Mennonite Historical Society

of British Columbia

Past Events

Forestry Service Choir

Zagradovka, South Russia, 1908, Forestry Service Men's Choir, Julius Derksen Conductor

2024 -- 2023 -- 2022 -- 2021 -- 2020 -- 2019 -- 2018 -- 2017 -- 2016 -- 2015 -- 2014 -- 2013 -- 2012 -- 2011 -- 2010 -- 2009 -- 2008 -- 2007 -- 2006 -- 2005 -- 2004

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----2024----

Volunteer Week 2024

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Lois Klassen

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AGM 2024

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Heritage Week

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----2023----

Edith Krause

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MHSBC Holodomor Remembrance

Mennonite Christmas Market

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Leaving Canada

Books Borscht

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MHM Movie Matinees

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Mitchel Toews

Marlene Epp

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Migration Tour Concert

Perogy Dinner

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Poland Tour 2023

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Perogy Dinner

Attic Treasures Market

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Women Talking

Estate Planning Workshop

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MHSBC AGM 2023

Volunteer Week

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Ralph Friesen Booklaunch

Book Launch

----2022----

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MHSBC Genealogy Congerence 1
MHSBC Genealogy Congerence 2

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MHM Cafe

MHM Cafe

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Book Launch Loretta Willems Book Launch Loaraine Isaak

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Book Launch Ens Sawatsky MHSBC Annual Fundraiser

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A project of the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery, Winnipeg.

In art and words, the exhibit tells the dramatic stories of women and their families who fled the Soviet Union in the decade after the Russian Revolution and during World War II. Despite the despair, horror, and loss each of these families faced, at its core, this exhibit is about love, courage, humility, determination, and faith.
Abbotsford MCC Quilts

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book launch on holly ground Book Launch Dora Dueck

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John H. Redekop has lectured in Washington, California, and then at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario for twenty-six years. Most recently he has lectured part-time at Trinity Western University (Langley, British Columbia) for twenty years. His PhD in Political Science, 1966, was given by the University of Washington (Seattle). Trinity Western awarded him a DHum (hon.) in 1994. He has served as national moderator of the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference and as president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. He lives with his wife, Doris, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and is a member of Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church.
Free Event at the Mennonite Heritage Museum. Doors open at 1:00pm, Saturday April 23, 2022.

John Redekop

Saturday, April 30th, 2022
9:30am—12:30pm
Mennonite Historical Society of BC
Located at: Mennonite Heritage Museum
1818 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford BC

Danny Unrau Writers Workshop

Danny Unrau on writing: I am invigorated by writing. When it’s really working I get so excited I just can’t stay sitting to get the words down. When it’s not working, I don’t need to sit down. And I don’t. Either way, little or nothing happens. If you have this same jittery problem, come join us; if you don’t, come anyway and share with us what works for you. We need you. It is my hope that we’ll enjoy ourselves together and get nudged toward putting pencil to paper for the good of all those who would love to read what we write!

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Best of the Bonnet brings together some of The Daily Bonnet's funniest, most loved posts, that have drawn the attention of everyone from the Canadian Prairies to the high-rises of New York. In this collection of stories is a special introduction by author Andrew Unger, commenting on the nature of satire and his love for community.

The book is an absolute must-have for fans of The Daily Bonnet or anyone in love with the absurdity of day-to-day life.

Books will be available for purchase at the site.

Andrew Unger Writers Workshop

Annual Report 2021

Annual Report for the Year 2021 https://www.mhsbc.com/agm/AnnualReport2021.pdf.

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Helen Rose Pauls Writers Workshop

Helen Rose Pauls is a retired school teacher, a farm partner and a doting grandmother of thirteen. She is a reader, speaker, scrabble player, and an amateur Mennonite historian. With her husband Ernie, she has travelled the world and lately taken up e-biking and camping. Helen has written numerous magazine articles through the years and published two books: Refugee and Berry Flats.

Packing for Canada

Archivists Laureen Harder-Gissing, Conrad Stoesz, and Richard Thiessen explore Russlaender material culture in the collections of Mennonite Archives of Ontario, Mennonite Heritage Archives, and the Mennonite Heritage Museum.

Sponsored by the Paul Toews Professorship Fund and the Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies.

