Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 38, No. 3 Home Page
Produced under a $25,000 grant from the SchoolNet Digital Collections program funded by Industry Canada, "Mennonites in Canada" can be seen on the SchoolNet Digital Collections' site at www.schoolnet.ca/collections/E/ or on the Historical Society's site at www.mhsc.ca.
Visitors to the site can explore sections on Mennonite history, founding beliefs, culture, the church today and the world church. Written for a high school audience, the site answers most questions concerning Mennonites in Canada today.
The second feature of the site is the Canadian Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. It presently contains 1,600 articles on Mennonite congregations, denominations, conferences, leaders and family names. In the coming year, general theological and cultural articles will be added.
Herald Press in Scottdale, Pa. and the Institute of Mennonite Studies in Elkhart, Ind. granted permission to copy relevant articles from the five-volume print version of Mennonite Encyclopedia. An editorial committee, chaired by Bert Friesen of Winnipeg, is providing oversight for future additions to the on-line version.
New projects
The Historical Society also authorized two new projects</#209>an academic conference on Aboriginal-Mennonite relations in Canada to be held in 2000 and publication of a book on the history of Mennonite women in Canada. While partners will be sought for both projects, the Historical Society is providing seed money of $3000 for the two ventures.
Ken Reddig, vice-president of the Historical Society, said the Aboriginal-Mennonite conference will focus on early Aboriginal-Mennonite relations, as well as on 20th century relations with mission agencies and Mennonite Central Committee. Aboriginal scholars will be invited to participate.
Royden Loewen, the Historical Society's president, said a volume on Mennonite women will include new research on women's history, most recently highlighted at the "EnGendering the Past" conference at the University of Winnipeg.
Ted Regehr reported progress in his research which will lead to a one-volume history of Mennonites in Canada. The volume will condense the earlier three-volume series by Frank H. Epp and Ted Regehr, and will incorporate scholarly work done after 1974 when volume one was published. As well, the Historical Society hopes to issue an accompanying photographic history.
A registry listing materials available in North America that originate in the archives in the former Soviet Union is also available on the Historical Society's Web site. Abe Dueck, director of the Centre for MB Studies in Winnipeg, said the registry presently describes 29 reels of microfilm from the St. Petersburg Archives.
Royden Loewen, Chair of Mennonite Studies at the University of Winnipeg, was re-elected as president.
Sam Steiner, Mennonite Historical Society of Canada
Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 38, No. 3 Home Page