A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

church's growth and expansion. One year after the organization of the church, a meetinghouse was erected at Burwalde. As membership increased it was felt that the building was too small and not centrally located. At a church meeting on October 30, 1897, it was decided to move the building to a site on the northwest corner of the town of Winkler. An interesting little episode is reported in connection with this move, illustrating the philosophy of some early brethren that "urbanization" would have a corrupting influence on the life of the congregation. Some of the members thought that the new location for the church should be at least a mile out of town. Subsequently, "when the church was moved it was left standing a mile out of town for a few days because of the reluctance of some members to have their church located right in town." 10 But reason prevailed over prejudice and the church was moved to the edge of town to the delight of the members residing in Winkler. The building proved inadequate for the needs of the congregation in Winkler from the beginning. Since the Mennonite Brethren Conference 156 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH of North America had been invited to Winkler for 1898, the brethren decided to erect a new and larger structure on the same site. This building was remodeled and enlarged for the third time in 1930. The third stage in the process of "acculturation" was reached in 1947, when a new church building, with a seating capacity of one thousand, was erected on a new site in the heart of the town of Winkler. ' 1 The Winkler M. B. Church played a leading role in establishing several new churches in the area during the pioneer period. The Grossweide M.B. Church, located near the town of Horndean, was organized as an affiliate of the Winkler church in 1896. The membership was composed largely of former members of the Sommerfeld and Old Colony Mennonite churches. 12 The church became independent in 1925 and experienced steady growth, so that by 1953 it had a membership of one hundred and seventy-four. In the decades following it suffered the fate of many rural churches in the conference. In spite of relocation to the town of Horndean, it declined in membership so that today (1971) it has only fifty-nine members. The Kronsgart M.B. Church is also the result of church extension efforts of the mother church at Winkler. A number of Mennonite Brethren families settled in the area some eight to twelve miles north of Winkler. Meetings were held in public schools of the area for many years, but in 1920 a church building was erected near the station of Kronsgart. The membership of this rural congregation has remained small. Beginnings in Winnipeg In Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba and "gateway to the West," the Mennonite Brethren Church had an inconspicuous beginning as a small city mission.' 3 Winnipeg is perhaps unique among cities in Canada, in that Mennonite Bret