Meeting at the new Mennonite Heritage Museum in Abbotsford, B.C., gave the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada the opportunity to see this new facility that tells the faith story of Mennonites in the Fraser Valley and is also the new home of the Mennonite Historical Society of B.C. Representatives from Mennonite historical societies and organizations from across Canada met Jan. 13-16, 2016.
Among the many reports was a success story about the first 10 months of the Mennonite Archival Imaging Database (MAID). This collaborative project gives the public greater online access to photos held by Mennonite archives and has brought publicity to these collections, with 41,000 unique visitors to the MAID website and 160 images purchased during that time. A new member of the MAID project is the Mennonite Library and Archives, Fresno, Calif.
This year, the national society’s Award of Excellence was given to Hugo Friesen of Abbotsford, B.C., and Ted Regehr of Calgary. Friesen, a teacher and principal before his retirement, was involved in the early attempts to organize a Mennonite archive in B.C. and became the first archivist for the Mennonite Historical Society of B.C., serving from 1993 to 2005. He coordinated all the activities of the archives in its early years and has continued to work as a volunteer.
Regehr worked at the Public Archives of Canada, after which he taught history at the University of Saskatchewan. He has contributed much to the preservation of Mennonite history in Canada, serving as president of the national society in its early years, writing many books and articles, including Mennonites in Canada Volume 3, and working with the Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta and its archives and library. Regehr mentioned that it was Frank H. Epp, his pastor when he lived in Ottawa, who got him involved in Mennonite history.
The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO), which began 20 years ago, continues to grow. Sam Steiner reported that it is difficult to keep the statistics up-to-date, especially congregational information that needs to be done at the grassroots level.
Among the discussions about future projects was how to do more digitization of books and periodicals. Accessibility and search-ability are enhanced when these things are in digital form, but it is labour intensive to put them online. The Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies reported that the Christian Leader magazine has been digitized and is ready to be released on a USB stick.
The national society is proposing “A people of diversity” project and has applied for a grant to help celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017. If the grant is approved, there are plans for an oral history project and a conference that would recognize how diverse the Mennonites in Canada have become since 1970.
See also:
Mennonite Heritage Museum opens in B.C.
‘Along the Road to Freedom’
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