Village News

As its name suggests, the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada (MHSC) is made up of organizations who are actively involved in preserving, researching and teaching Mennonite history. These organizations include six provincial historical societies (BC through Quebec), Mennonite Central Committee Canada, and five Mennonite Conferences. The Chair of Mennonite Studies from the University of Winnipeg is a member as well.

The MHSC was founded in 1966. One of its first tasks was to sponsor the writing and publication of Mennonites in Canada, a three-volume series documenting the history of Mennonites in Canada from 1786 to 1970. The first two volumes were written by Frank H. Epp and the third one by T. D. Regehr.

One of the committees within MHSC is Divergent Voices of Canadian Mennonites. With funding from MCC Canada, this committee has sponsored academic papers and conferences exploring such topics as History of Aboriginal-Mennonite Relations, War and the Conscientious Objector, Mennonites and Human Rights, and many others. These conferences are organized by the Chair of Mennonite Studies at the University of Winnipeg.

In recent years the Society has developed an Award of Excellence which is presented annually to a person who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Canadian Mennonite history by way of research, writing, organization or the dissemination of Mennonite historical knowledge. The late Steinbach resident David K. Schellenberg was the award recipient in 2009. This year the award was presented to Dr. Harry Loewen, the first holder of the Chair of Mennonite Studies (1978-1995). Dr. Loewen was also one of eight individuals who signed our incorporation documents in 1964.

The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO) was initiated by MHSC in 1996. This online encyclopedia contains more than 15,000 articles taken from publications such as the Mennonites in Canada history series and the Mennonite Encyclopedia, as well as other contributions from MCC Canada, the Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission, Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee, and Mennonite World Conference. This website continues to develop under the sponsorship of Mennonite World Conference and can be found at www.gameo.org. MHSC continues to oversee the contribution of Canadian content.

I responded to an invitation to attend this year’s AGM because it was being held in Manitoba and because I was interested in learning more about the Society. What a pleasant surprise to be present when a motion was passed inviting Mennonite Heritage Village to become an active member. If we accept their invitation, this membership would give us a seat on the Board of Directors and a higher level of exposure to, and involvement in, the Canadian Mennonite community.