Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
The Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church began out of a division in the Markham congregation of the Markham-Waterloo Mennonite Conference. The Markham congregation used three meetinghouses--Reesor, Altona and Almira, rotating Sunday worship services between the three locations.
Mid-week Bible studies, occasional hymnsings and a women's sewing circle were the only activities outside of Sunday morning worship. Beginning in early 1964 congregational meetings were held to try to resolve differences between those who wanted Sunday school and more active outreach and those who wished to follow the traditional patterns. By the end of 1964 it was clear that a group of younger and middle-aged families would separate from the Markham Waterloo Conference. Within a few years remaining members of the Markham Waterloo Conference began to move away, including Bishop Abraham Smith. Many moved to the Brotherston area where they formed a new congregation.
A committee of Fred Drudge, Harvey Nighswander and Herb Diller contacted the Mennonite Conference of Ontario to seek assistance. Emerson McDowell and Newton Gingrich, ministers at the nearby Wideman and Hagerman congregations, provided support for the group. A first worship service was held at the Almira church building on 22 November 1964.
While the group worshiped at Almira, it was known as the Almira Mennonite Church. It was accepted as a congregation in the Mennonite Conference of Ontario on 2 June 1965. Newton Gingrich provided pastoral supervision to the group, in addition to his duties at the Wideman congregation.
In late 1965 or early 1966 the congregation decided the Reesor meetinghouse was a more desirable location. Since that building was very close to Steeles Avenue, the congregation became the Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church.
Because all the congregations in the Markham were quite small, Steeles Avenue could not afford a full time minister, and the Reesor building was not ideal for a more active church program, consideration began to be given to merging with another local congregation. This happened in 1986 when Steeles Avenue merged with the Cedar Grove Mennonite Church to form the Rouge Valley Mennonite Church. Steve Drudge, Steeles Ave.'s last pastor, became pastor of the merged congregation.
Bibliography
Nighswander, Joe. "A brief historical sketch of the Steeles Avenue (Markham) Mennonite congregation." Unpublished paper, 1986.
Unpublished historical information kept by George Reesor; Records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Additional Information
Address: 7070 York Durham Line, Markham, Ontario
Ordained Leaders at Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Emerson McDowell | 1964-1965 1966-1974 |
| Newton Gingrich | 1964-1966 |
| Guest preachers | 1974-1977 |
| Paul Martin | 1977-1979 |
| Art Byer | 1979-1985 |
| Steve Drudge (Interim) | 1985-1986 |
Membership at Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 36 |
| 1975 | 51 |
| 1985 | 54 |
Map
Map:Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
| Author(s) | Sam Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2017 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Sam. "Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2017. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Steeles_Avenue_Mennonite_Church_(Markham,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=143191.
APA style
Steiner, Sam. (January 2017). Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Steeles_Avenue_Mennonite_Church_(Markham,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=143191.
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