This event took place on March 15, 2022, at 6:30 pm CST (4:30 pm PST).

A recording of the event is now available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2EEgrZhX9Y.

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Pier 21 The Musical Pier 21 The Musical

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When her father’s dreams to immigrate to Canada fall through, Rena and her family are trapped in Ukraine in the midst of the Holodomor, a famine that will kill millions. Then, just when it seems that the worst is over, her father goes missing, and Rena struggles to keep her hopes alive.

Storyteller and author Louise Bergen Price has long been fascinated by her family’s story of hardship and survival in Ukraine. Born in a refugee camp after her parents fled the Soviet Union, she is immensely grateful that Canada is her home, and that she has the privilege of living in the beautiful Fraser Valley.

YouTube link for Louise Bergen Price's MHM Book Launch “The Canada Coat” recording of the event.

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The Canada Coat by Louise Bergen Price is available at the Museum Bookstore:

Barbara Nickel's Book Dear Peter, Dear Ulla has been re-stocked in the MHM Bookstore:

Louise Bergen Price Barbra Nickel



----2021----

YOU'RE INVITED TO A VIRTUAL LECTURE SERIES!

Sign up for Oct 28th here: https://bit.ly/ANewHome100

The first two videos have been posted on the CTMS Youtube page:

They are: Saying Goodbye: https://youtu.be/pV0MBCG_KWk

And “Through the Red Gate” https://youtu.be/3bd2GxCTNUQ

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Louise Bergen Price

Print the order form for the book The Canada Coat by Louise Bergen Price.

Gallery Reopening

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Barbara Nickel Book Launch

"You are invited...

I’m so excited to be inviting you to the launch of my new children’s novel, Dear Peter, Dear Ulla. Until last week, the event was scheduled for in-person at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Saskatoon. But for COVID reasons, it’s been switched to virtual, which means that many more people can attend! See all details below. To register for the event, just click here:

Virtual Book Launch: Barbara Nickel

This will take you to the Eventbrite page with all of the details, including a book description. .... Happy September, Barbara"

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BC Culture Days 2021


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Virtual book launch of Richard Toews' new novel,
The Confession, at 2:00pm, Saturday, March 20, 2021.

YouTube Link for for Dr. Richard Toews' recorded Virtual Book Launch. Richard Toews Book Launch

AGM 2021



----2020----

AGM  

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MHM Gallery Exhibit Opening Mennonite Gals Can Paint



Marilyn Vooys is a watercolour artist who chose this medium because of the variety of effects that can be created with it, from pastel softness to bold strong colour. As well, it is a ‘clean’ medium that doesn’t take days to dry. She uses photos from her own travels as reference and takes workshops to expand her base of knowledge & she also frames her own art.

Irene Enns, a member of the Fraser Valley Watermedia Society, Abbotsford Arts Council, Central Fraser Valley Graphic Guild, and past member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and Mission Arts Council has actively exhibited her watercolor and acrylic paintings in corporate and public institutions and in joint and group exhibitions in Canada and the United States.



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Gareth Brandt Exhibit Dora Dueck Book Launch

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----2017----




Group Photograph of WW II Conscientious Objectors at the Fall Fundraiser





Repeat Program from the MHSBC Fall Fundraising Dessert Banquet
To be held in Vancouver

Tickets are not required;
Light refreshments (instead of faspa) will follow the program.

If you have already bought tickets,
contact the MHSBC office for a refund or a tax receipt.

"A Small Sign of Life and Love:
Letters from the Soviet Union During the Khrushchev Thaw"

Sunday, April 23, 2017 at 2:30pm

Sherbrooke Mennonite Church
7155 Sherbrooke St.
Vancouver, BC






----2016----

MHSBC Genealogy Workshop

Keynote Speakers: Dr. Tim Janzen & Dr. Glenn Penner

November 19, 2016, from 8:30am to 4:00pm

Mennonite Heritage Museum

8:30 - 9:00 Registration

9:00 - 10:15 Ten Years of www.mennonitedna.com : A non-technical review of what we have learned from Y-DNA in the last Decade." - Glenn Penner.

10:15 - 10:45 Break

10:45 - 12:00 "The Spelling of Mennonite Surnames and the Importance of Signatures. " - Glenn Penner.

