Orchard Park Bible Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada)
The Orchard Park Bible Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada began as a church plant on 1 January 1971 by the Virgil Mennonite Brethren Church. It first met at Eden Christian College, and was led by a team that included George Wichert, Eden's principal, and Victor Loewen, a teacher at the school. The new group particularly desired English-language worship and fellowship. It was also sometimes known as the Orchard Park Church of the Mennonite Brethren.
The formal charter service for the congregation took place on 2 May 1972. The congregation welcomed its first pastor, Herman Kroeker, on 12 August 1973.
In 1974 Orchard Park purchased land across the road from Eden Christian College, and dedicated a new facility on 9 May 1975.
After some years of discussion, a major expansion project was undertaken in 1995 and completed in early 1996. It included a new sanctuary/reception hall, offices, library, kitchen, fireside lounge and additional classrooms.
In the mid-1990s Orchard Park was part of a financial crisis that affected six Mennonite congregations in the Niagara Peninsula. The Pleasant Manor seniors facility and nursing home sponsored by four Mennonite Church Eastern Canada congregations and two Mennonite Brethren congregations faced a $2.5 million debt when some luxury condominium units remained unsold. Tabor Manor, a Mennonite Brethren facility in St. Catharines, took over Pleasant Manor, and after significant fundraising in the churches the crisis was resolved.
In 2017 Orchard Park Bible Church said its goal was "to see Christ exalted, the Kingdom of God built, and the growth of the Body of Christ here at Orchard Park and throughout the world to the glory of God the Father!"
In the Spring of 2018 Orchard Park Church approached Cornerstone Community Church in Virgil about a possible merger. After a brief period of discernment, Orchard Park was adopted by Cornerstone. Trevor Peck, their lead pastor became part of the Cornerstone ministry by mid July 2018. Cornerstone assumed outstanding financial obligations and invited Orchard Park members to worship with them, and contribute their donations to Cornerstone. Since early September 2018, Cornerstone has gathered for weekly Sunday worship at the Orchard Park location on Hunter Road, and maintains offices and weekday programs at the Virgil location.
Bibliography
"Early Thanksgiving at Orchard Park." Mennonite Brethren Herald 14, no. 15 (25 July 1975): 16.
Friesen, C. Alfred. Memoirs of the Virgil-Niagara Mennonites. Virgil, Ont., 1984: 52.
Heinrichs, Kevin. "Nursing home faces debt crisis." Mennonite Brethren Herald 35, no. 14 (19 July 1996): 13-14.
Heinrichs, Kevin. "Pleasant Manor debt crisis resolved." Mennonite Brethren Herald 36, no. 2 (24 January 1997): 16.
"Orchard Park ready to expand." Mennonite Brethren Herald 34, no. 6 (1 September 1995): 17.
"The Orchard Park story." