Geiger Mennonite Church (New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada)
The Geiger Mennonite Church was located on Bleams Rd. near Wilmot Centre, 4 km east of New Hamburg. Pastor Lester Bauman served in 1966 as a salaried congregational leader. In 1925 there were 47 members; in 1925, 47; in 1950, 94; in 1965, 75; in 1975, 68. The congregation ceased as a separate congregation in 1966. It had been affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario since 1831 and the Mennonite Church since 1898. The language of worship was English; the transition from German occurred in the first decade of the 1900s. Sunday school was first organized in 1901.
The congregation began services and formally organized in 1831. The first building was occupied in 1842, with subsequent building programs in 1874, 1913 and 1940. Ulrich Steiner is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through immigration from Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Eby organized the congregation in 1831. The congregation worshiped in a schoolhouse until the 1842 building.
Geiger Mennonite merged with Baden Mennonite in 1966; they became Wilmot Mennonite Church in 1977.
Preaching appointments alternated with Biehn Mennonite until about 1935. Ministers who served prior to 1950 included Abraham Honsberger (1801-1838), Ulrich Geiger (1797-1864), Amos S. Cressman, Osiah Cressman and Moses H. Roth. Early bishops were Benjamin Eby and Henry Shantz. Amos Cressman became bishop in 1875.
Bibliography
Mennonite Reporter (9 February 1976): 4; (3 October 1977): 13.
Burkholder, L. J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario. Kitchener, Ontario: Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935: 79-80.
Rudy, Carl J. "A History of the Geiger Mennonite Church," 1962, 44 pp. Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Cressman, Kenneth. "The Development of the Conservative Mennonite Church of Ontario." 1976, 70 pp. Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Cressman, Kenneth. "A Descriptive Analysis of the Conservative Mennonite Schisms in Ontario, 1956-1979," 1979, 92 pp. Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Church records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario..
| Author(s) | Joseph C. Fretz |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | April 1986 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. "Geiger Mennonite Church (New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 1986. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geiger_Mennonite_Church_(New_Hamburg,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=142274.
APA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. (April 1986). Geiger Mennonite Church (New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geiger_Mennonite_Church_(New_Hamburg,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=142274.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 445. All rights reserved.
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