Volume 38   Number 12   June 21, 2000 

PELLY, Saskatchewan

Pelly lies about twenty miles north of Kamsack on highway 49. Ben Eidse, who had been a summer worker at Kamsack the previous summer, opened the WGM station here in 1950. One of his first tasks was to interest country schools in released-time Bible classes. This was an easy way to start in almost any area. He quickly succeeded in getting four schools.

In a letter dated May 13, 1950, he wrote: "I finished my first round of schools yesterday - four schools - 10 miles, nine miles, 7 ½ miles, and five miles from Pelly." By August he was serving ten schools. "How I hope and pray some of the interested people may step out for Christ." What was his mode of transportation? A bicycle! A car was coming and later he wrote, "The car has already proved to be invaluable.…"

The work in general consisted of schools, personal witness, visitation, and cottage meetings. The single state was not long to be. On March 30, 1952, he married Helen Reimer, a nurse from Steinbach. They left Pelly that spring, headed for Africa, to serve under the Congo Inland Mission (now Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission).

Taking over at Pelly were Ben and Henrietta Friesen from MacGregor, Manitoba. Completing his studies at Steinbach Bible Institute that spring, Ben arrived with his family in April, 1953. Their request was, "Pray for us as we give ourselves to this work. We want to be fully yielded to Him as we do so."

By May, Ben was immersed in school visits, with up to 12 schools on his itinerary. Other avenues of work were street meetings, cottage meetings each second Sunday in the Friesen’s home, VBS and visitations. Together with the John Harms from Kamsack they sang in the Kamsack hospital. A church building was needed.

A WGM building was located in nearby Mikado, Saskatchewan, and it was moved to Pelly on March 5, 1955. Built by Peter Martens for a once-promising work, it was no longer needed; people had left, another church group had begun, and so it was moved. An extension was built onto the back. It became both church building and manse at Pelly.

Replacing the Friesens at Pelly in 1957 were Ben and Luella Andres. At this time two families and some individuals were coming to church. Seven schools were visited. The Andres were short of monthly support and as a result Ben worked in a Watkins dealership. In May 1960 he requested a release from the Mission.

WEEKES, Saskatchewan

Weekes is about one hundred miles north of Canora, Saskatchewan. By November 1950 John and Erna Unger were there. In a letter at this time, he writes of four contact points a week, if roads allowed. Roads were a recurring problem here. Services were held at Neelly Lake and Bertwell. Later they had a Sunday service in their home. According to the records, baptismal services were conducted in 1952 and in 1954.

Abe and Loretta Giesbrecht took over the work from the Ungers in 1957. They found it difficult to find a place to live and finally moved into a farmhouse close to Weekes. At the first Sunday service 30 people came out. Services were held in homes. Later the Giesbrechts converted a restaurant into a church and living quarters. Here, too, their support was inadequate and Abe subsidized their income by working in a garage. They left Weekes in 1961.

MAFEKING, Manitoba

WGM had an arrangement that people could apply under the Mission as tent makers (self-employed workers) and do missions work in a region. This was the case of Dave and Helen Schellenberg in 1953 when they were employed in a lumber camp at Steeprock Bay, close to Mafeking. Dave worked in the company store during the week and preached in a chapel on the yard on Sundays. The United Church in Mafeking proved another avenue of service. After Dave and Lydia Dueck came, they were also involved in the work (Dave Dueck had a school in the area). The Schellenbergs left in 1954, and the Duecks carried on.

The Duecks had week-night meetings, as well, in two outlying areas, Baden and Barrows. In February, 1960, Dave reported an attendance of 62 in Sunday school and 20 in girls club, likely in Mafeking. About 1960, WGM had a church in Mafeking, built mainly by volunteer labour. The first service was conducted in January, 1961. Frieda Schellenberg, from Kleefeld, Manitoba, assisted the Duecks in the summer of 1960 with girls club, Sunday school and visitations.

WYNYARD, Saskatchewan

The Pete Martens, mentioned under Canora, were missionaries here around 1953. They purchased an existing church and built living quarters on to the back for a residence. They left the station in the fall of 1955.

Coming to Wynyard around June 1956 were Henry and Ramona Klassen of Steinbach, Manitoba. They continued with the worship services, visitations, school Bible classes, personal work and tract distribution. In a letter dated June 1, 1957, Mr. Klassen requested a replacement for them. They were accepted as missionaries under Gospel Missionary Union and went to Belize.

