Bethel Mennonite Church (Bothwell, Ontario, Canada)
The Bethel Mennonite Church (Mosa Mennonite Church), Bothwell, Ontario was located two miles (three km) south of Highway 2 on the Kent-Elgin County line, about 40 miles (65 km) west of London, Ontario.
The congregation began services ca. 1870, and formally organized in 1875. Early families were Brubacher, Moyer, Snyder, Bergey, Woolner, King, McKay, Saylor, Devitt, and Cressman, who had come from Waterloo County and from the Niagara frontier. In 1875 Henry McKay was called to the ministry here and served until 1902. In 1877 Abram B. Brubacher was ordained minister. By 1883 he inclined to the conservative group and moved to eastern Ohio. In 1907 Nathaniel Bergey was ordained minister. In 1905 under I. R. Shantz of Alberta the membership was strengthened. Over the years services were held in Cashmere Schoolhouse, S.S. No. 5, Mosa, Austen School, Presbyterian church in Bothwell, in Clachan Hall. In 1927 a church was purchased in Bothwell and a resident minister given charge with evening services at Clachan Corners. But the church was not revived and the Bothwell property was sold. The membership was reduced to 11.
In 1931 work was resumed as a Sunday school in the Austen school south of Bothwell. A few people from Waterloo County moved to the area, a a membership was built up from the new circle of families. Arnold Gingrich was ordained and became resident pastor. A new Bethel Church built a few miles south of Bothwelll in 1941. Minister Nelson Martin served in 1965 as the congregational leader. In 1953 there were 22 members; in 1965, 24. The congregation closed in 1966. It had been affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario since its formation. The group was also popularly known as Mosa Mennonite or Bothwell Mennonite. Bethel Mennonite was part of the Mennonite Church (MC) segment of the Mennonite "family." The language of worship was English.
Bibliography
Burkholder, L. J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario. Kitchener: Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935: 123-124.
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 169.
| Author(s) | Joseph C. Fretz |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | April 1986 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. "Bethel Mennonite Church (Bothwell, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 1986. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Bothwell,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=54604.
APA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. (April 1986). Bethel Mennonite Church (Bothwell, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Bothwell,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=54604.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 310; v. 3, pp. 754-755. All rights reserved.
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