1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: The Carillon interviews evangelist Billy Graham

JUNE 1, 1967—When Billy Graham conducted an eight-day Crusade of Evangelism in Winnipeg last month, the overflow crowd, turned away at the doors of the Winnipeg Arena, made its way to the football stadium across the street where, sitting in the bleachers, they listened to the world renowned evangelist’s message over the public address system.

Prior to the Sunday opening of the Crusade at the arena, Graham spoke to the crowds sitting in the bleachers at Winnipeg Stadium. Several buses from Steinbach and other rural points were chartered to bring groups of people in to attend the meetings.

Shortly after the American evangelist arrived in Winnipeg, Carillon reporter Mary Barkman joined a host of radio, television and newspaper reporters invited to an informal press conference Graham arranged for an open discussion “over a cup of coffee.”

The following is an excerpt of her account of the interview:

COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – Learning to listen to our lives

For Canadians living on the prairies the month of October is a reminder that summer is winding down. Needless to say, this also applies to our entire country. In our area, however, the reality of the coming of colder weather, and the likelihood of snow decking our fields soon, cannot be ignored. By failing to take note of the signs of impending change all around us, we may well miss the joy and beauty of the season. Surely that also includes the gifts others bestow on us in our day to day interactions.

For me personally, memories of harvest arise in a variety of scenarios. How could I fail to remember stooking at the Goritz farm, situated across the road from what was then named the Hanover School. I vividly recall the experience where, under our father’s supervision and assistance we arranged sheaves of grain in the shape of a pyramid. What a beautiful sight a field of stooked sheaves in their golden glory was back in the day.

A most memorable detail of that particular income-earning experience was the meal we were served that day so long ago. In total we were a team of five, my father, Cornelius Falk, along with my older sister Anne, and my younger brothers, David and Ernie, and I. At noon, all of us were invited to sit down at the kitchen table, whereupon Mrs. Goritz spoke a prayer and then served us a wonderful meal. Imagine the impression that meal must have made on us if I remember it so many decades later.

On another occasion we also did some stooking for Abram and Maria Dueck whose farm was a short distance down the road from the Goritz farm. I recall that Mrs. Dueck graciously served us “Faspa” that quintessential afternoon meal among Mennonites of that era. Such a meal invariably called for coffee and something in the category of home-baked bread, accompanied by butter and other condiments, and possibly also some more dainty fare. I wonder how Mrs. Dueck must have felt when she observed the capacity that children and young adults have for practically inhaling the food she served us that day, especially in light of the fact that there were no children in their household.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Oct. 15th edition

Featuring SRSS hockey at the Morris tournament, SRSS volleyball matches Oct. 7, the Zone 13 soccer championships Oct. 8, an SRSS football game Oct. 9.

Steinbach appoints task force to help senior citizens stay in city

Mayor Earl Funk announced a task force will be established to help aging senior citizens, who need long-term medical care and want to stay in Steinbach rather than going to far away communities, during a city council meeting on Oct.6.

Funk said he will be appointing Abe Bergen, Carolyn Peters, Audrey Harder, and Tannis Nickel to the board.

“I think we have picked a real winning team,” Funk said. Each one of them has worked in healthcare or with seniors and has done a great job.”

Coun. Susan Penner, who will be the task force chair, said the task force will understand the duration, the frequency and where the residents are being transferred out of the community, and its impact.

COLUMN: Village News – Setting things right: Mennonite bonesetters and community healing

For generations, Mennonite communities relied on local healers known as trajcht’moakes, a Low German term meaning “those who set things right.” Long before doctors and hospitals were readily available in rural Manitoba, these bonesetters provided essential health care for families facing injuries, accidents, and illness. They treated broken bones, dislocations, strained muscles, and painful joints, often traveling great distances to reach those in need. Their knowledge and skills were learned through observation, experience, and years of practical work, with skills often passed from one generation to the next.

In isolated farming communities, bonesetters occupied a place of deep respect and trust. A successful treatment could restore a farmer’s ability to work, help a child walk again, or bring relief to someone suffering chronic pain. Their reputation spread from neighbour to neighbour, and patients often returned repeatedly because of the confidence they placed in these healers’ hands.

One of the most remarkable of these community healers was Gertrude Klassen (1892–1986), widely known as Tante Trutje or Klosis Trutje. Although respected as a chiropractor and bonesetter, her legacy extends far beyond physical healing. Klassen devoted her life to caring for vulnerable children, combining practical medical skills with extraordinary compassion. Over a span of more than forty years, she welcomed fifty-three children into her home. Some were newborns, others were seriously ill, and many came from difficult family circumstances.

Her first long-term patient was a nephew disabled by polio. Through dedicated care and treatment, she helped restore his mobility. As the years passed, her home became a refuge where children found stability, care, and opportunity. For many families, Gertrude Klassen provided not only healing hands but also a loving home when they needed it most.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: STEINBACH’S CHURCHES; A CENTENNIAL SERIES – Church of God in Christ Steinbach

MARCH 13, 1974—The Church of God in Christ was Steinbach’s second church. It is also sometimes known as the Holderman church, after its founder, John Holderman.