12:00 - 1:15 Lunch

1:15 - 2:15 "An Overview of Mennonite Genealogical Research." - Tim Janzen.

2:15 - 3:00 "Using Early Russian Census Lists to Assist with Genealogical Research." - Richard Thiessen.

3:00 - 4:00 "Sharing Your Genealogy Projects." - Participants.




An Evening With Connie Braun

Presented by . . .
The Mennonite Faith and Learning Society
along with Humanitas

Mennonite Heritage Museum,
Friday, October 28th,
Doors open at 6:30pm

MHSBC Fall Fundraising Dessert Banquet

"A small sign of life and love":
Letters out of the Soviet Union during the Khrushchev Thaw

Postponed until 3:00pm, Sunday, November 13, 2016

King Road MB Church
32068 King Rd, Abbotsford

Tickets: $10.00
MHSBC Offices: 1818 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.
Phone: 604-853-6177; email: archives@mhsbc.com


MHSBC Event: Mennonites in Siberia

Guest speaker Peter Epp from Siberia:

"A Contemporary Look at the Mennonite Church in Siberia."

23 October 2016: 7 p.m., Clearbrook MB Church

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Guest speaker Peter Epp from Siberia:

"The Early History of Mennonite Settlement in Siberia."

Book Launch: Bread For The Journey

by the authors of Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Mennonite Heritage Museum on August 3, 2016.


2016 MHSBC Annual General Meeting

Friday, April 8, 2016 at 1:30pm

Ricky's Country Restaurant
32080 Marshall Road, Abbotsford

Please RSVP: Diana Hiebert


MHSBC Genealogy Workshop 2016

Presenters: Dr. Glenn Penner, Dr. Timothy Janzen, and David Loewen

Saturday, March 5, 2016, 8:30 - 4:00 pm

Mennonite Heritage Museum
1818 Clearbrook Road
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 5X4

Registration - $35.00 (including lunch)

8:30 - 9:00 am Registration/Coffee

9:00 - 10:30         Glenn Penner: Mennonites in Polish Civil Records and A Summary of Recent Developments in West Prussian Mennonite Genealogical Research
10:30 - 11:00 am Break

11:00 - 12:00       Tim Janzen: A Summary of Recent Developments in Russian Mennonite Genealogical Research
12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch

1:15 - 2:00         Dave Loewen: Self-Publishing Your Family History
2:00 - 2:15 Break

2:15 - 3:15       Tim Janzen: How to Make Genealogical Connections Using DNA Results

3:15 - 4:30       Free time in the Archives with Research Assistance Provided
"The Public and Private Lives of Mennonite Collective Farm Chairmen
in Ukraine in the early 1930s"

Speaker: Colin Neufeldt

Saturday, June 25 at 7:00pm

Clearbrook MB Church
2719 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, BC

Select Bibliography of Colin Neufeldt

Mennonite Quarterly Review, April 2009: "Liquidating" Mennonite Kulaks (1929-1930)

Colin Neufeldt


Family Day Open House at the Mennonite Heritage Museum
1818 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.

February 8, 2016 from 10am - 4pm

ACTIVITIES

Activities for families offered from 10am - 4pm:
  • Museum worksheets (geared toward 3 different age groups)

  • "I Spy" Activity Books

  • Russian Doll Craft

  • Discover Your Genealogy Activity

Family friendly story time starting at 1:30pm
(each story will be approximately 10-15 minutes)
  • Mennonite Maids in Vancouver (Ruth Derksen Siemens)

  • And more!

Ray Dirks' Exhibition - November 28, 2015 to January 29, 2016

At The Mennonite Heritage Museum at 1818 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford

Ray Dirks' Exhibition - November 28, 2015 to January 29, 2016


The Mennonite Heritage Museum

The Mennonite Heritage Museum at 1818 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford
Grand Opening and Dedication of the Mennonite Heritage Museum:
January 22, 2016 at 2pm.

