The Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church

A schism occurred in the Sommerfelder Church in
1936 when on November 17 at an organizational meeting
in the village of Rudnerweide a motion was passed to
elect an elder who would head the new church. This
election of Elder W. 1-1. Falk took place in the church at
Rodnerweide on January 8, 1937. The ordination of Rev.
Fulk as Elder of the new congregation followed on
February 4, that same year, and the name of the young
church was to be Rudnerweidcr Mennonite Church. In
1959, the name was changed to Evangelical Mennonite
Mission Church.”

When the Bergthaler Church building at the village
of Hoffnungsfeld was divided between two
congregations, one-half of it was moved to Glencross and
the other half to Rosenbach about a mile north of
Winkler. The late Mr. Jacob Peters, father of Rev. W. J.
Peters, was one or” the carpenters who sawed the church
building at Hoffnungsfeld in two. The half of the church
that was moved to Rosenbach village was completed, and
used by the Sommerfeider Church until 1937 when the
Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church at Rosenbach
was organized. in 1942 the church building at Rosenbach
was moved into Winkler onto a lot on the west side of
Third Street about one~half a block north of Pembina
Avenue. This building was replaced by a new church
erected in 1953 at 186 Third Street.

There were abouttwenty members attending when
the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church was orga-
nized in Rosenbach. The first ministers were the late Rev.
Gerhard J. Froese and Rev. Isaac P. F. Friesen who for
many years served the E.M.M.C. congregation at
Winkler as_leader. For a number of years Rev. A. M.
Friesen was the leader of the church. He had been
ordained for the ministry on October 3, 1943. Other
ministers who have been active in the Church here are
David Hildebrand, Jerry Hildebrand, David Funk, and
Frank Zacharias. Rev. Ben D. Wiebe, B.A., Th.B., who
has been on the Garden Valley Collegiate Institute staff
since September l, 1968, was ordained in July, 1965, and
has served as leader of the Winkler E.M.M.C. since
March 23, 1969.

Rev. Gerhard J. Frocse who was born at Schoenfeld
near Winkler on August 29, 1901, grew up on the
parental farm in the village of Reinfeld two miles east of
town. Here he spent his childhood and youth and
attended the village private school where the Bible
constituted the main text book and reader. On June 12,
1923, he was baptized by Elder Peter Toews and accepted
into the membership of the Sommerfeldcr Church. This
was followed by his ordination for the ministry on
November 15. 1931. When Rev. Isaac P. Friesen of
Rosthern, Saskatchewan, was conducting evangelistic
services in the village of Reinfeld, in 1934, Rev. Froese
experienced a thorough revival so that when the
Rudnerweider Church was organized in 1936, he became
One of its most zealous ministers.

The life of Rev. Froese was suddenly snuffed out in a
railway accident at Hornd‘ean, Manitoba, on December
5, 1947. It was while he was a passenger in a car driven by
his son that they approached the railtaod crossing just
ahead of the train on the C.P.R. tracks. When Rev.

Frocse feared a collision, he opened the front door of the
automobile and jumped out and landed right on the
tracks before the oncoming train. None of the other
passengers were injured as the car cleared the tracks
before the train struck. Two of his sons, Rev. Jake
Froese, Winnipeg. and Rev. John G. Froese, Altona,
have followed their father into the E.M.M.C. ministry.

A close associate of Rev. Gerhard J. Froese, was
Rev. 1. P. F. Friesen who grew up in the same village and
was a childhood friend and comrade of the former. Rev.
Friesen was ordained for the ministry on June 23, 1937,
and was an ardent witness in the young Church. For
almost twenty years he was the leader of the Winkler
E.M.M.C. However, be operated a farm two miles north
of town in order to support his family.

The zeal of the two youthful converts, Rev. Froese
and Rev. Friesen, took them to the Mennonite villages of
Saskatchewan on Several occasions where their witness
bore much fruit. Their most effective work was done at
Hague, Hochfeld. and Chortiz in Northern
Saskatchewan. As a result of their evangelistic services,
churches were established and God’s children were
cdified. Rev. l. P. F. Friesen has also been conducting
revival meetings in Mexico and in British Honduras.

The Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church has
also fostered the spirit of missions at home and abroad
and the local members who have gone out as missionaries
include Mr. and Mrs. Bert Brown. They have been
serving with the Northern Canada Evangelical Mission
at Weagamow Lake, Ontario, as well as in other areas.
When Bert was a high school student at Winkler
Collegiate he walked a distance of four and one—half
miles to school every day, or a total of nine miles on a
return trip. This outdoor exercise together with his love
for nature has prepared him well for the life ofa northern
missionary.

Rev. .lerry Hildebrand, who was ordained in VHS.
and Mrs. Hildebrand who are members of the Winkler
E.M.M.C., are serving under the West Indies Mission at
San Leopoldo. Brazil. Before leaving for the foreign
mission field, Rev. Hildebrand taught in public school. as
well as at the Winkler Bible Institute while on furlough.
Together with their family, the Hildebrands are now
serving their third term in the sub-continent.

Another couple with their family, Rev. and Mrs.
Frank Zacharias, have served in Paraguay. and are now
stationed in British Honduras. Before leaving for South
America, Rev. Zacharias was a member of the teaching
staff at Garden Valley Collegiate Institute in Winkler.
Mrs. Zacharias was formerly employed as a public
school teacher.

The Sunday School was organized at Rosenbach
under the direction of Rev. A. M. Friescn. Miss Tina
Dyck, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Dyck, was the
first Sunday School teacher. Because of the difficulties
experienced with the introduction of the Sunday School
and the Young People’s Meetings at Rosenbach. these
two organizations were not introduced immediately after
the Church had been moved to Winkler. However,
through the efforts of Frank Krahn, J. W. Harder, and
Frank Rempel, these two arms of the Church were soon