Calvary Mennonite Church (Monetville, Ontario, Canada)

Monetville is a small French/English community between the West Arm of Lake Nipissing and the French River. In 1944, several men from the Ontario Mennonite Mission Board visited the area to determine the feasibility of starting a mission work among the English-­speaking population.

Bible School at Monetville in 1951

In the summer of 1945, Arthur Gingrich, Leslie Witmer, and Paul Hunsberger conducted the first Summer Bible School with a total enrollment of 26 children. The following November, Paul Hunsberger started a Sunday school in the old school house. The roads at that time were poor in summer and almost nonexistent in the winter, so Hunsberger had to complete his weekly trip from Markstay to Monetville on skis. Attendance grew from 12 to 28 during the first winter.

Paul Hunsberger bought a farm in Monetville in 1946, and together with his bride, Edna, undertook the mission work together. They held services and Summer Bible School in various schoolhouses and homes, and even tents when necessary. Property was purchased and prepared in 1950 for the first church building, which was dedicated on 16 December 1951. Paul Hunsberger had been ordained as pastor of the fledgling church earlier that year.

The new 1964 Monetville Church

In 1964, the congregation erected a new church building. Simon and Lydia Martin served as pastoral team from 1960-1967. They started weekly boys' and girls' clubs, in addition to the regular worship services, Sunday school, and Summer Bible School.

During the 1980s, some congregational members begin an outreach work in the nearby French community of Noelville and left to embark on this mission.

In 1991 the congregation built an addition to accommodate growing attendance in Sunday school, Kid's Clubs, and Summer Bible School.

Differing worship styles prompted some members to leave Calvary Mennonite Church in 1998 to begin The Tree of Life (Mennonite) Church. The two churches together continued holding Summer Bible School for the community children -- still attended in 2003 by an average of 60 children every summer.

In 2009 Calvary Mennonite offered a traditional style of worship service to the local and tourist population, with an emphasis on living Christian lives as an example to the community.

Bibliography

Gospel Herald (8 March 1946): 960.

Mennonite Reporter (28 May 1990): 14; (14 October 1991): B2.

Smith, Roy. "Markstay-Monetville," 1954, Mennonite Archives of Ontario..

Additional Information

Address: 15 Mercer Road, Monetville, Ontario

Phone: 705-898-1574

Denominational Affiliations:

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

Mennonite Church Canada

Table 1: Calvary Mennonite Church Pastoral Leaders

Name	Years of Service
Paul Hunsberger	1945-1959
Simon B. Martin	1960-1967
Floyd Schmucker	1967-1972
Hubert Lawrence	1972-1977
Abe Buhler	1978-1980
John Coffman (Interim)	1980-1981
Tom Warner	1981-1983
John Coffman (Team Leader)	1983-1986
Philip Lichty	1987-1999
Lloyd Steeves	2000-2008
Kevin Quesnel	2008-2015

Table 2: Calvary Mennonite Church Membership

Year	Membership
1965	24
1975	37
1985	46
1995	54
2003	30
2009	30
2015	30

Maps

Map:Calvary Mennonite Church (Monetville, Ontario)

Author(s)	Laura Karelse
Date Published	2009

Cite This Article

MLA style

Karelse, Laura. "Calvary Mennonite Church (Monetville, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 2009. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Calvary_Mennonite_Church_(Monetville,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=136296.

APA style

Karelse, Laura. (2009). Calvary Mennonite Church (Monetville, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Calvary_Mennonite_Church_(Monetville,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=136296.

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