Ältester Gerhard Wiebe: A Strong Bergthaler Immigrant Leader

by Irene Enns Kroeker

Our earlier story of those who "made" the Mennonite migration of the 1870s would not be complete without clear reference to the role of three Ältesters, Peter P. Toews, Gerhard Wiebe, and Johann Wiebe of the Kleinegemeinde, Bergthaler, and Reinländer groups respectively.

We were glad to get Delbert Plett's article on Toews for the previous issue, and now are equally pleased to present this feature on Ältester Gerhard Wiebe. An article on Ältester Johann Wiebe is scheduled for an upcoming issue in 2000.

As I grew up in the Chortitzer Church, the name Ältester Gerhard Wiebe was always a familiar one. I heard about his life, his teachings and his struggles, both personal and political. The comments made about him were always in connection with a discussion about the vision of the Chortitzer (Bergthaler) Mennonite people and a reflection about what happened to them within the last 150 years.

There were the good old days, the difficult days, the heated discussions of what he did and how he did it; how he led his people and what country was/is the best place to live. This would follow with discussions on how perhaps we should have been more evangelical, less evangelical, more like our neighbours, separate from our neighbours, be educated by the government or by our own kind. I eventually acquired a sense of this powerful man, our "Ältester", the highest position one can have in my community. This was the man that led my grandfather and many others to this country.

Ältester Gerhard Wiebe was a man driven by a sense of morality and a strong desire to do God's will. Couple this desire with a strong personality and a clear sense of vision to follow the direct path that God had laid out for him, and it follows that this man would have a powerful influence on the Bergthaler Mennonite people.

The mission, derived from his traditional past, was clearly perceived - lead the people to the country that best served the goal of the Mennonite people - to be free to approach God as they felt was best, stay separated from the state, and adhere to the statements of faith and peace that they and the generations before them had been taught. In one sense, Gerhard Wiebe had little choice. He had been elected by the Bergthaler members to act on their behalf. He had the skills that would make him an excellent choice; a strong sense of vision, a devout man who could not be swayed from his faith, and an innate sense of organizational skills and persuasive skills. It is clear that he needed to draw on all of these skills throughout his lengthy term in office.

Marrying Elizabeth Dyck in 1857, Gerhard Wiebe and his new wife lived in Heuboden, a village of the twenty-year old Bergthal settlement in south Russia. They had ten children, of whom five would later have their own families. Wiebe began his service in the church as a deacon in 1854 and in 1861 was elected as minister. Five years later, in 1866, he was elected as the Ältester, replacing Ältester Jacob Braun.

To accept the office of Ältester was no simple decision. Difficult issues abounded, and it was clear that the Bergthaler people would need a strong leader to face the future.

The Molotschna Colony congregations were experiencing strife among themselves. One group of Mennonites (Old Colony) was filing accusations against other groups, and Mennonite Brethren were spreading in the area, boldly stating their point of view with a fever and zeal that would at times result in families and church communities being torn apart. Ältester Wiebe set the tone for his people1. Confident that the example of peace that Menno Simons had set forth was the right one, Wiebe kept his vision clear and the Bergthaler Gemeinde listened. Consequently, they remained free of strife at this time.

Every Mennonite has heard the story of the 1870s immigration. Russia was not the place to be for anyone who believed that a non-confrontational solution to conflict was the answer. Ältester Wiebe was unshakable in his conviction that Mennonites were not to go to war. He was willing to express this to the Russian authorities in no uncertain terms, and my former neighbours tell me that "you have to have known him to understand" just how unshakeable he was. A person with a vision backed by his faith, religion and a following of people who had some power within the Russian community due to their skills as farmers, was a formidable person to contend with. In the end Ältester Wiebe would organize the Bergthaler people into a solid group and lead more than 500 families to Canada.

Upon arrival in Manitoba, the Wiebes settled in Chortitz (of the East Reserve), Manitoba. Wiebe continued to serve in the church, his ministry now an even busier and involved appointment. The Chortitzer Church was the place where congregational meetings, weddings, and important ceremonies were conducted and Ältester Wiebe continued to lead his people.2

Then a dark period followed in the history of this revered leader. It is true that a "great pall" falls over the Chortitzer people as they speak of this time in their church history. Everyone remains mysteriously silent about something that saddened our Ältester deeply.

It was as difficult a time for his members as it was for the Ältester. Forgiveness for himself, his actions and feelings were slow in coming. Depression set in and he resigned from his position in 1882.

Then he remarried, his first wife having died in 1876. This became another source of contention among the Chortitzer members. He had chosen to marry an outsider, something which he had long preached against and had been adamant about. However, according to his family members, he had felt the forgiveness of God and was at peace with himself at the end of his life.

Today, we credit the success of the Chortitzer settlements to the foresight of Ältester Gerhard Wiebe. As Mennonites slowly assimilate into the larger Canadian culture, men like our leaders will not soon be forgotten.3

Endnotes

1. Delbert Plett, "Gerhard Wiebe Biography," Preservings No.6 (June, 1995), 2-5.

2. Chortitz is called Randolph today. A map of the 1920 residents is found in Plett's article cited above. Cf. also Jacob Doerksen, "The Chortitz Church is now 102 Years Old" in HP, No.25, June, 1999, p.7.

3. For another recent research article on Ältester Wiebe see Adolf Ens, "Ältester Gerhard Wiebe," in John Dyck, ed., Historical Sketches of the East Reserve 1874-1910 (Steinbach, MB, 1994), 313-321.

Irene Kroeker, a member of the MMHS Membership and Publicity Comm. is a teacher and local historian residing in the Steinbach area.

The Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society Newsletter, Heritage Posting, welcomes letters and reports pertaining to the historical interests of society members. Correspondence can be mailed to Lawrence Klippenstein, 600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3P 0M4 or Bert Friesen, 169 Riverton Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2L 2E5, or e-mailed to the editor at editor@mmhs.org

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