Deer Run Church (Leamington, Ontario, Canada)
In 1967 Isaac Friesen and Henry Peters form Manitoba were invited to conduct revival services among the Mennonites in Leamington who had immigrated there from Mexico. Several small groups were established and Bible studies and services were held in various homes. Eventually Dave Friesen from Aylmer came to give care to these growing groups. In 1968 Jake Hoeppner was sent by the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC) to be the pastor for this group. The first baptism was held in 1970 with eight people receiving baptism. In 1971 a building project began and by 1973 the church sanctuary was completed. During the construction of the building Gordon Brown from Manitoba became the pastor. During this time Bill Giesbrecht and his family moved here from Manitoba to help with the growing work. Services were initially only in Low German until 1979. At that time services began to be held in both Low German and English together. Later, in 1987, the Low German and English services were separated. That same year the church dedicated their new facilities that had been enlarged to more than double the size. In 2004, the church completed another building expansion.
In 2017 the church ran three services, one in Low German and two in English. Deer Run Church was actively involved in the local community and striving to fulfill it’s mission: "Leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ."
The congregation has been affiliated with the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference since 1982, and is located two miles east of Leamington on the north side of Oak Street.
Bibliography
EMMC Recorder, (August 1973): 1; (May 1981): 2; (August 1987): 8.
Heppner, Jack. Search for Renewal: The Story of the Rudnerweider/Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, 1937-1987. Winnipeg, 1987: 339.
Leamington Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church. "Who We Are." Web. 7 May 2010. http://www.lemmc.com/#/about-us/who-we--are.
Sixty Years of Mennonite Life in Essex and Kent Counties 1925-1985. Leamington, 1985, 78 pp.
Additional Information
Mailing Address: Box 84, Leamington, ON N8H 3W1
Location: 1408 Deer Run Road, Leamington, ON
Phone: 519-326-9734
Website: Deer Run Church
Ike Unger is the lead pastor and has been with the church since 1998.
In 1975 there were 30 members.
| Author(s) | Richard D Thiessen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2017 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. "Deer Run Church (Leamington, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2017. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Deer_Run_Church_(Leamington,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=147563.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. (March 2017). Deer Run Church (Leamington, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Deer_Run_Church_(Leamington,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=147563.
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