Difference between revisions of "Farewell Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)"
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The Farewell Old Order Mennonite meetinghouse is located in Wellington North Township, [[Wellington County (Ontario, Canada)|Wellington County]], on the east side of Concession 11, 5 km. west of Highway 6, and midway between Kenilworth and Mount Forest, Ontario. | The Farewell Old Order Mennonite meetinghouse is located in Wellington North Township, [[Wellington County (Ontario, Canada)|Wellington County]], on the east side of Concession 11, 5 km. west of Highway 6, and midway between Kenilworth and Mount Forest, Ontario. | ||
| − | The [[Mount Forest Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)|Mount Forest area]] was first settled by [[Old Order Mennonites|Old Order Mennonites]] from [[Waterloo County (Ontario, Canada)|Waterloo County]], Ontario in 1967, several years after the first farms were purchased in 1964. This movement to the Mount Forest area resulted from the expansion of urban areas of Waterloo County into the Old Order community, and the rising cost of agricultural land in Waterloo County. | + | The [[Mount Forest Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)|Mount Forest area]] was first settled by [[Old Order Mennonites|Old Order Mennonites]] from [[Waterloo County (Ontario, Canada)|Waterloo County]], Ontario in 1967, several years after the first farms were purchased in 1964. This movement to the Mount Forest area resulted from the expansion of urban areas of Waterloo County into the Old Order community, and the rising cost of agricultural land in Waterloo County. |
| − | The first | + | The first church services were held in the former St. John's Anglican Church in Farewell. The church was closed in 1968, and purchased for $300 by Enos Brubacher. The interior was rearranged in an Old Order Mennonite fashion in the winter of 1968/69. The group also removed the steeple. Despite the alterations, the use of this facility remained controversial. The building was used until the ([[Spring Creek Old Order Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)|Spring Creek]]) meetinghouse was built in 1972 on Concession 6 of what was then Arthur Township. At that time 19 families lived in the surrounding community. The former Anglican church was then demolished, and in 1974 a parochial school was built on the property. |
On 29 November 1972 Melvin Sauder was ordained as the first deacon; on 23 October 1973 Elam Weber was ordained as the minister. As is the practice in Old Order churches, they were ordained by lot from within the congregation. Ordained persons are not paid for their church service. | On 29 November 1972 Melvin Sauder was ordained as the first deacon; on 23 October 1973 Elam Weber was ordained as the minister. As is the practice in Old Order churches, they were ordained by lot from within the congregation. Ordained persons are not paid for their church service. | ||
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Archival records are located in the home of the current deacon. | Archival records are located in the home of the current deacon. | ||
| − | Records of Amsey W. Martin, Wallenstein, ON | + | Records of Amsey W. Martin, Wallenstein, ON. |
| − | {{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date= | + | |
| + | Weber, Urias. ''New beginnings: a history of the Old Order Mennonites of Ontario''. Wallenstein, Ont.: Vineyard Publications, 2018: 105-107. | ||
| + | {{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=October 2019|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Sam|a2_last= |a2_first= }} | ||
[[Category:Churches]] | [[Category:Churches]] | ||
Revision as of 16:58, 23 October 2019
The Farewell Old Order Mennonite meetinghouse is located in Wellington North Township, Wellington County, on the east side of Concession 11, 5 km. west of Highway 6, and midway between Kenilworth and Mount Forest, Ontario.
The Mount Forest area was first settled by Old Order Mennonites from Waterloo County, Ontario in 1967, several years after the first farms were purchased in 1964. This movement to the Mount Forest area resulted from the expansion of urban areas of Waterloo County into the Old Order community, and the rising cost of agricultural land in Waterloo County.
The first church services were held in the former St. John's Anglican Church in Farewell. The church was closed in 1968, and purchased for $300 by Enos Brubacher. The interior was rearranged in an Old Order Mennonite fashion in the winter of 1968/69. The group also removed the steeple. Despite the alterations, the use of this facility remained controversial. The building was used until the (Spring Creek) meetinghouse was built in 1972 on Concession 6 of what was then Arthur Township. At that time 19 families lived in the surrounding community. The former Anglican church was then demolished, and in 1974 a parochial school was built on the property.
On 29 November 1972 Melvin Sauder was ordained as the first deacon; on 23 October 1973 Elam Weber was ordained as the minister. As is the practice in Old Order churches, they were ordained by lot from within the congregation. Ordained persons are not paid for their church service.
In 1978 the church purchased a parcel of land from Urias Weber for the Farewell meetinghouse which was erected in 1979. Minister Elam Weber and Deacon Melvin Sauder then were transferred to serve the new Farewell congregation.
The first burial in the Farewell cemetery took place after the accidental death on 28 December 1979 of Henry M. Martin, a 23 year old man who had been married only a few months.
From 1993 to 1997 the Farewell congregation was split in to East and West districts, as the number of families had reached 60, with a wide distance between the eastern and western boundaries. Another meetinghouse (Westdale) was then built to address this growth.
In 2004 the number of families in the Farewell district was slightly over 40. No accurate count of "members" is available because Old Order Mennonites think of themselves as members of the church at large not just the immediate congregation. When a person moves from one geographical area to another, he automatically "belongs" to the congregation whose meetinghouse is closest to his home. No membership transfer takes place from the former location.
Bibliography
Archival records are located in the home of the current deacon.
Records of Amsey W. Martin, Wallenstein, ON.
Weber, Urias. New beginnings: a history of the Old Order Mennonites of Ontario. Wallenstein, Ont.: Vineyard Publications, 2018: 105-107.
| Author(s) | Sam Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | October 2019 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Sam. "Farewell Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2019. Web. 20 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Farewell_Mennonite_Meetinghouse_(Mount_Forest,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=164894.
APA style
Steiner, Sam. (October 2019). Farewell Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Farewell_Mennonite_Meetinghouse_(Mount_Forest,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=164894.
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