Waterloo North Mennonite Church (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

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Waterloo North Mennonite Church

Waterloo North Mennonite Church in Ontario originated originated as a multi-congregational church plant by the Erb St. Mennonite Church, St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec.

At the beginning the group numbered about 40 persons and met at Lutherwood, a residential and school facility located on Benjamin Road in North Waterloo. After briefly worshiping in Lutherwood's chapel beginning in October 1986, the congregation met in the gym until the end of May 1994. The congregation formally organized in 1987.

When it became clear larger facilities would be required for the growing congregation, a building committee was established in 1989. Milo and Laura Shantz donated land at the corner of Weber Street and Benjamin Road at the edge of Waterloo. The congregation moved into the new facility in June 1994.

Waterloo North has always placed emphasis on lay participation in leadership. At the beginning there were no paid leaders -- leadership was provided by a group of Elders and an Administrative Committee, together with a church chairperson. Although titles and job descriptions changed over the years, the numbers of persons actively involved in all parts of the church's ministry remained high. A four- or five-person Ministry Team composed of paid staff and volunteers provided spiritual leadership for the congregation. Dan Nighswander became a part time paid member of the Ministry leadership team in 1988 and continued in a leadership role until 1997.

The worship style in 2017 was traditional/liturgical. There were two services each Sunday. The "Matins" service incorporated liturgical worship with the congregation participating actively in prayers, readings, singing, prayer and times of silent reflection. The focus was the Bible readings that follow the common lectionary (order) that is used by Christians throughout the world. The second service included a variety of persons in leading the service. The focus of the worship was the proclamation of the Word through the sermon, supported by scripture reading, hymns, and the children's time.

On its website Waterloo North has declared itself to be a "welcoming and affirming Church."

Bibliography

"History." Waterloo North Mennonite Church. 2008. Web. 20 January 2017. http://www.waterloonorthmc.org/content/history.

Mennonite Reporter (22 December 1986): 8; (27 June 1994): 14.

Archival Records

Congregational papers at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

Miscellaneous historical items with Mennonite Historical Society of Canada collection, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

Additional Information

Address: 100 Benjamin Road, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4; located at the corner of Weber St. N. and Benjamin Rd.

Phone: 519-888-6113

Website: Waterloo North Mennonite Church

Denominational Affiliations: Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Conference

Mennonite Church Canada

Waterloo North Mennonite Church Ministers

Minister Years of Service
Carol Shantz (paid elder) 1987
Ron Flaming (paid elder) 1987
Dan Nighswander 1988-1997
Doris B. Weber (1930-2021)((Interim) 1995
Mary Mae Schwartzentruber (interim) 1997-1998
Lynn Bergsma Friesen 1999-2000
Sue C. Steiner (1947-2019) 1998-2004
Darrell "Chip" Bender 2000-2010
Renee Sauder (interim) 2005-2006
Ardith Frey 2006-2013
Lisa Carr-Pries 2008-April 2017
Ben Cassels 2011-2016
Rudy Baergen (interim) 2013-2014
Gordon Allaby 2014-2023
Kendra Whitfield-Ellis (1978-2024) May 2017-July 2024
Carmen Brubacher September 2018-present

Waterloo North Mennonite Church Membership

Year Members
1995 104
2000 166
2008 240
2015 249
2020 251


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published January 2017

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Waterloo North Mennonite Church (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2017. Web. 15 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Waterloo_North_Mennonite_Church_(Waterloo,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=179328.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2017). Waterloo North Mennonite Church (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Waterloo_North_Mennonite_Church_(Waterloo,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=179328.




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