A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

and graduates for mission work at home and abroad. Several M.B. Bible schools in Saskatchewan have become defunct. The Tabor Bible School at Dalmeny, begun in 1928, was organized on an interdenominational basis. The strongest supporters and most of the teachers, however, came from the ranks of Mennonite Brethren. The following brethren served as principals of the school: J. Goertz, F. Wiens, J. H. Quiring, E. Epp, H. G. Rempel and O. Wiebe. The school's close proximity to the Bethany Bible Institute must be considered as a major factor in its gradual decline. In 1954 the school was closed permanently. Another Bible school operated for a short period on a small scale at Glenbush, a new Mennonite settlement in northern Saskatchewan. 2 ' Bible Schools in Alberta In no other province (with the exception of B.C.) was there such a proliferation of effort in Bible school education as in Alberta. Mennonite 262 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH Brethren in widely scattered settlements, established five Bible schools within eight years (1929-1937). All of them had to close down, for various reasons, by 1965. The Coaldale Bible School (1929-1965) In 1929 the Coaldale Bible School (also known as "Morning Star") began operation with A. J Schierling 22 as its founder and first teacher. Schierling was joined the following year by J. A. Toews, Sr. For two decades the school experienced a steady growth in attendance, reaching its peak enrollment of 101 in 1948. A total of 784 persons attended the Coaldale Bible School during the first twenty-five years of its existence. 23 Through its thirty-six-year history the school has been of great significance for the Coaldale M.B. Church and the larger Mennonite Brethren constituency. In addition to A. J. Schierling, the following brethren have served as principals for longer or shorter periods: B. W. Sawatzky, J. A. Toews, Jr., David Ewert, A. P. Regier, H. Derksen, and A. J. Konrad. A cultural transition (urbanization) plus other factors led to the eventual closing of the school after several years of heroic struggle for survival. The investment of spiritual and material resources in such a program is still bearing interest. According to John G. Doerksen, "Many of its former students are today occupying leading positions in church and community. '"" The Bethesda Bible School ( 1933-1946) In 1933 a small Bible school was opened at Gem, Alberta, a Mennonite settlement located approximately 100 miles east of Calgary. H. H. Siemens, a local M.B. minister, was instrumental in founding the school. Because the school drew its students from a very limited constituency, the enrollment remained small — with thirty-five students at its peak. G.D. Huebert, G. Thielmann, H. Unger, and B. Friesen have given leadership in the program at Gem. After the closing of the school, many young people attended the Coaldale Bible School. La Glace Bible School (1933-1946) T