by Peggy Goertzen (g’92)
Director of the Center of Mennonite Brethren Studies
Mennonites viewed emigration to America as a step of obedience to God to maintain their faith distinctive and cultural identity in the face of the loss of their rights and privileges in South Russia (now Ukraine), Russian Poland, and Prussia.
As part of this larger movement, Mennonite Brethren (MB) and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren (KMB) sold their lands, packed up their families, and made the move to America beginning in 1874 and in so doing identified themselves as committed disciples of Jesus Christ, who not only accepted Jesus for salvation but followed after Jesus in word and deed (Nachfolge) testifying to grace, forgiveness and peace based on the Word of God.
MB and KMB congregations were established in the first three decades in the Midwest corridor from Manitoba and Dakota Territory south to Kansas and Oklahoma. Spiritual descendants of these early MB and KMB elders (Jakob A. Wiebe, Peter Ekkert, Abraham Cornelsen, Abraham Schellenberg, Peter Regier, Heinrich Voth, and others) worked to found a school that would help build and train our young people in Biblical truth and liberal arts education. Tabor College was founded as such a place in 1908.
Our first-year faculty of Tabor College H.W. Lohrenz, P.C. Hiebert, Peter P. Rempel, Zach Bartel, Katherine Friesen, and Tina Schultz, together with tutor Gustav Nickel, supported by the Tabor College School Association (now known as the Board of Directors) and its first chair J.K Hiebert worked to support and fulfill the dream of these emigrants and train young people to be a witness for the Kingdom of God and be valuable and godly citizens of their community in all areas of service.
Part of preserving this history is through the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies (CMBS), which opened in 1974. It is comprised of a museum, archive, historical library, and research area that works to collect, preserve, display, interpret, teach, and publish the story and history with its context and beliefs.
Through offering research services, translation, consultations, workshops, seminars, historical celebrations, annual dinners, heritage tours, and publications CMBS seeks to establish a testimony of God’s dealings with the Mennonite Brethren and inspire future generations to continued faithfulness and discipleship and further research into the history, life and thought of Mennonite Brethren.
Russian Mennonite immigration children’s book for sale
The Center of Mennonite Brethren Studies (CMBS) and students from the 2024 spring class of Advanced Graphic Design (taught by Professor Derek Hamm, fs’06) produced an ABC book to educate and celebrate the coming of Mennonites to Marion County, Kansas 150 years ago.
The narrative is written in the voice of “a young Menno” who has left South Russia (present-day Ukraine) for America with family and illustrated with images and items that are part of the immigration and settlement story of 1874.
CMBS director Peggy Goertzen and assistant director Angela Vix (g’21) wrote the stories. Design students include: James Aboaba (g’24), Dillon Callaway (g’24), Carson Duba (g’24), Zach Henneberg (g’24), Taryn Lawler (g’24), Tara Stewart (fs’24), Chazni Barker (SR, Eureka, Kan.), Romaire Curry (SR, Kansas City, Kan.), Brendon Green (SR, Wichita, Kan.), Hannah Kliewer (SR, Hillsboro, Kan.), Adrienne Selzer (JR, Newton, Kan.), Aidan Unruh (SR, Hillsboro, Kan.), Adrian Yin (SR, Hillsboro, Kan.)
The book is available for $20 and can be purchased through CMBS. Contact Goertzen via email, peggyg@tabor.edu, or phone, 620-947-3121 (ext. 1211) to learn more or purchase a copy.