Difference between revisions of "Waters Mennonite Church (Lively, Ontario, Canada)"

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The Waters Mennonite congregation at Lively, ON began services in 1948, and formally organized in 1959. The first building was occupied in 1955 with a subsequent building program in 1963. Thomas Martin and Mahlon Bast are considered the founding leaders of the group. The congregation originated through outreach by the Ontario Mennonite Mission Board and individuals.
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The Waters Mennonite Church had its origins through a vision Thomas Martin had one night in the early 1940s on his farm in Erbsville, [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]]. In the vision he was called to mission work in Northern Ontario. Thomas, Elvina and their two children moved to Markstay, Ontario in 1945. Soon he began to explore possibilities in the area around Sudbury, and began holding [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] and [[Summer Bible School|Vacation Bible School]] in various locations beginning in 1946.  
  
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Originally the church was sponsored by the Mennonite Conference of Ontario (Mennonite Church) but later came under the administration of the United Mennonites ([[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]]). The original membership came from six different church groups.
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In 1948 the Martins and Mahlon and Norma Bast moved to Waters Township (now in the Sudbury Regional Municipality). They began a Sunday school, as well as morning and evening worship services in a local public school. A building fund committee was established in May 1952 and the name Waters Mennonite Church was selected. In 1955 the congregation received notice it could no longer rent the public school, and so work began immediately on building the basement for a larger building that could be used for a time as the meeting place. The remainder of the building was completed in 1963.
  
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In 1965 there were 33 members; in 1975, 57; in 1985, 53; in 1995, 53; in 2000, 46. The congregation has been affiliated with the [[Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario|Conference of United Mennonite Churches of Ontario]] (1959-1988), Conference of Mennonites in Canada / [[Mennonite Church Canada|Mennonite Church Canada]] (1960-), General Conference Mennonite Church (1959-1999) and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (1988-    ). The language of worship is English.
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This early mission effort was modestly supported by the [[Mennonite Mission Board of Ontario]]. However most of the Waters group was not comfortable with the hierarchical conference polity and the requirement that baptized women needed to wear a [[Prayer Veil|prayer veil]]. In 1956 the congregation switched its affiliation from the [[Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec|Mennonite Conference of Ontario]] to the [[Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario|United Mennonite conference]] and the [[Conference of Mennonites in Canada]]. The [[Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada)|Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church]] in Kitchener became an important relationship for the small Waters group. This led to a series of pastoral leaders from a "Russian Mennonite" background.
  
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The congregation's address is 540 Regional Rd 55, Lively On. P3Y 1C4. (705) 692-7655. The church is located sixteen km west of Sudbury on Regional Rd. 55. Minister Celeste Wright served in 2013 as a congregational leader.
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Waters Mennonite Church became an independent congregation on 7 June 1959, with 20 charter members. From the beginning the congregation had a multi-cultural feel, with members from various Mennonite and non-Mennonite cultural streams.
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In the 1970s the congregation became engaged with Rockhaven, a home for men recovering from substance abuse. It had been sponsored by the Inter-Mennonite Mission and Service Board, and Dick Neufeld, the founding director was actively engaged at Waters.
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The 1980s faced the Waters congregation with some difficult issues. One was the matter of women in leadership. The question of having a female deacon was discussed throughout the decade; it was only in 1989 that Aldene Forbeck became the first woman to serve as deacon. Several years later, a daughter of the congregation, Anna-Lisa Salo, became the pastor.
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The Waters Mennonite Church has always been a small congregation. In its 2009 history book, it described the Waters story as "one of courage, vision, persistence and shared ministry."
 
= Bibliography =
 
= Bibliography =
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<em>Canadian Mennonite</em> (21 March 1958): 3; (18 April 1958): 3; (22 May 1959): 1; (31 May 1963): 1.
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''Canadian Mennonite'' (21 March 1958): 3; (18 April 1958): 3; (22 May 1959): 1; (31 May 1963): 1.
  
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<em>Mennonite Reporter</em> (18 September 1989): B3.
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''Mennonite Reporter'' (18 September 1989): B3.
  
