Gormley Missionary Church (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada)
Gormley Missionary Church began as a New Mennonite preaching appointment in the late 1860s or early 1870s under the leadership of Abraham Raymer and John Steckley, who were associated with Daniel Hoch, founder of the New Mennonites. Raymer had been active in the Markham area as an independent Mennonite minister before 1860, and John Steckley began preaching about 1861. The New Mennonites likely met in homes and schoolhouses during the first years.
There was a division in the church in 1908 when the pastor John Ball and a number of families left because the Mennonite Brethren in Christ did not favor the baptism of the Holy Spirit resulting in speaking in tongues. John Ball became a minister in the emerging Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.
The first building was erected on Stouffville Road in 1873. The New Mennonites, through a series of mergers, were part of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ denomination in 1883 that remained known by that name until 1947. Currently the denomination is the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada. The original wood frame building was replaced with a brick one in 1931. A major extension which added a fellowship hall, offices, nursery, and foyer was dedicated in 1966.
In 1950 there were 133 members; in 1975, 124; in 1985, 101; in 1995, 90. The congregation has been affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren in Christ, its predecessors and successors since its founding.
Bibliography
Gormley Missionary Church."Our Story." http://www.gormleychurch.org/about/story.html (accessed 15 August 2009).
Steiner, Sam. "Assurance of Salvation or Faithful Living: Nineteenth Century Ontario Mennonites Engage Pietism." Unpublished paper, 2008.
The Word for 100 years, 1873-1973. Gormley: The Church, 1973.
Additional Information
Address: 120 Gormley Road West, Richmond Hill, Ontario
Phone: 905-887-5846
Website: Gormley Missionary Church
Denominational Affiliation: Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada
Gormley Missionary Church Pastors
| Minister | Years |
|---|---|
| Abraham Raymer | |
| Joseph Raymer | 1878-1879 |
| John Steckley | |
| Noah Detweiler | |
| Menno Bowman | |
| Peter Cober | 1885-1888 |
| Henry Goudie | 1889-1892 |
| David Shantz | 1892-1894 |
| Henry Wismer | 1894-1997 |
| A. B. Musselman | 1897-1899 |
| Solomon Eby | 1899-1901 |
| Silas Cressman | 1901-1904 |
| J. E. Fidler | 1904-1907 |
| John Ball | 1907-1908 |
| Isaac Pike | Until 1908 Conference |
| C. N. Good | 1908-1911 |
| E. Sievenpiper | 1911-1915 |
| Milton Bricker | 1915-1918 |
| R. Eltherington | 1918-1922 |
| Willam Yates | 1922-1926 |
| C. T. Sinden | 1926-1929 |
| Henry Goudie | 1929 |
| A. T. Gooding | 1929-1934 |
| Gormley/Bethesda Separate Charge |
|
| Herb Shantz | 1934-1938 |
| Isaac Brubacher | 1938-1942 |
| Ward M. Shantz | 1942-1943 |
| Frank Huson | 1943-1947 |
| Percy R. Barley | 1947-1949 |
| Lloyd K. Sider | 1949-1952 |
| Clarence E. Hunking | 1952-1963 |
| Gormley/Bethesda Joined | |
| Lloyd K. Sider | 1963-1968 |
| Harvey Hallman | 1968-1971 |
| Eldon Boettger | 1971-1975 |
| Cecil Rosenberger | 1975-1980 |
| Edwin Sparks | 1980-1987 |
| Peter Gibbins | 1987-1990 |
| Tim Soukup | 1990-1998 |
| Brian Waugh | 1999-2004 |
| Craig Arbon | 2004-2010 |
| Paul Pascoal | 2012-present |
Maps
Map:Gormley Missionary Church (Richmond Hill, Ontario)
| Author(s) | Everek R. Storms |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | November 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Storms, Everek R. and Samuel J. Steiner. "Gormley Missionary Church (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2014. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gormley_Missionary_Church_(Richmond_Hill,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=165707.
APA style
Storms, Everek R. and Samuel J. Steiner. (November 2014). Gormley Missionary Church (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gormley_Missionary_Church_(Richmond_Hill,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=165707.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 543-544. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.