Living Hope Bible Church (Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada)
Creator: Henry J. Wiens (1885-1975)
Digitized by Hiebert Library. Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies.
Russian Mennonite immigrants came to the Selkirk, Ontario area in 1925 to be hosted by the Pennsylvania German Mennonites who had been there since the late 18th century. In 1926 these immigrants took up land in the Port Rowan area. These Mennonite families were from the Mennonite Brethren and General Conference Mennonite backgrounds but they were worshiped together in the Messiah Church building. In 1927 the Mennonite Brethren families formed their own congregation with 11 charter members. This group met in private homes periodically to discuss their own business but they continued to worship together with all the Mennonite families in the Messiah Church building. In 1940 the two groups separated and the Mennonite Brethren families purchased the Messiah Church building.
The Messiah Church building was expanded in 1946 when more space was needed when more families moved into the area. Renovations were completed in 1949. The language transition from German to English began in the 1950s. In 1958 a new meeting house was constructed. The original Messiah Church building, built in 1883 was finally dismantled in 1977 after having been moved one last time. In 1970 an education wing was added to the 1958-built meeting house. In 1976 a foyer was added.
Port Rowan is the parent congregation to Simcoe Mennonite Brethren and Evergreen Heights Christian Fellowship.
Bibliography
Mennonite Brethren Herald (7 February 1986): 18; (27 May 1988): 53.
Teigrob, David. What Mean These Stones: Mennonite Brethren Church, Port Rowan, 1927-1977. Port Rowan: Port Rowan Mennonite Brethren Church, 1979, 90 pp.
When Your Children Shall Ask: a History of the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1957-1982. 1982: 41-43.
Archival Records
Church records at Center for MB Studies, Fresno, California, copies at Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Additional Information
Address: R. R. 3, Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0
Location: 465 Concession Road 1, 6.5 km west of Port Rowan on the north side of Concession Rd. 1
Telephone: 519-586-2835
Website: Port Rowan MB Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1933-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1933-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1939-2002)
Port Rowan MB Church Leading Ministers
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Dietrich Doerksen | 1927-1928 |
| Johann Baese | 1928-1933 |
| Gerhard Derksen | 1928-1933 |
| Alexander Suderman | 1928-1933 |
| Peter Reimer | 1933-1934 |
| Jacob Penner Sr. | 1934-1956 |
| Peter Reimer | 1956-1962 |
| Willie Baerg | 1962-1965 |
| Peter Reimer | 1965-1966 |
| Abram Block | 1966-1971 |
| Jacob Penner Jr. | 1971-1973 |
| Walter Janzen | 1973-1978 |
| Ralph Teigrob (interim) | 1978-1979 |
| Cornelius Braun | 1979-1990 |
| Arnie Neufeld | 1991-1993 |
| John Unger (interim) | 1993 |
| Bill Lehman | 1994-1998 |
| Ralph Teigrob (interim) | 1999 |
| Randy Dueck (interim) | 1999 |
| Alexander "Sandy" Young | 2000-2006 |
| Ralph Teigrob (interim) | 2007 |
| Paul Robinson | 2007-2012 |
| Steve Savage | 2012-present |
Port Rowan MB Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 112 |
| 1965 | 147 |
| 1975 | 215 |
| 1985 | 221 |
| 1995 | 266 |
| 2000 | 279 |
| Author(s) | H. H. Janzen |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | January 1989 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Janzen, H. H. and Marlene Epp. "Living Hope Bible Church (Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 1989. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Living_Hope_Bible_Church_(Port_Rowan,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=116003.
APA style
Janzen, H. H. and Marlene Epp. (January 1989). Living Hope Bible Church (Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Living_Hope_Bible_Church_(Port_Rowan,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=116003.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 204. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.