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Latest revision as of 20:24, 14 February 2024

Weber Mennonite Church, 1894.
Congregational photo

In 1810 Abraham Cressman purchased 200 acres in the area that became the hamlet of Strasburg, Ontario (now part of the city of Kitchener). A number of Mennonite families established farms nearby in the following decades, and by 1833 these families began to meet for worship informally in each other's homes. One of these was the David Weber home, across the road from the present Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship.

By the 1840s a meetinghouse was built for worship. Some believe that a log meetinghouse was built in the late 1830s and used until a frame building was completed around 1848. In 1837 a deacon, David Sherk, was ordained to serve the group and one year later was he was ordained as minister. In 1840 John Steckle became the minister.

David Weber donated one acre of land in 1842 to provide a building site for a place of worship and a cemetery for the new congregation that became known as the Weber Mennonite Church. The deed for this property was drawn up 23 March 23 1854.

In 1894 a new brick building was constructed. An additional acre of land behind the existing lot was purchased in 1951. A complete renovation and enlargement of the building took place in 1971-72.

The Strasburg community changed rapidly in the late 1970s when many local farms were purchased by the City of Kitchener and private land developers for residential and industrial expansion. Several church families moved away as the congregation dwindled to 35 people. These were difficult and discouraging times, and the church faced the decision whether to close its doors or to open them wider.

The Weber congregation changed its name in 1972 to Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship Mennonite, as part of its desire to identify geographically with Kitchener’s new Pioneer Park subdivision. By 1980 a new brick building was built beside the original meetingplace, and the old facility dismantled.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	January 2017

Archives at Mennonite Archives of Ontario

"History." Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship. Web. 5 January 2017 http://ppcf.ca/history/.

Mennonite Reporter (30 March 1981): 14; (8 June 1981): 4; (15 June 1992): 15; (11 January 1993): 1, 3.

Rogalsky, Dave. "Pioneer Park celebrates 175 years of change." Canadian Mennonite 21, no. 20 (23 October 2017): 18.

Snider, Esther. 135th anniversary 1842-1977: a History of the Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship. Kitchener, Ontario: The Church, 1977.

Additional Information

Address: 68 Biehn Dr., Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

Phone: (519) 748-5241

Website: http://ppcf.ca/

Denominational Affiliations:

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

Mennonite Church Canada

Pastoral Leaders at Pioneer Park

Name	Years of Service
David Sherk	1838-1840
John Steckle	1840-1879
Noah Stauffer	1876-1928
Isaiah Wismer	1906-1933
Jesse B. Martin	1925-1929
Simon Martin	1930-1958
Lester Bauman	1958-1964
Stanley Sauder	1965-1968
Jesse B. Martin (Interim)	1968/69
Darrell D. Jantzi	1969-1985
Rufus Jutzi (Interim)	1985/86
Brian Laverty	1986-2011
Johanna Wall	2011-2018
Mesfin Zeme (Interim Supply)	November 2018-December 2019
Melissa Miller (Transformational Pastor)	January 2020-2024

Pioneer Park Membership

Year	Members
1925	61
1950	76
1965	47
1975	73
1985	119
1995	60
2000	51
2010	59
2015	57
2020	62