 
Article in <em>Sudbury Star</em> re: church dedication in 1963.
 
Article in <em>Sudbury Star</em> re: church dedication in 1963.
  
 
Salo, Karen. "Waters Mennonite Church." 1976, 59 pp. [http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/  Mennonite Heritage Centre]
 
Salo, Karen. "Waters Mennonite Church." 1976, 59 pp. [http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/  Mennonite Heritage Centre]
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Steven, Laurence, ed. ''Casting our bread : a history of Waters Mennonite Church 1959-2009.'' Lively, Ont. : The Church, 2009, 81 pp.
  
 
Unpublished congregational history, 1978, 24 pp. [http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/  Mennonite Heritage Centre].
 
Unpublished congregational history, 1978, 24 pp. [http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/programs/archives/  Mennonite Heritage Centre].
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==Archival Records==
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Records at the church.
  
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Records at the church.
 
 
= Additional Information =
 
= Additional Information =
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[http://www.watersmennonite.org/ Waters Mennonite Church]
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'''Address''': 540 Regional Rd 55, Lively On. P3Y 1C4. The church is located sixteen km west of Sudbury on Regional Rd. 55.
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==Waters Mennonite Church Pastors==
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'''Phone''': (705) 692-7655
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'''Website''': [http://www.watersmennonite.org/ Waters Mennonite Church]
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'''Denominational Affiliations''':
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[https://mcec.ca/ Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Conference]
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[http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/ Mennonite Church Canada]
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== Waters Mennonite Church Pastors ==
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Name !! Years<br />of Service
 
! Name !! Years<br />of Service
 
|-
 
|-
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| Thomas Martin||1949-1954
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| Thomas Martin|| align="right" | 1949-1954
 
|-
 
|-
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| Tilman Martin||1954-1955
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| Tilman Martin|| align="right" | 1954-1955
 
|-
 
|-
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| Henry Schroeder (Informal)||1955-1957
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| Henry Schroeder (Informal)|| align="right" | 1955-1957
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|-
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| Menno Ediger|| align="right" | 1957-1964
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|-
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| Gary Harder|| align="right" | 1965-1967
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|-
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| John Zacharias|| align="right" | 1967-1982
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|-
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| Dennis Watts|| align="right" | 1983-1992
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|-
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| Lay leaders|| align="right" | 1992-1993
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|-
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| Anna-Lisa Salo|| align="right" | 1993-1998
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|-
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| David Nicol|| align="right" | 1998-2013
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|-
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| Celeste Wright|| align="right" | 2013-2014
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|-
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| Lay leaders|| align="right" | 2014-present
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|}
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== Waters Mennonite Church Members ==
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
 
|-
 
|-
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| Menno Ediger||1957-1964
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! Year !! Members
 
|-
 
|-
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| Gary Harder||1965-1967
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| 1965 || 33
 
|-
 
|-
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| John Zacharias||1967-1982
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| 1975 || 57
 
|-
 
|-
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| Dennis Watts||1983-1992
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| 1985 || 53
 
|-
 
|-
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| Lay leaders||1992/93
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| 1995 || 53
 
|-
 
|-
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| Anna-Lisa Salo||1993-1998
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| 2000 || 46
 
|-
 
|-
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| David Nicol||1998-2013
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| 2008 || 29
 
|-
 
|-
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| Celeste Wright||2013-Present
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| 2015 || 21
 
|}
 
|}
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=January 1989|a1_last=Epp|a1_first=Marlene|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
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=Map=
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[[Map:Waters Mennonite Church (Lively, Ontario, Canada)]]
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=January 2017|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Sam|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
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[[Category:Churches]]
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[[‎Category:Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario Congregations]]
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[[‎Category:Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Congregations]]
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[[Category:Mennonite Church Canada Congregations]]
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[[‎Category:Ontario Congregations]]
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[[Category:Canadian Congregations]]
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[[Category:General Conference Mennonite Church Congregations]]

Revision as of 16:36, 23 January 2017

The Waters Mennonite Church had its origins through a vision Thomas Martin had one night in the early 1940s on his farm in Erbsville, Ontario. In the vision he was called to mission work in Northern Ontario. Thomas, Elvina and their two children moved to Markstay, Ontario in 1945. Soon he began to explore possibilities in the area around Sudbury, and began holding Sunday school and Vacation Bible School in various locations beginning in 1946.