Mennonite Heritage Museum

Mennonite Heritage Museum Grand Opening, January 22nd, 2016
Premier Christy Clark addresses the assemblage,
with seated dignitaries (right to left):
MLA Darryl Plecas, MP Ed Fast, Peter Redekop, and Richard Thiessen

Mennonite Heritage Museum - Opening



----2015----

Rosedale Mennonite Church - Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference

7 pm, Friday, November 13th

Clearbrook MB Church
2719 Clearbrook Road
Abbotsford. B.C.

The Rosedale Mennonite Church, a member of the
"traditionalist" Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference,
will present their church and faith at this event.

Admission is free and light refreshments will be provided.

Annual General Meeting

Mennonite Historical Society of BC

Friday, 10 April 2015 1:15 pm

ABC Restaurant
32080 Marshall Road
Abbotsford, B.C.


Annual Fundraising Banquet:   From Refugee to Citizen:
The Mennonite Role in the Resettlement of Indochinese Refugees in Canada

"From Refugee to Citizen: The Resettlement of
Indochinese Refugees in Canada"

Stephanie Stobbe, Ph.D.
Menno Simons College
The University of Winnipeg


6:00 pm, Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

Emmanuel Mennonite Church,
3471 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

In addition to Stobbe's lecture, Mabel Paetkau and Henry Neufeld will speak on their experiences in refugee assistance. Don't miss what will surely be a fascinating evening.

Speaker: Dr. Harvey L. Dyck

Friday, 17 April 2015 at 7:00 pm

Clearbrook MB Church
2719 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, BC


For more information please contact:
Mennonite Historical Society of BC
211 - 2825 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6S3
E-Mail: archives@mhsbc.com
Telephone: (604) 853-6177

Jacob Neufeld's extraordinary memoir documents his journey from imprisonment in a Soviet labour camp in the 1930s, his epic trek from the Soviet Union first to Germany in 1943 and to Canada in 1949.   Harvey Dyck, emeritus professor of History at the University of Toronto, translated the memoir, edited it and, based on his deep understanding of Soviet Mennonite history, wrote the Introduction and analysis.   Dyck will talk about the relevance of this remarkable book to the present generation.



----2014----

MHSBC Genealogy Workshop

Presenters: Tim Janzen and Glenn Penner


8:30 am — 4:00 pm, Saturday, November 15th, 2014

Cost is $35 for the workshop per person
Snacks and lunch provided

Dogwood Room of the Garden Park Tower,
2825 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

"No Place On Earth; No Home But Heaven?
Mennonites & Jews On the Move"

Speaker: Danny Unrau


7:00 pm, Saturday, November 1st, 2014

Bakerview MB Church,
2285 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 2X4


Annual Fundraising Banquet:   Mennonites and Foodways

"Mennonites and Foodways: A Miagrope* of Meaning"

Speaker: Marlene Epp

Conrad Grebel University College,
Waterloo, Ontario


6:00 pm,   Saturday,   September 27th, 2014

Emmanuel Mennonite Church,
3471 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Marlene Epp is a professor of History and Peace & Conflict Studies and Director of Mennonite Studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo. She teaches courses in Mennonite history, Canadian immigration history, peace history, and food history. Most of her published research is on the history of Mennonite women and includes two books: Women without Men: Mennonite Refugees of the Second World War (2000), and Mennonite Women in Canada: A History (2008). Most recently, she co-edited a collection of essays on food history titled Edible Histories, Cultural Politics: Towards a Canadian Food History (2012), in which she has a chapter on Mennonite cookbooks. She is married to Paul Born, originally from Abbotsford, and they have two young adult sons.

The Constructed Mennonite: History, Memory, and the Second World War

 

Speaker: Hans Werner

7:00 pm   Saturday,   May 10th, 2014

Admission is free, and light
refreshments will be served.

Bakerview MB Church,
2285 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 2X4

Book Review: Hans Werner.
The Constructed Mennonite: History, Memory, and the Second World War.

