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MHSBC is a community-funded organization, and we depend on your support. Your donation helps preserve our Mennonite stories and heritage for future generations. Funds are used to keep our archives open to public users; upgrade equipment; support our few staff members; bring you the latest research on Mennonite history through the Roots and Branches newsletter; and to sponsor special events. Tax-deductible receipts are provided.
We acknowledge that Abbotsford and surrounding area are within the ancestral,
The Mennonite Historical Society of BC is located |
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MHSBC Membership and Donations.
You can renew your MHSBC membership for 2026 by paying online 24/7:
https://www.bit.ly/MHSBCMembership
Renewing online is handy and helps us. Thank you for your support in 2025!
Don't miss a single issue of Roots & Branches and be sure to get your voting card for the AGM! Get discounts on Tickets ... !
MHSBC General Fund: Keep our Legacy going for future generations! Your contributions make such a valuable difference! We thank you!
www.bit.ly/MHSBCGeneralFund
MHSBC Workstation Campaign: Help our hard working research specialists have the tools they need to serve our patrons!
www.bit.ly/MHSBCWorkstations
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The MHSBC / MHM YouTube Videos for the Anabaptist Story |
MHSBC Introductory Video with Jennifer Martens: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB87-Sa-T8DmyfVOcIjeTNQ/ |
MHM Introductory Video with Jenny Bergen: https://youtu.be/C2TnhT5dLzs |
Presentation by Richard Thiessen: https://youtu.be/nXuVgWhu15g |
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CENTENARY: MENNONITE SETTLEMENTS IN B.C. (1928-2028)
The Centenary of Mennonite settlements in British Columbia (1928-2028) is approaching. Mr. George G. Baerg of Yarrow and Secretary of the Mennonite Central Committee wrote A Brief History of Mennonites in British Columbia for publication in honor of Canada's centennial (1867–1967).
A Brief History of Mennonites in British Columbia URL: www.yarrowbc.ca/pioneers/mennonitehistory.html from the Yarrow Pioneers and Settlers Website.
George Baerg was an accountant and lived in the Yarrow area for 28 years. He was also a member of the finance committee of the Yarrow MB Church for many years and gave Yarrow residents good advice and help with their financial records and Canadian tax forms. Biography of George G. Baerg.
The article was printed by Kornelius Neufeld of Columbia Press, Yarrow, B.C. Biography of Kornelius Neufeld.
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Over the past four months, there have been more than twenty public screenings of The Russlaender Migration: From Revolution to
Reflection across Canada, from Montreal to Victoria. Audiences have responded enthusiastically to this documentary about the 1920s migration
of Mennonites from the Soviet Union to Canada, and the cross-country commemoration of that journey a century later.
The Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies is now pleased to announce that the film is available to stream on YouTube.
YoutTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPhGoDJtT-g.
Tell your friends and family!
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RESEARCH and ARTICLES
The "Research and Articles" webpage allows writers and researchers to post research and short articles in support of
items in Roots and Branches, or as stand alone documents. Articles and projects include:
Microsoft COPILOT AI analysis of the MHSBC website's ontributions and relationship to the Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia.
Glenn Penner's project to compile DNA from Mennonite men with his "Y-DNA Wish List."
Gerhard Willems (1820 – 1900) - Glimpses of his life and times by Keith Kroeker.
The Yarrow Athletic Association by Elmer G. Wiens.
A History of Yarrow by Elmer G. Wiens. A PowerPoint presented at the Yarrow History Booth, Yarrow Days, June 3, 2023.
The Glory Days of MEI Basketball by Vern Giesbrecht.
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Message from Ben Nobbs-Thiessen Chair in Mennonite Studies & Co-director of CTMS (Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies at The University of Winnipeg)
Call for Papers: Long-Distance Relationships: Communication and the Mennonite Diaspora
CTMS invites submissions for our next conference, to be held at the University of Winnipeg on October 23 and 24, 2026. This year our conference will consider how Mennonites
(along with other Anabaptists) have met the persistent challenge of communication within an increasingly dispersed global community. Even as communication across
great distances was often difficult, the imperative to speak across borders became particularly pronounced when it was connected to prospects for new settlement
ventures, the extension of mutual aid during war and revolution, or the affective bonds between family members.
For the full Call for Papers, please visit our website.
From letter-writing to the printing of pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, and bulletins, to the use of rural party lines, cell phones and WhatsApp, radio, TV, email,
and social media, we invite conference applicants to propose papers that foreground the historical questions raised by the adoption of varied forms of
communications technology by Anabaptists over the last five hundred years. We also welcome a limited number of papers that may offer points of comparison by
considering how other migrant or faith-based communities have embraced, rejected, or employed these means of connection.
Please send individual paper or panel submissions to the Chair in Mennonite Studies by May 1, 2026, at b.nobbs-thiessen@uwinnipeg.ca. This should include a
short abstract of no more than 200 words and a CV.
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Message from Aileen Friesen Co-director of CTMS at the Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies at The University of Winnipeg
Are you working on a Mennonite history project that needs financial support? Do you know someone who is? The Plett Foundation may be able to help!
Twice a year, the Plett Foundation awards grants to support research and publications. The next grant application deadline is March 15.
Research grants cover expenses like travel and accommodation for research trips. Publication grants may be used for the production of books, documentaries,
and exhibits. To qualify, projects must be related to the history of the Mennonites who migrated to Canada from Russia in the 1870s, their descendants,
or their ancestors.
For more information and to apply, visit our website.
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See the MHM website at: www.mennonitemuseum.org.
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Volunteer at the Mennonite Heritage Museum Gardens!
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YouTube link for Louise Bergen Price's MHM Book Launch “The Canada Coat” recording of the event.
YouTube Link for for Dr. Richard Toews' recorded Virtual Book Launch, The Confession.
Center for Transnational Mennonite Studies, University of Winnipeg presents "Packing for Canada,"
a fascinating presentation on Russlaender Mennonite material culture.
A recording of the event is now available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2EEgrZhX9Y.
The Center for Transnational Mennonite Studies, University of Winnipeg, presents 11 sessions of "MCC at 100" On YouTube.
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How to become a member of the MHSBC?
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You can pay your $35.00 MHSBC membership fee online with our convenient payment platform: |
You can pay a $750.00 MHSBC lifetime membership fee online with our convenient payment platform: |
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You can pay a $70.00 MHSBC two year membership fee online with our convenient payment platform:
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According to the Canada Revenue Agency, MHSBC membership fees are not tax deductible. Members receive Roots and Branches three or four times a year. Members enjoy a discount on the price of MHSBC events. The annual general meeting of the society is held in April or May.
Other ways to become a member: |
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MHSBC General Fund: Keep our Legacy going for future generations! Your contributions make such a valuable difference! We thank you! |
Sponsor an MHSBC Event |
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Thank You To Sponsors of Previous Events!
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