From the Archives
Phil Weber, Rosedale Network historian
Rosedale Network has accumulated a considerable archive of documents, photographs, and audio recordings since its founding in 1910. There is a lot to learn from and enjoy in these words and images of people like us who lived in many of the same places we do now, but in very different times.
The links on this page are just a sampling of resources from the archives. They are here for your enjoyment and encouragement.
Check back on the first of each month to view new content!
2026
A search through electronic conference reports yields scores of mentions for Raymond or Fannie (Mrs. Raymond) Byler. Both of them were deeply involved in the conference through missional congregational leadership, program planning, and committee work. Fannie was a major player in the Sisters’ Fellowship of CMC, and Raymond was frequently tapped for presentations to the ministers or the CMC assemblies. They were fun and fascinating and forthright. They are the kinds of disciples of Jesus who should be remembered. So they are the focus of this month’s From the Archives.
This month, we remember the remarkable Ohio blizzards of 1977 and 1978. Although conditions statewide during the winter storm in 1978 made it the “Storm of the Century,” conditions a year earlier left a greater impact on the 256 students attending Rosedale Bible Institute. The evening of January 28 (Friday) brought wind gusts up to 70 mph and incredible, hard-packed drifts that made roads impassable and required earth-moving equipment to open. Click on “February” to see photos and additional explanation in this edition of “From the Archives.”
The archival highlight this month features a written exchange between a well-known Rosedale Network minister (Richard Showalter) and a well-known Mennonite author and historian (John Christian Wenger). The first page has illustrative photos, followed by an article published in an Eastern Mennonite College newsletter, followed by a postcard and response. For those who might wonder what all the fuss is about, the “plain suit” was an important marker of nonconformity for men for several decades. Deciding to wear it or not to wear it was often a major consideration.
2025
Additional Archives
Rosedale Network archives contains institutional records of Rosedale Network, Rosedale International, and Rosedale Bible College. It also contains personal collections of multiple individuals associated with Rosedale Network and over thirty congregations. The archives additionally contains limited collections of other Mennonite organizations including Mennonite Central Committee, (Old) Mennonite Church, General Conference Mennonite Church, and Mennonite World Conference.
The Rosedale Network archives is located in the library of Rosedale Bible College in Rosedale, Ohio. The archives does not have regularly scheduled hours. For access or information, contact Phil Weber, Rosedale Network archivist, at 740.506.4756 or the Rosedale Network office at 740-857-1234.
Nearly complete collections of the Missionary Bulletin and the Beacon (formerly Brotherhood Beacon) are available.
Audio Files
For many years, the annual conference gathering featured a Conference Sermon delivered by a respected member of the ministerial body. Here are a couple of examples.
1960 – Conference Sermon – Elmer Jantzi
1969 – Conference Sermon – Orie Kauffman
1976 – Sisters’ Meeting – Amelia Swartzentruber
The Herold de Wahrheit was a church periodical founded by a group of Amish Mennonite leaders “in the interests of the Amish Mennonite Church.” Over the years the churches referenced by the term Amish Mennonite shifted from mostly Old Order Amish in the beginning to a broader collection of Amish and Amish Mennonite churches, of which our conference was a part. Ministers from Rosedale Network were directly involved in the publication of the Herold 1917–1955, so it is a significant part of our history as a conference. Each issue included independently edited German and English sections; the early issues only had 4 pages of English, but by 1925 there were 16 pages in each language. This online collection includes all issues from 1912 through 1956.
Commemorating Multiply Conference Women’s Fellowship (video)
Drama: Over 100 Years of Change – In a nutshell, this play covers 100 years of Amish-Mennonite culture change. The drama was performed at Rosedale Network’s annual gathering in 2010.
I’m looking forward to seeing all the old photos!