Mennonite Historical Society of BC
Annual General Meeting 2014


1:30 pm   Friday, April 4th, 2014

ABC Restaurant,
32080 Marshall Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.
V2T 1A1


National Gallery of Canada Exhibit
Clash: Conflict and Its Consequences

Speaker: Esther Epp-Tiessen

7:00 pm Thursday, January 30th, 2014

The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford
32388 Veterans Way,
Abbotsford

MCC — A Many Splendoured Thing

Speaker: Esther Epp-Tiessen

Author of Mennonite Central Committee in Canada: A History
Available at the Lecture

7:00 pm   Saturday, February 1st, 2014

Emmanuel Mennonite Church,
3471 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

For more information please contact:
Mennonite Historical Society of BC
211 - 2825 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6S3
E-Mail: archives@mhsbc.com
Telephone: (604) 853-6177


----2013----

Genealogical Workshop 2013

Saturday, November 16, 2013
8:30 - 4:00 pm

Dr. Glenn Penner

"Some Misconceptions in Mennonite Genealogy"

"Flemish & Frisian Mennonites: a Genealogical Perspective"

Dr. Timothy Janzen

Updated Russian Mennonite Sources

Danny Unrau

"You Are The Boy" a novel;
Turning a Genealogy into a Story.

Garden Park Tower
Azalea Room (Main Floor)
2825 Clearbrook Road
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6S3


Registration - $35.00
(This includes lunch)

Annual Fund Raising Banquet: 2013

Speaker: Dr. John B. Toews

6:00 pm Saturday, September 21st, 2013

Topic: Mennonite Pacifists in Ukraine Amidst Anarchy (1917-1920)

Emmanuel Mennonite Church,
3471 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Ticket price: $25.00
All reserved tickets must be prepaid
(Visa, Master Card, & American Express accepted)

For more information please contact:
Mennonite Historical Society of BC
211 - 2825 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6S3
E-Mail: archives@mhsbc.com
Telephone: (604) 853-6177

BC Book Launch of

It Happened in Moscow: A Memoir of Discovery by Maureen Klassen

Speaker: Maureen Klassen

Bakerview MB Church
2285 Clearbrook Rd, Abbotsford, BC

Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 7 p.m.

Royden Loewen

Dr. Royden Loewen
Chair in Mennonite Studies
University of Winnipeg

Old Colony Mennonites: Travelling with the Horse and Buggy Mennonites in Bolivia: Creating Cultures of Peace

Eric Dreger, Vancouver

What is a Mennonite?: A Photo Essay
of the Mennonites of Shipyard, Belize
Website

7:00 PM, June 1st, 2013

Level Ground Mennonite Church
31216 King Road
Abbotsford BC.

MHSBC Annual General Meeting

April 11th, 2013
1:30 pm

ABC Restaurant,
32080 Marshall Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Anne Konrad, Author

"A Search for Family in the Soviet Union"
Red Quarter Moon

April 5, 2013 at 7:00 pm
The Bakerview MB Church,
2285 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.


----2012----

Genealogy Workshop 2012

November 17th, 2012
8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Speakers: Tim Janzen, Portland, Oregon & Glenn Penner, Guelph, Ontario

Dogwood Room, Garden Park Tower,
2825 Clearbrook Road
Abbotsford, B.C.

Book Launch: Global Mennonite History Project

November 1st, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Speaker: Royden Loewen

Global Mennonite History Project: North American Volume
by Steve Nolt and Royden Loewen

Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church,
2285 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Annual Fund Raising Banquet: 2012

Speaker: Rudy Wiebe

Hold Your Peace:

Remembering the publication of

Peace Shall Destroy Many, October 13th, 1962

Saturday, October 13th, 2012
6:00 pm

Emmanuel Mennonite Church,
3471 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Mennonite Women Working as Domestic Servants

MHSBC presents "Mennonite Women Working as Domestic Servants"
with Dora Dueck, Ruth Derksen Siemens & Sandra Borger.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012: 7:00 pm

South Abbotsford MB Church,
32424 Huntingdon Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Books to be highlighted, "This Hidden Thing," and preview of the "Maids & Mädchen" Mennonite Domestic Workers of Vancouver (1930-60), with a presentation by Sandra Borger. Come to honour and celebrate the contributions of many women to their family's lives. Light refreshments will be served.


Annual General Meeting

Thursday, June 21, 2012: 1:30 pm

Location: ABC Restaurant, 32080 Marshall Road, Abbotsford, B.C.

Following the Volunteer Lunch, Time: 12:00 pm;
Board Meeting to follow AGM at same place

MHSBC presents an evening with Dr. Harry Loewen.

24th March 2012,
at the Garden Park Tower,
2825 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.