Following the Klassens at Wynyard were Ben and Henrietta Friesen, formerly of the Pelly station. Later he writes, "All in all it has been busy, but the Lord has blessed us very much since we came to Wynyard… We do need prayer… We are especially interested in seeing many souls won for the Saviour."

They conducted Sunday school and services in Wynyard. They also served a country church at Haglof. In the church they also had prayer meetings and a young people’s meeting nearby. A baptism and communion service was a highlight. Ben drove a school bus and was involved in summer camp. One month they attended or were in charge of up to 33 meetings. They left Wynyard in 1961 and took the EMC church at Swift Current.

DOMINION CITY, Manitoba

The 1953 annual meeting reports that a new station was opened at Dominion City, Manitoba. The ministry was twofold, school visitations and work on the Indian reserve. Among the first workers were Dora Friesen, Elizabeth Reimer and Margaret Harms. They reported that the work was very encouraging. They had seven schools plus the reserve work. Later, the workers were Jake and Dora Hoeppner, and Sara Gerbrandt and Nettie Penner. Sara and Nettie reported in the October-December WGM Bulletin that total enrollment from the five schools was 86. In the kindergarten classes in Dominion City and Emerson they reached 35 children. They visited homes in town and the country.

Mr. Hoeppner writes that he has had many wonderful opportunities to do personal work and that souls were saved. He also writes of wonderful opportunities to work with Indians. In 1958, the Hoeppners were transferred to Kamsack, Saskatchewan.

VERIGIN, Saskatchewan

Verigin, as noted before, was an outstation of Kamsack. It is a Doukhobor community. Harvey Kroeker, from Steinbach, took a school (Pretty View) in the area, so there was a resident worker. He participated in a plan whereby a teacher could apply to the Mission and do mission work at the same time. He could also do religious instruction in the school.

To assist the work, WGM purchased a former school building in Verigin where Harvey held Sunday school and services. Moving to Verigin from Winnipeg was a tent-making couple, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Stoesz. Their business suffered, and they eventually had to leave.

GRAND MARIAS, Manitoba

Grand Marais is north of Winnipeg on the eastside of Lake Winnipeg. The work came about through revival meetings conducted by B. D. Reimer in 1954. In August of 1955, Lawrence and Susan Giesbrecht, through contact with WGM, moved into the areas to teach school. They assisted in Sunday school, DBVS and Bible study. In the winter of 1957, the WGM moved a building to Grand Marais in co-operation with the local assembly of Christians. Regular Gospel meetings were conducted weekly at Beaconia and Grand Marais, with Bible studies held at Victoria Beach and Grand Marais.

Another teacher couple here was Bernard and Helen Epp. They report in the July-September WGM Bulletin that they are looking forward to serving the Lord through message, song, music and personal testimony as He would lead, especially at Beaconia and Grand Marais. Another couple serving the Lord here were Abe and Mary Friesen. They were short-term workers in 1959. They planned on going to Mexico in the future. Abe taught school classes and handed out tracts on the beach.

ASSOCIATE MISSIONARIES

I have already mentioned a number of schoolteachers. For want of a better word I call them associates. Tent makers would also come into this category. One teacher not yet mentioned is Doreen Reimer (now Mrs. John Peters) who had a school at Rabbit Lake in Kenora, Ontario, and was a witness there.

DEPUTATIONAL SECRETARY

For a period of some two years, 1957-59, WGM also had a full-time deputational secretary, Dave Schellenberg. When Dave and Helen were assigned to church planting in Portage la Prairie, he continued part time. His work mainly consisted of visiting the fields. One spring, he visited Bible Schools to promote WGM. He was editor of the WGM Bulletin.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

It’s impossible in a brief sketch to do justice to the life and work of the Western Gospel Mission. While some people were prominent in the mission, such as its president Ben D. Reimer, there were the many people behind the scenes who faithfully worked behind the scenes – among them, the mission’s board members.

There were the many supporters, God knows them, without whom the mission could not have functioned. There are, likely, active workers who have been accidentally forgotten in the passage of time. If such an oversight has occurred, we are sorry – but God knows and He will reward.

FROM A FRATERNITY TO A CONFERENCE

The churches of the WGM were a loose fraternity. They needed organization. Two Conferences were involved, EMMC and the EMC. Whose would they be? In 1960 the two Conferences mutually decided to divide the fields. Dominion City, Wynyard, Grand Marias and the Indian reserve went into the EMMC. Danbury, Weekes, Pelly, Canora, Kamsack and Mafeking joined the EMC. The division took effect on March 1, 1961.
  

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June 21, 2000
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