In 1948 the Martins and Mahlon and Norma Bast moved to Waters Township (now in the Sudbury Regional Municipality). They began a Sunday school, as well as morning and evening worship services in a local public school. A building fund committee was established in May 1952 and the name Waters Mennonite Church was selected. In 1955 the congregation received notice it could no longer rent the public school, and so work began immediately on building the basement for a larger building that could be used for a time as the meeting place. The remainder of the building was completed in 1963.

This early mission effort was modestly supported by the Mennonite Mission Board of Ontario. However most of the Waters group was not comfortable with the hierarchical conference polity and the requirement that baptized women needed to wear a prayer veil. In 1956 the congregation switched its affiliation from the Mennonite Conference of Ontario to the United Mennonite conference and the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. The Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church in Kitchener became an important relationship for the small Waters group. This led to a series of pastoral leaders from a "Russian Mennonite" background.

Waters Mennonite Church became an independent congregation on 7 June 1959, with 20 charter members. From the beginning the congregation had a multi-cultural feel, with members from various Mennonite and non-Mennonite cultural streams.

In the 1970s the congregation became engaged with Rockhaven, a home for men recovering from substance abuse. It had been sponsored by the Inter-Mennonite Mission and Service Board, and Dick Neufeld, the founding director was actively engaged at Waters.

The 1980s faced the Waters congregation with some difficult issues. One was the matter of women in leadership. The question of having a female deacon was discussed throughout the decade; it was only in 1989 that Aldene Forbeck became the first woman to serve as deacon. Several years later, a daughter of the congregation, Anna-Lisa Salo, became the pastor.

The Waters Mennonite Church has always been a small congregation. In its 2009 history book, it described the Waters story as "one of courage, vision, persistence and shared ministry."

Bibliography

Canadian Mennonite (21 March 1958): 3; (18 April 1958): 3; (22 May 1959): 1; (31 May 1963): 1.

Mennonite Reporter (18 September 1989): B3.

Article in Sudbury Star re: church dedication in 1963.

Salo, Karen. "Waters Mennonite Church." 1976, 59 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre

Steven, Laurence, ed. Casting our bread : a history of Waters Mennonite Church 1959-2009. Lively, Ont. : The Church, 2009, 81 pp.

Unpublished congregational history, 1978, 24 pp. Mennonite Heritage Centre.

Archival Records

Records at the church.

Additional Information

Address: 540 Regional Rd 55, Lively On. P3Y 1C4. The church is located sixteen km west of Sudbury on Regional Rd. 55.

Phone: (705) 692-7655

Website: Waters Mennonite Church

Denominational Affiliations:

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Conference

Mennonite Church Canada

Waters Mennonite Church Pastors

Name Years
of Service
Thomas Martin 1949-1954
Tilman Martin 1954-1955
Henry Schroeder (Informal) 1955-1957
Menno Ediger 1957-1964
Gary Harder 1965-1967
John Zacharias 1967-1982
Dennis Watts 1983-1992
Lay leaders 1992-1993
Anna-Lisa Salo 1993-1998
David Nicol 1998-2013
Celeste Wright 2013-2014
Lay leaders 2014-present

Waters Mennonite Church Members

Year Members
1965 33
1975 57
1985 53
1995 53
2000 46
2008 29
2015 21

Map

Map:Waters Mennonite Church (Lively, Ontario, Canada)


Author(s) Sam Steiner
Date Published January 2017

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Sam. "Waters Mennonite Church (Lively, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2017. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Waters_Mennonite_Church_(Lively,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=147026.

APA style

Steiner, Sam. (January 2017). Waters Mennonite Church (Lively, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Waters_Mennonite_Church_(Lively,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=147026.



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