7 PM in the Magnolia Room

Topic: "Selected Stories From the Book Cities of Refuge as told by Author Harry Loewen."

Loewen will not read but tell the stories that will be new to most in the audience. Some stories might even shock, but they are all historically true and we can learn from them about what it means to be an Anabaptist-Mennonite. Admission is free, light refreshments to follow.


----2011----

Genealogy Workshop 2011

November 12, 2010, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
at: Garden Park Tower, 2825 Clearbrook Rd,
Dogwood Room (201)
Speakers: Dr. Tim Janzen, Dr. Glenn Penner

Annual Fund Raising Banquet: 2011

October 15, 2011 @ 6:00 p.m.
Lecture by Colin Neufeldt:
The Experience of Mennonite Exiles at Siberian Special Settlements (1930-1933)
Emmanuel Mennonite Church.

Through the Desert Goes our Journey, a film by Walter Ratliff

May 28, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
In 1880 and 1881, five wagons trains of Mennonites left Russia for Central Asia where they hoped to await the Lord's coming. Although many disasters overtook the group and numerous individuals became disenchanted and returned to home villages, others remained. For many years, the trek was seen as foolishness, and those who participated, misguided. Yet a new narrative is now emerging that sees the migration not as a "shameful and disastrous episode but as an example of peaceful, long-term cooperation and friendship between Christians and Muslims."
at Columbia Bible College Chapel
2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC

Annual General Meeting

May 29, 2011, 2:30 p.m.
at Columbia Bible College Chapel
2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC

Lecture by Walter Ratliff: Pilgrims on the Silk Road

May 29, 2011, 3:00 p.m.
The book Pilgrims on the Silk Road is a follow-up to the film, Through the Desert Goes our Journey.
at Columbia Bible College Chapel
2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC

Otto Klassen Film Series

April 16, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
The Great Trek: 1939-1945
at Columbia Bible College Chapel
2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC

Otto Klassen Film Series

March 12, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Remembering Russia: 1914-1927: War and the End of Mennonite Tranquility
Remembering Russia: 1928-1938: Collectivization and Mass Arrest
at Columbia Bible College Chapel
2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC

Lecture with Brian Froese

Originally scheduled for February 19, 2011, is postponed


----2010----

Genealogy Workshop 2010

November 13, 2010, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
at: Garden Park Tower, 2825 Clearbrook Rd,
Dogwood Room (201)
Speakers: David Obee, Dr Tim Janzen, Dr. Bruce Hiebert

Annual Fund Raising Banquet: 2010

October 23, 2010 @ 6:00 p.m.
Lecture by John B. Toews:
Mennonite Church and Mennonite Brethren Church: The 100 Years War
Emmanuel Mennonite Church.

June 5, 2010 at 3 p.m.
Meeting will include a film on Mennonites in Siberia
Garden Park Tower, Dogwood Room
2825 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.

Lecture with Marlene Epp

May 8, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Lecture:  Marlene Epp
Mennonite Women in Canada
Level Ground Mennonite Church (formerly West Abbotsford Mennonite Church)

Annual General Meeting

Lecture with Colin Neufeld

February 6, 2010 at 7 p.m..
with Colin Neufeld
Mennonites and Collectivization under Stalin
Garden Park Tower


----2009----

Genealogy Workshop 2009

November 14, 2009, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
at: Garden Park Tower, 2825 Clearbrook Rd,
Dogwood Room (201)
Speakers: Don Fehr, Dr Tim Janzen, Richard Thiessen

Annual banquet. Theme: Paraguay

October 17, 2009, 6:00 PM
at: Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church
Speaker: Dr Jacob Warkentin of Paraguay

Annual General Meeting

Date: June 4, 2009 , 6:00 PM
Garden Park Tower, Rose Room
2825 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.

Blessed Assurance
A Summer Evening of Gospel Music

Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 6:30
Gospel singing and narration with Evan Kreider.
Featuring a trio and a quartet.
King Road MB Church, 32068 King Road, Abbotsford, B.C.
tickets $10.00 at the archives 604-853-6177

Film night: "Pete: Moving Man Made Mountains"

Date: March 13, 2009 at 7 p.m.
Come see the film about Yarrow boy, Peter Friesen, self-taught engineer, who became
North America's pre-eminent mover of heritage buildings and lighthouses.
Celebrated in the Guinness Book of Records and the National Geographic, Peter lives in retirement in Lyndon, Washington. We will be featuring stories by a few Menonite entrepreneurs as well.
Bakerview Church gym, 2285 Clearbrook Rd., Abbotsford, B.C.
Refreshments will be served.

