institute, in Gretna, Manitoba, where he served for 31 years, including
ten years as principal.
Ens was a founding member of the Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society
in 1958 and sat on the board of the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum from
1958-2004. In 1972 he was asked to produce a Low German radio broadcast
to promote the centennial of the Manitoba Mennonite settlement.
Very quickly this 15-minute program was lengthened to 30 minutes.
Ens was never paid for his broadcasts, which continued for 34 years and
over 1,400 programs.
In 1977, Ens moved to Winnipeg to become editor of Der Bote, a Canadian-based,
German language paper. He also became a lay minister at the Sargent
Avenue Mennonite Church, where he preached and taught the German Bible
Study.
On accepting his award, Ens said that since Low German Mennonites have
no place in Europe they can call home, “Low German has become a home
where people can move in and out of and express themselves.”
Meet board member Richard Thiessen
Richard is on the Events Committee where his many Winnipeg contacts
are invaluable. He is also on the Genealogy Committee and coordinates projects
such as the indexing of EWZ (Einwanderungszentrale) microfilms and the
management of our information technology.
Born and raised in Chilliwack where his parents Abe and Anne (Esau)
Thiessen still live, Richard attended East Chilliwack MB Church (now Chilliwack
Central) where he was baptized, and later Broadway MB Church. He attended
Little Mountain Elementary, and Chilliwack Junior and Senior High Schools,
where he excelled in music: saxophone, jazz band and jazz choir, as well
as completing Royal Conservatory of Music grade ten in piano. Richard completed
a B.A. in history and music at UBC, enjoyed a year at Capernwray Sweden,
and went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree at Fresno MB Biblical Seminary,
and a Master of Library Science degree at UBC. After 22 years of schooling,
Richard was finally ready for a job: college librarian at MBBC in Winnipeg.
In 2000, Richard succeeded fellow board member David Giesbrecht as librarian
at CBC, where he also manages the website and is interim academic dean
responsible for faculty. He is also assistant managing editor of Global
Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO), treasurer of the Mennonite
Historical Society of Canada, and on the executive committee of West Abbotsford
Mennonite Church. Somehow he still finds time for his family: wife
Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen, who is pastor at West Abbotsford Mennonite
Church, and three growing boys, Abram, Solomon and Isaac, who are very
involved in music and sports. He is passing on his hockey card collection
to them, except for the Montreal Canadiens! In his spare time, he collects
stamps and grows day lilies. Richard particularly enjoys Mennonite foods,
the top of the list being Grandma Esau’s chicken noodle soup.
“I enjoy every aspect of Mennonite History,” says Richard, “and I want
to assist in preserving the story of how God has worked in the lives of
this ‘peculiar’ people. My physical and spiritual ancestors have passed
on a strong faith to me and I feel that it is my responsibility to tell
their story to future generations.”
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Gerhard Ens received the Award of Excellence from the Mennonite Historical
Society of Canada for his life-long advancement of Mennonite history as
a minister, teacher, editor, historical society/museum promoter, German
and Low German broadcaster.
If you ever get e-mails from Richard Thiessen, you will notice that
each one ends with the missive, “I believe in moderation. I work on genealogy
only on days that end in Y." His number one hobby is Mennonite
genealogy, but he also finds time for the genealogy of various royal families.
Little wonder then that Richard, shortly after he moved here from Winnipeg
to become Columbia Bible College librarian in 2000, consented to John Konrad's
request that he join the Mennonite Historical Society Board.