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CURRENTLY IN BOOKS
Portrait of an old-time prairie pastor

Jim Coggins

Jacob Lepp: Man of Strength and Courage Waldo Lepp

This short booklet (37 pages) offers a fascinating account of the life of Jacob Lepp, who pastored the Mennonite Brethren church in Dalmeny, Sask. 1907–41. (That church just celebrated its 100th anniversary – see MBH, Dec. 21, 2001.) It is written, largely by his son Waldo, with remarkable frankness. What emerges is a portrait of a typical Mennonite Brethren pastor of a former era, with all of his strengths and weaknesses. When one considers that Lepp pastored the same congregation for 34 years without pay and even sometimes at the neglect of his own farm, one gets a sense of the devotion and dedication of this generation of pastors. Moreover, Lepp faithfully carried on this ministry in the midst of personal tragedy. His first wife died after only four years of marriage, his second wife after 12 years, and 8 of his 22 children died in infancy. These burdens could have broken a lesser man. And yet his weaknesses were also real. Waldo reveals that his father could be authoritarian, impatient and short-tempered. He struggled with deafness, he had limited skills in English (the services were conducted in German), and he had only 16 months of schooling. Well aware of these inadequacies, he tried to be faithful with the resources that he had.

Copies of the book can be ordered from Waldo Lepp, Box 208, Dalmeny, Sask. S0K 1E0, phone (306) 254-2175.

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Last modified August 13, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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