A Sunday Afternoon: 60 Years of Peace and Plenty

Date: Jan. 18, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Repeat performance:
If you missed the Oct. 19 program or would like to see it again, please bring youth, your friends and the elderly to a truly inspiring, entertaining and nostalgic afternoon of tales, poems and songs celebrating coming to Canada in 1948..
Sherbrooke Church, 7155 Sherbrooke Street, Vancouver, B.C.


----2008----

Genealogy Workshop 2008

Date: November 15, 2008 , 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Registration 8:30 am
Speakers: Glenn Penner, Henry Schapansky and Tim Janzen.
Garden Park Tower, 2825 Clearbrook Rd, Rm 201
phone archive office for details.

"Sixty years of Peace and Plenty:
Mennonite Refugees Remember"

  • Date: October 18 & 19, 2008
  • All activites take place at Emmanuel Church.
  • Saturday afternoon from 2-5:30 p.m.: visiting, "ethnic" refreshments; film "The Great Trek"; displays and memorabilia.
  • Saturday evening at 6 p.m.: annual fund-raising banquet with speaker Dr. Harry Loewen....tickets available at the archives after Sept. 1
  • Sunday afternoon at 2:30: Celebration in Story and Song

Annual General Meeting

Date: May 16, 2008 , 3 p.m.
AGM, "Annual General Meeting"
Ben Stobbe will report on The Mennonite Centre, Ukraine
Garden Park Tower
2825 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.

Celebrating the Contributions of
"Der Bote" and "Mennonitische Rundschau"

Date: May 10, 2008
with Helen Franz and Dr. David Ewert.
3 p.m. Ebenezer Mennonite Church, 2051 Windsor Street, Abbotsford

"Letters From Stalin's Gulag"

Date: April 27, 2008....7 p.m.
Film "Through the Red Gate" and
book presentation "Remember Us: Letters From Stalin's Gulag"
with Dr. Ruth Derksen Siemens.
Peace Mennonite Church 11571 Daniels Rd. Richmond

"Letters From Stalin's Gulag"

Date: April 20, 2008....7 p.m.
Film "Through the Red Gate" and
book presentation "Remember Us: Letters From Stalin's Gulag"
with Dr. Ruth Derksen Siemens.
South Abbotsford Church 32424 Huntingdon Rd.

Letters from Stalin's Gulag

Date: February 23, 2008
Documentary film: "Through the Red Gate:Voices from Stalin's Gulag"
          by Out-To-See Entertainment.
Book Launch: "Remember Us: Letters from Stalin's Gulag"
          by Dr. Ruth Derksen Siemens.
Bakerview Church, 2285 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C. at 7 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m. for an art show on this topic.
Light refreshments to follow.

----2007----

Lecture

Date: November 24, 2007 , 7 p.m.
Speaker: Peter Letkamen:
topic: "Ben Horch and his contributions to Mennonite church musicology".
Bakerview Church , Abbotsford B.C.

Genealogy Workshop 2007

Date: November 10, 2007 , 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Registration 8:30 am
Speakers: Henry Schapansky and Tim Janzen.
Garden Park Tower, 2825 Clearbrook Rd, Rm 201
phone archive office for details.

Genealogy Workshop 2007

Date: November 10, 2007 , 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Registration 8:30 am
Speakers: Henry Schapansky and Tim Janzen.
Garden Park Tower, 2825 Clearbrook Rd, Rm 201
phone archive office for details.

