A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

he first sixty years (1875-1935) in the United States and Canada was a direct result of a consistent individual witness and the itinerant ministry model they had adopted in 1872/ The increase came not only from within the immediate Mennonite community, but also from the larger population of the unchurched or members of mainline de- nominations-Lutherans, Congregationalists, Catholics-who had not yet experienced a personal living faith. Several Men- nonite Brethren churches in North Dakota and Nebraska are 239 A PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH examples of this outreach beyond the boundaries of immi- grant Mennonite communities.3 The itinerant ministry remained central through the 1940s and 1950s. John A. Tocws observed that fanner evangelists conducted services in the late fall and winter and teacher evangelists during the summer.4 Bible school and Bible col- lege teachers were used extensively in this itinerant work. The district conferences in the United States and provincial conferences in Canada arranged for evety church to have one or two weeks of special services, The 1947-48 records from the Pacific District Conference illustrated the extent of this ef- fort: Evangelists and Bible Conferences BIaine-A,H. Ysker, 2 weeks, January 4-20; JJ. Wiebe, 2 wks, August 8-20. Dallas-Ail. Ysker, 2 weeks, October 26 to November 6, Al- bert Regier, 1 week, February 1-8; Bible Conference speakers: Howard Belton and Oscar Zimmermann, 8 days, July 4 to 11. Orland-A.H. Ysker, 2 weeks, October 17-31, David Hooge, 1 week, April 1-18. San Jose-J.K. Warkentin, 2 weeks, February 29 to March. Bible Conference Speaker, G.W. Peters, 1 week, June 20-25- Lodi-David Hooge, 2 weeks; H.G. Wiens, 1 week; Waldo Wiebe, 1 week. Winton-David Hooge, 2 weeks, November 2-14; Bible Confer- ence Speaker, H.G. Wiens, 1 week, February 29 to March 4. Madera and Fresno-None. Reedley-Waldo Wiebe, 2 weeks, May 2-14; Bible Conference Speaker, Wm. Evans, 1 week, February 1-18; Harry Vom (Union Meetings), 2 weeks, March 30 to April 1L Dinuba-David Hooge, 2 1/2 weeks, January 4-20; Theo. H. Epp, one night, April, Shafter-A.H, Ysker, 2 weeks, December 7-19- Rosedale-Herb Tyler, 1 1/2 weeks, May 12-21; Conference 240 MENNQNTTE BRETHREN EVANGELISM Speaker, H.G. Wiens, 1 week. Bakersfield-Waldo Wiebe, 2 weeks, February 8-22; J,K. Warkentin, 2 weeks, September 20 to October 3- Los Angeles-H.G. Wiens, 1 week, Fall of 1947; Waldo Wiebe, 1 week, Spring of 1948. City Terrace-Joe W. Johnston, 1 week, May 9-16, Salem-Conference Speaker, John Belton, 8 days.5 In 1959 the Manitoba Conference allocated twelv