Rouge Valley Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
Rouge Valley Mennonite Church was so named in 1986, when two older Mennonite congregations (Cedar Grove and Steeles Avenue) joined together for more effective and practical Christian ministry. Both were located in the south east part of the own of Markham, Ontario. Both Reesor’s meetinghouse (later known as Steeles Ave.) at the Scarborough/Pickering townline, and the Cedar Grove meeting house on the 10th Line (now known as Reesor Road) had been the home congregations of local Mennonite families for over 100 years. As land development and speculation drove up land prices, some of these families relocated to western Ontario.
There had been a history of cooperation between these churches for events such as Vacation Bible Schools, mission meetings and women’s service activities. The realization came that it would be better to combine their efforts at one location. They decided to use the Cedar Grove facility, the larger site. With an increase in attendance and interest from the community, there was a definite need for a larger facility. Inquiries to obtain more land were made to the Ontario Realty Corporation, and a few years later property was purchased to the south of the original site. This gave the new congregation a total of four acres. In 1996 an 8,000 square foot church building was erected just south of the original building. The older structure was retained as a Christian Education center and called the Cedar Grove Meetinghouse. The new building was a ground level, accessible facility which contained offices, a kitchen, fellowship hall and 250 seat auditorium. There was also a nursery and children’s center, a large foyer/cloakroom and a library/meeting room.
The mission statement of the Rouge Valley Congregation is “Welcoming people to Jesus Christ and a caring community”.
Bibliography
Burkholder, Paul. "Our history." 2012. Web. 7 January 2017. http://rvmc.ca/our-history/.
Mennonite Reporter (29 July 1996): 15; (14 October 1996): 14.
Archival Records
Records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Additional Information
Address: 7452 Reesor Road, Markham, ON L6B 1A8; located 2 km south of Highway #7, and 1.5 km north of Steeles Avenue.
Telephone: 905-294-2640
Website: http://rvmc.ca/
Denominational Affiliations:
Mennonite Church (MC), 1988-1999
Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, 1988-
Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada, 1999-
Pastors at Rouge Valley Mennonite Church
| Name | Year of Service |
|---|---|
| Steve Drudge | 1986-June 2003 |
| Nancy Brubaker Bauman (Interim) |
2003-2004 |
| Pieter Niemeyer (Lead Minister) |
2001-2004 2004-October 2017 |
| Marv Friesen (Interim Supply) |
January 2018-September 2019 |
| Glyn Jones (Shared with Community) |
May 2020-present |
Members at Rouge Valley Mennonite Church
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 99 |
| 2000 | 109 |
| 2008 | 130 |
| 2015 | 143 |
| 2020 | 80 |
Map
Map:Rouge Valley Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
| Author(s) | Paul Burkholder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2017 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Burkholder, Paul. "Rouge Valley Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2017. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rouge_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Markham,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=171690.
APA style
Burkholder, Paul. (January 2017). Rouge Valley Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rouge_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Markham,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=171690.
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