Final approval for federation

Winnipeg

The Memorandum of Association that finalized the Mennonite College Federation was signed in Winnipeg November 18. Although this is not a legal document but an indication of work in progress, it signified that all systems were "go" for the new Mennonite university. The three Mennonite colleges will begin working together officially in September 1999 and hopefully begin classes on their new campus September 2000.

Signing the document were the presidents of the three colleges: Harry Olfert, Concord College; Gerald Gerbrandt, Canadian Mennonite Bible College and George Richert, Menno Simons College; the chairs (or representatives) of the Boards: Al Doerksen, Concord; Bruce Baergen, CMBC and Jack Loepp, Menno Simons College; and representatives from the constituencies: John Willems, MB; Ron Sawatzky, Conference of Mennonites in Canada and Victor Martens, MSC.

In his remarks, Concord College Board chair Al Doerksen stated that this was a milestone achieved and that trust had developed between the constituencies over time. Victor Martens recalled some of the history of a united Mennonite college, indicating that a number of the people who had been instrumental in the early beginnings of the movement, like F.C. Peters, H.W. Redekopp and Frank Epp, were no longer here to see the fulfillment of their dreams. John Willems, representing the Manitoba MB Conference, brought out the family connectedness of Concord College. He said that his father had been in the first graduating class of MBBC, he had attended the College, and now his daughter would be in the last graduating class of Concord College. Ron Sawatzky, moderator of CMC talked about the new vision and the increased partnership between the conferences, and stated, the founders of CMBC and CC would have said, "Gott segne Euch", (God bless you) to the assembled group.

sbb

Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 37, No. 24 Home Page