Annual Banquet and Lecture

Date: October 13, 2007, 6 p.m.
Emmanuel Church, Abbotsford B.C.
Lecture by John B. Toews
"In Defense of Mothers and Sisters"
The Mennonite Selbstschutz [self-defense] in the Ukraine 1918.
Tickets available from the archives in Sept. 2007

"Saengerfest" Choir Festival of Praise and Worship

Date: Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 3 p.m.
Central Heights Church
1661 McCallum Road, Abbotsford

Passing on the Comfort: The MCC Story

Date: Saturday, 17 February 2007
With Dr. Ron Matthies, former MCC Director
The MCC Story: engaging the world amid suffering and hope
1 - 5 p.m. Quilts & Stories
7:00 p.m. Lecture
Garden Park Tower
2825 Clearbrook Road,
Abbotsford, B.C.
"A quilt is a blanket with a heartbeat"


----2006----

Lectures: Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Bakerview Church

"Controversy, Concensus, Change....
          theological issues of the Mennonite churches in the 20th century."
Lectures by: David Ewert, Abbotsford
          and John Neufeld, Winnipeg
Light refreshments to follow.

2006 Genealogy Workshop

Date : November 11, 2006
Dr. Tim Janzen will be our keynote speaker. His topics will include resources for the low-German researcher as well as DNA and how it plays a part in genealogical research. Don Fehr will also give us an overview of some of the projects he has going. He will also give us an update on Mexican Mennonite information.

Annual Fundraising Banquet

Date: Saturday, October 14th, 2006 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church
2051 Windsor Street, Abbotsford, B.C.
lecture by Dr. Harvey Dyck
Soviet Mennonite Uprootings:
Through Communist Documents & Mennonite Eyes
Banquet Tickets: $15.00 each

Memorial Cemetery Tour

Date: Sunday, May 21, 2006 (note: revised date and time)
Graveyard Tour at Maclure Road Mennonite Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.
Faspa & AGM at Bakerview MB Church at 5 p.m.

Hymn singing

Date: June 11, 2006
An evening of Hymn singing followed by coffee and platz.
Arnold MB church, 7 P.M.
A collection will be taken to further the work of the Society.

Lecture Evening

Date: February 18, 2006 at 7 p.m.
Venue: Emmanuel Church, 3471 Clearbrook Road
Speaker: Dr. Helmut Harder
Topic: "David Toews...Our Undaunted Hero".
Admission is free


----2005----

2005 Genealogy Workshop

Date: November 12, 2005, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Venue: Garden Park Tower
Speakers: Dr. Glenn Penner & Dr. Timothy Janzen
Registration $40.00
Visa, Master Card & American Express accepted

Annual Fundraising Banquet

Date: Saturday, October 15, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Columbia Place (CBC) 2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, B.C.
Speaker: Dr. John L. Ruth , "From America With Love"
American Mennonite Aid for Russian Mennonites in the Early 1920's
Tickets: $20.00 each, available at the MHS of BC office, Garden Park Tower.

Memorial Cemetery Tour

Date: May 14, 2005,
  1. First Stop
    1:00 pm South Poplar Cemetery
  2. Second Stop
    2:30 pm Greendale Cemetery
  3. Third Stop
    4:00 pm Yarrow Cemetery
  4. Fourth Stop
    5:15 pm Complimentary Faspah & Commemorative Service
    at Yarrow MB Church Gym

Tributes will be given at each cemetery and a booklet containing all tributes will be available The Faspah will include a short program with John B. Toews giving a brief talk about the history of Mennonite Cemeteries You may pick up additional complimentary tickets at MHSBC office or phone 604-853-6177

Mennonite Piano Concerto

Date: May 15, 2005, 3:00 p.m.

Duet pianists Irmgard Baerg and Betty Suderman
Tickets are $10.00, available at the archives.
Place: Central Heights Church

Wrenching our Youth from Frivolous Pursuits
...The Bible School Movement in Western Canada

Date: March 5, 2005 , 7:00 p.m.
Lecture: Dr Bruce Guenther
Place: Emmanuel Mennonite Church
3471 Clearbrook Rd. Abbotsford.
Light refreshments to follow.


----2004----

Genealogy Workshop

Date: November 13, 2004, 9:00am - 4:30pm
Place: Dogwood Room (#201), Garden Park Tower
Price: $25.00
Speakers:
  • Dr. Tim Janzen, "Update on Genealogical Resources for the Low German Mennonite Researcher"
  • Don DeFehr, "Reinländer Church Registry Project"
  • Richard Thiessen, "Mennonite Genealogy and Given Names"