Baden Mennonite Church (Baden, Ontario, Canada)

The Baden Mennonite congregation began services in 1913 and formally organized in 1945. The first building was occupied in 1913. Peter Moyer is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through the outreach of Peter Moyer, with the vision of a mission church for use by both the Amish and Mennonite conferences of Ontario.

The responsibility for Sunday school and preaching was shared by both groups at first; in 1920 the Rural Mission Board of the Ontario Conference appointed four ministers to serve in turn, and this practice continued until 1930, after which one minister was made responsible for the work. In 1940 it was agreed that the Sunday-school staff should be supplied by the First Mennonite Church of Kitchener. This led to growth; Sunday-school attendance, which in the 1930s varied from 40 to 20, now increased to 60 and 80. In the autumn of 1945, the congregation was organized and became a member of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario. Membership in 1954 was 62. A summer Bible school was started in 1934, which enrolled over 300. The ministers who served after 1930 were Noah S. Hunsberger, Newton S. Weber, James Martin, Urie Bender, Elmer Grove, David Groh and Lester Bauman.

The Baden Mennonite merged with Geiger Mennonite in 1966 and the united congregation became known as Wilmot Mennonite Church in 1977 and held services at the latter site. The building in Baden served as the church's fellowship hall until it was destroyed by fire on 14 April 2000. The building had also been used for worship by the West Hills Mennonite Fellowship until the fire.

Bibliography

Burkholder, Lewis J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario. Kitchener, Ont.N: Mennonite Conference of Ontario,1935: 62.

Cressman, Kenneth. "The Development of the Conservative Mennonite Church of Ontario." Unpublished paper, 1976, 70 pp.

Cressman, Kenneth. "A Descriptive Analysis of the Conservative Mennonite Schisms in Ontario, 1956-1979." Unpublished paper, 1979, 92 pp. MAO.

Fretz, J.C. "History of Baden Church," ca. 1955, 1 p. Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

Mennonite Reporter (3 Oct. 1977): 13.

Pavey, Brent. "Fire destroys building of two congregations." Canadian Mennonite 4 (12 June 2000).