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Center for MB Studies
The Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies is your resource center for information about the Mennonite Brethren Church and related topics. The Center at Tabor College was organized in response to the resolution adopted at the 1974 U.S. Conference at Henderson, Nebraska.
Mennonite Historical Tour
Mission
- To acknowledge the work of God in the history of the Mennonite Brethren Church
- To nurture a continued sense of Anabaptist-Mennonite identity
- To establish a testimony for future generations of God’s dealings through the Mennonite Brethren Church
Materials
- Historical records of the United States Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches
- Historical records of the Southern and Central District Conferences of the Mennonite Brethren Church and its congregations
- Historical records of Latin American and North Carolina Conferences of the Mennonite Brethren Churches and its congregations
- Historical records of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Conference and its congregations
- Genealogical and manuscript collections of families and individuals
- Records of Marion County, Kansas including cemetery database for the county
- Records of the Hillsboro Historical Society
- Records of Tabor College
- Paul Wohlgemuth hymnal collection
- Newspaper and periodical collection, both German and English
The above records include letters, journals, written documents, yearbooks, photographs, artifacts, and other valuable resources.
Historical Online Resources
Five record books of Prussian Mennonite churches have been translated from German into English and typed into manuscript form. The books include records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths, with some occasional supplemental data regarding church elders, teachers, membership transfers and excommunications. These translations were made possible and donated by James and LaVerna Shaw of Hutchinson, Kansas to the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies at Tabor College. These translations are critical resources for those involved in Prussian Mennonite research. The titles of the individual record books as presented by the translators are as follows:
Elbing-Ellerwald, West Prussia Church Book 1788-1880
Church Record of the Mennonite Congregation in Koenigsberg 1794-1832
Marcushof, Kreis Marienburg, West Prussia Church Record 1754-1834
>Church Directory of the Mennonite Church at Orlofferfelde 1800-1818
How can the Center help you?
- As a resource center for research regarding Mennonite Brethren history and related areas of study
- As a safe depository for congregational and family records
- As a consultation service regarding the keeping of church records, writing church histories and genealogies
- As a consultation service in planning workshops, seminars, historical celebrations, and publications related to Mennonite Brethren history, life, and thought
How can you help the Center?
- By being aware of the need to maintain and preserve the records of congregations, committees, conferences, institutions, families and individuals
- By submitting your contributions of historical and archival materials to the Center
- By becoming a supporter of the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies
- By contributing funds for specific research projects, seminars, or publications
The Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies is located at the south end of the Tabor College Library. We are normally open 9:00-12:00, 1:30-4:00, five days per week, with reduced summer hours, to students, faculty, visiting scholars, and the public. CMBS is administered by an advisory board together with Tabor College. Your contributions of historical and archival materials are welcome.
Issues of the CMBS Newsletter are available for a minimum $5.00 donation. Please contact Peggy Goertzen for details.
CMBS Staff:
- Peggy Goertzen, Director
- Connie Isaac, Research Assistant
- Edith Penner, Secretary
CMBS Advisory Board
- Dr. Wilmer Harms, Chairman
- Dr. Don Isaac, Vice Chairman
- Edith Penner, Secretary
- Katie Funk Wiebe, Member-at-large
- Ron Braun
- David Brown
- Jeanie Klaassen Ruth Kopp
- Dr. Marvin Kroeker
- Dick Shewey
- Joel Suderman
- Raymond F. Wiebe
- Dr. Lawrence Ressler, ex-officio
- Adam Wathen, ex-officio