The church came about as a result of a series of meetings conducted by Holderman in the fall of 1881 and the renewal which followed. Records state that one-third of the Kleine gemeinde members were involved in the formation of this new group.

The village schoolhouse, in which the EMC was worshipping, became the home of the new group, meeting on alternate Sundays.

The first church building of the Church of God in Christ was built in 1911 and was situated on Main Street North.

Hanover Teachers’ Association sends out candidate questionnaire, wants people to vote

The Hanover Teachers’ Association sent out a questionnaire to trustee candidates a couple of weeks ago to gauge their views on issues that are important to teachers.

“Our goal in doing this is to try and best educate our own teaching members, who are voting members,…we wanted to give them the opportunity to take a look at how trustees or candidates would be responding, if they were going to be a trustee, to things that were more focused on education, instead of some of the rhetoric that’s out there on social media,” said association president Kevin Martens.

In regards to social media, Martens was asked about current trustee Brad Unger’s questionnaire to candidates asking them about their personal beliefs and values with their responses then posted on Facebook for voters to read. The questions revolved around issues of gender identity and sex, which flags should be raised in the classroom, race, the role of teachers, and how students should be treated.

“I think it’s unfortunate that there would be questionnaires like that that would circulate. It doesn’t speak directly to what their role under (the) Public Schools Act would be in governing a school and the role that they would play in being, really, educational partners,” said Martens.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback May 31, 1995 – Artist adds name to mural at St Pierre-Jolys school

As parents and students cheered, Real Berard picked up a paint brush to put the finishing touches to a huge wall mural at the school, which bears his name in St Pierre-Jolys.

Politicians praised the community’s efforts to further French education for their children, students presented skits, and the school choir and band performed, as the well-known Manitoba artist joined dignitaries for the official opening of Ecole Communautaire Real Berard.

The new elementary school at St Pierre-Jolys presented its new name, a new motto, and a new coat-of-arms and colours during outdoor ceremonies under sunny skies, the last week in May, to mark the first year of Manitoba’s French school division, Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine.

MLA Frank Pitura, representing Education Minister Linda McIntosh, said he was pleased to participate in the ceremony marking the beginning of a new period in French language education in St Pierre-Jolys.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: STEINBACH CHURCHES: A CENTENNIAL SERIES – Mennonite Brethren Church

APRIL 2, 1974—The Mennonite Brethren Church was organized in Russia in 1860. The life of the Steinbach congregation goes back to about the year 1923, after a new wave of immigration from Russia had taken place after the First World War.

Mennonite Brethren, when they first came to Steinbach, worshipped with the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren. But it was only a matter of time until they organized their own church.

The organizational meeting on Jan. 3, 1927 was attended by 38 brethren and seven sisters. The first leader was Mr. Gerhard Unruh. Another of the early noted ministers was Jacob W. Reimer, also remembered as a Bible teacher.

The first Mennonite Brethren church stood on the site where Grace Church now stands. The present church was built in 1947, remodelled in 1957 and an extensive education annex was added in 1970. It is located at the corner of Second Street and Lumber Ave.

Junior Sultans Lagasse, Meilleur, pick up Baseball Manitoba awards

The accolades continue to pour into the Carillon Sultans junior program.

The team’s star player and coach were recognized by Baseball Manitoba for their outstanding seasons, with Cedric Lagasse and Don Meilleur picking up junior player of the year and volunteer of the year awards. The team was also named the high performance team of the year.

The Sultans won their third consecutive Manitoba Junior Baseball League championship this season and placed second at the 22U national championships in Windsor.

Lagasse moved his record in MJBL finals to a perfect 6-0 in games as a starting pitcher, and was named by the league as the top pitcher and regular season most valuable player and playoff most valuble player.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Everyone is always welcome at Steinbach’s many churches

A century and a half of growth and prosperity has been built on a foundation of faith by 18 families of settlers, who came to Steinbach in 1874 in search of a home where they could live in peace and enjoy freedom to practice their Mennonite religion.

The diversity of the many churches built in the community since then is reflected in the growth of Steinbach in the areas of commerce, industry and education as well. As the number of churches grew, so did a diverse population where religious holidays were important days on the family calendar.

The first congregation to conduct church services formally, dated back to 1874, when the families of the Kleine Gemeinde (little church), today known as the Evangelical Mennonite Church, came to Manitoba from Ukraine. The establishment of the Church of God in Christ (Mennonite) and other Evangelical Mennonite churches followed shortly.

By 1946, when Steinbach changed from being a village in the RM of Hanover to a town on its own, there were seven congregations, all of Mennonite denomination.

1946 -2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: STEINBACH’S CHURCHES: A CENTENNIAL SERIES – Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church

APRIL 24, 1974—The Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church in Steinbach had its beginning in 1943, with some 70 members. Since its inception it has more popularly been known as The Emmanuel Mission, which was also the original name of the church.

This church is also well known for its extensive yearly mission conference and its giving for the cause of missions worldwide.

They are now occupying their second building. Their first house of worship was the church later occupied by the Grace Mennonite Church on First Street, to which they did some extensive remodelling in later years.

They affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America in the early 1950’s and changed their name to what it is at present.