A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

ithfully for many ORGANIZATION FOR UNITED ACTION 203 years, were gradually passing from the scene. Several men were called home to their reward: Heinrich Voth in 1918, Martin M. Just in 1919, and Abraham Schellenberg in 1920. Others, such as Johann Foth and Heinrich Adrian, because of advancing age, withdrew from active involvement in conference work. The new leadership was composed mostly of brethren who were bilingual and college educated. Among these were the teachers at Tabor College: H. W. Lohrenz, P. C. Hiebert and H. F. Toews. Other brethren who rendered valuable service in the conference were H. H. Flaming, H. S. Voth and John Berg. In the Northern District Conference two older men continued to give good leadership: David Dyck (North Saskatchewan) and Johann Warkentin (Manitoba). Missions Throughout this period the work of foreign missions remained the most important phase of General Conference activity. At the triennial conferences "Festival Sunday" was usually "Missions Sunday," and during the business sessions a large part of the time was devoted to missions. The mission among the Telegus of southern India continued to be the major mission project of the conference. In 1923 the conference supported six married couples and four single missionaries on this field. J1 A milestone was reached in the missionary history of the conference with the acceptance of the "South China" mission in 1919. Brother and sister F. J. Wiens had begun their work among the Hakkas in Fukien province in 1911. Although the conference had authorized the Mission Board to begin an M. B. mission work in China as early as 1909, this decision could not be fully implemented until ten years later. In the meantime Mr. and Mrs. Wiens had established a successful mission at Shanghang. In the immediate post-war period the mission in China was expanded and by 1924 three missionary couples and five sisters were supported by the conference. " The South Side City Mission, established in Minneapolis in 1910, was continued throughout this period. A two story building, erected at 2120 Minnehaha Avenue in 1917, provided not only a residence for the mission workers but also a spacious chapel and classrooms on the main floor as well as a kitchen and recreational rooms in the basement. South Side Mission provided a haven of refuge for people with physical, emotional and spiritual needs. After the Northern District Conference had begun its own city mission work in Winnipeg in 1913, the question of continued support of the South Side Mission was raised by the Canadian delegation on the conference floor in 1915. The conference was not prepared, however, to assume administrative and financial responsibilities for any additional city missions in other areas, since 204 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH "home missions" had been delegated to district conferences in 1909. After some study of the matter, the conference