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Revision as of 00:19, 10 January 2019
The Poole Mennonite congregation began in 1874 with descendants of pioneers known as Amish Mennonite who lived in Mornington Township, and had originally emigrated from the Alsace area of France. Originally members of the Wellesley Amish Mennonite church district, they began meeting in homes in Mornington Township as the population increased.
In 1886 some members decided to build a meetinghouse on the site still occupied by Poole Mennonite Church. Other members disagreed, giving rise to the group that became known as the Old Order Amish, and which continued to hold services in homes. In 1903 additional contentious issues arose within the meetinghouse group regarding the introduction of Sunday School, worship style, etc. Most of the leaders then left with some of the congregation to start the Nafziger or Poole (West) congregation. The Poole congregation was first known as the Mornington Amish Mennonite congregation.
In 1947 Poole's original meetinghouse was enlarged and remodelled to accommodate a growing membership. At the same time, the church was jacked up and a basement installed under the original building. By 1963 the building was again crowded as well as structurally unsound, so the congregation decided to erect a new worship building. The first service was held in the building in 1966. In 1996 an addition on the north side of the building made the entire building accessible, and provided offices and better facilities for visiting and Sunday School.
The members of Poole Mennonite have been involved in outreach over the years. In the 1940s members from Poole together with members from Mapleview started meeting for worship in Millbank in a building purchased from the Presbyterian Church. This evolved into the Riverdale Mennonite Church in Millbank. In 1981 some families worked with the Western Ontario Mennonite Mission Board to start a congregation in Milverton. Poole held a commissioning service in 1982 for three families who gave leadership to the fledgling fellowship. More families from Poole joined this group a few years later. In 2003 the congregation assisted Mennonites from Mexico who moved into the area by providing English as a Second Language classes for the women and day care for their preschool children. The Listowel and Riverdale congregations assisted in this outreach.
Since 1874 Poole's basic beliefs have not changed. However, the congregation's needs have changed and programming has adapted accordingly. In 2003 Poole Mennonite had two pastors and a team of elders who give spiritual leadership while the church council gives administrative direction to the congregation. The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1930s.
Bibliography
Burkholder, L. J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario . Kitchener, Ontario: Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935: 234-236.
CMC Nexus (March 1995), 11.
"History of the Poole Mennonite Church - formerly known as the Poole Amish Mennonite Church." n.d. 3 pp.; Mennonites in Canada collection, "20-Poole", Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
A History of the Poole Mennonite Church: a People on the Way, 1874-1986. Milverton, Ontario: Poole Mennonite Church, 1986, 74 pp.
Mennonite Reporter (7 July 1986): 12.
Records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Additional Information
Address: 6475 121 Rd E. Poole N0K 1S0
Mailing Address: Box 249, Milverton, ON, N0K 1M0
Phone: 519-595-4622
Website: Poole Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations: Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Conference
Poole Mennonite Church Pastoral Leaders
| Name | Years of Service |
Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Gerber | 1874-1893 | |
| Joseph U. Ropp | 1873-1910 | |
| Christian L. Kuepfer | 1879-1886 | To Old Order Amish 1886 |
| Andrew Kuepfer | 1879-1886 | To Old Order Amish 1886 |
| Nicholas Nafziger | 1891-1903 | To Nafziger congregation 1903 |
| Peter Spenler | 1891-1903 | To Nafziger congregation 1903 |
| John Nafziger | 1892-1903 | To Nafziger congregation 1903 |
| Peter Boshart | 1903-1927 | |
| Christian Schultz | 1905-1952 | |
| Christian Lichti | 1940-1959 | |
| Amos Brunk | 1940-1973 | |
| Herbert Schultz | 1955-1970 | |
| Amsey Martin | 1970-1982 | |
| Vernon Zehr (Interim) | 1983 | |
| David Brubacher | 1983-1990 | |
| Gerald Neufeld | 1988-1992 | Youth Pastor |
| David Rogalsky | 1990-1999 | |
| Kim Wideman | 1996-2000 | Youth Pastor |
| Reynold Kipfer (Interim) | 1999-2000 | |
| Paul Dyck | 2000- August 2015 | |
| Kara Carter | 2001-2008 | Youth Pastor |
| Amanda Mustard | 2008-2012 | |
| Sean Sero | 2014-Present | Youth Pastor |
| Steve Brnjas | September 2015-2017 | Interim Supply |
| Fred Redekop | March 2017-September 2017 February 2018-present |
Interim Supply Pastor of Senior Ministry |
| Doug Amstutz | October 2017-January 2019 |
Poole Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 105 |
| 1925 | 111 |
| 1935 | 168 |
| 1950 | 250 |
| 1965 | 278 |
| 1975 | 327 |
| 1985 | 390 |
| 1995 | 320 |
| 2000 | 296 |
| 2003 | 302 |
| 2008 | 301 |
| 2015 | 301 |
Map
Map:Poole Mennonite Church (Milverton, Ontario, Canada)
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Melvin Gingerich. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 201. All rights reserved.
Poole (Ontario) Amish Mennonite Church, established in 1874, had a membership of 270 in 1957. It is a member of the Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference.
| Author(s) | Brenda Schultz |
|---|---|
| Date Published | September 2003 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Schultz, Brenda. "Poole Mennonite Church (Milverton, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2003. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Poole_Mennonite_Church_(Milverton,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=162975.
APA style
Schultz, Brenda. (September 2003). Poole Mennonite Church (Milverton, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Poole_Mennonite_Church_(Milverton,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=162975.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.