Map

Map:Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship, Mennonite (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Weber Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), located four miles southwest of Kitchener, Ontario, a member of the Ontario Mennonite Conference, was organized in 1838. The first meetinghouse was built in 1842; it was replaced by a brick building in 1895, seating capacity 150. Simon Martin served as pastor 1931-1958 and in 1958 was still serving as bishop, with Lester Bauman as pastor since 25 May 1958. The membership was 73.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship, Mennonite (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2017. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pioneer_Park_Christian_Fellowship,_Mennonite_(Kitchener,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=178300.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2017). Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship, Mennonite (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pioneer_Park_Christian_Fellowship,_Mennonite_(Kitchener,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=178300.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 __TOC__
-The Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship, originally located southwest of Berlin, [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] began services about 1833, and formally organized in 1838. The first building was occupied in 1842; it was replaced by a brick building in 1895 with a seating capacity of 150. This building was replaced in 1981.
+[[File:Weber-Mennonite-Church-1894.jpg|300px|thumbnail|''Weber Mennonite Church, 1894.<br/>Congregational photo'']]
+In 1810 Abraham Cressman purchased 200 acres in the area that became the hamlet of Strasburg, [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] (now part of the city of [[Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario, Canada)|Kitchener]]). A number of Mennonite families established farms nearby in the following decades, and by 1833 these families began to meet for worship informally in each other's homes. One of these was the David Weber home, across the road from the present Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship.
-John Steckle is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through emigration from [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]]. The congregation has also been known as [[Weber Mennonite Church (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)|Weber Mennonite]] or Strasburg Mennonite.
+By the 1840s a meetinghouse was built for worship. Some believe that a log meetinghouse was built in the late 1830s and used until a frame building was completed around 1848. In 1837 a deacon, [[Sherk, David (1801-1882)|David Sherk]], was ordained to serve the group and one year later was he was ordained as minister. In 1840 John Steckle became the minister.
-The congregation has been affiliated with the [[Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec|Mennonite Conference of Ontario]] (1842-1988), the Mennonite Church (1898), [[Mennonite Church Eastern Canada]] (1988) and the [[Conference of Mennonites in Canada]] / [[Mennonite Church Canada]] (1995-). The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1900s.
+David Weber donated one acre of land in 1842 to provide a building site for a place of worship and a cemetery for the new congregation that became known as the Weber Mennonite Church. The deed for this property was drawn up 23 March 23 1854.
+In 1894 a new brick building was constructed. An additional acre of land behind the existing lot was purchased in 1951. A complete renovation and enlargement of the building took place in 1971-72.
+The Strasburg community changed rapidly in the late 1970s when many local farms were purchased by the City of Kitchener and private land developers for residential and industrial expansion. Several church families moved away as the congregation dwindled to 35 people. These were difficult and discouraging times, and the church faced the decision whether to close its doors or to open them wider.
+The Weber congregation changed its name in 1972 to Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship Mennonite, as part of its desire to identify geographically with Kitchener’s new Pioneer Park subdivision. By 1980 a new brick building was built beside the original meetingplace, and the old facility dismantled.
 = Bibliography =
 Archives at [https://uwaterloo.ca/mennonite-archives-ontario/ Mennonite Archives of Ontario]
-<em>Mennonite Reporter</em> (30 March 1981): 14; (8 June 1981): 4; (15 June 1992): 15; (11 January 1993): 1, 3.
+"History." Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship. Web. 5 January 2017 http://ppcf.ca/history/.
+''Mennonite Reporter'' (30 March 1981): 14; (8 June 1981): 4; (15 June 1992): 15; (11 January 1993): 1, 3.
+Rogalsky, Dave. "Pioneer Park celebrates 175 years of change." ''Canadian Mennonite'' 21, no. 20 (23 October 2017): 18.
+Snider, Esther. ''135th anniversary 1842-1977: a History of the Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship.'' Kitchener, Ontario: The Church, 1977.
-Snider, Esther. <em>135th anniversary 1842-1977: a History of the Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship.</em> Kitchener, Ontario: The Church, 1977.
 =Additional Information=
 '''Address''': 68 Biehn Dr., Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5
 '''Phone''': (519) 748-5241
+'''Website''': http://ppcf.ca/
 '''Denominational Affiliations''':
@@ Line 47: / Line 61: @@
 | Darrell D. Jantzi || 1969-1985
 |-
-| Rufus Jutzi <br />(Interim) || 1985/86
+| [[Jutzi, Rufus (1915-2011)|Rufus Jutzi]] <br />(Interim) || 1985/86
 |-
 | Brian Laverty || 1986-2011
 |-
-| Johanna Wall || 2011-Present
+| Johanna Wall || 2011-2018
+|-
+| Mesfin Zeme<br />(Interim Supply) || November 2018-December 2019
+|-
+| Melissa Miller<br />(Transformational Pastor) || January 2020-2024
 |}
@@ Line 74: / Line 92: @@
 |-
 | 2010 || 59
+|-
+| 2015 || 57
+|-
+| 2020 || 62
 |}
 =Map=
 [[Map:Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship, Mennonite (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)]]
-{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=December 2013|a1_last=Epp|a1_first=Marlene|a2_last=Steiner|a2_first=Sam}}
+= Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article =
+By Simon B. Martin. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from ''Mennonite Encyclopedia'', Vol. 4, p. 906. All rights reserved.
+Weber Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), located four miles southwest of Kitchener, Ontario, a member of the Ontario Mennonite Conference, was organized in 1838. The first meetinghouse was built in 1842; it was replaced by a brick building in 1895, seating capacity 150. Simon Martin served as pastor 1931-1958 and in 1958 was still serving as bishop, with Lester Bauman as pastor since 25 May 1958. The membership was 73.
+{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=January 2017|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Samuel J|a2_last=|a2_first=}}
 [[Category:Churches]]

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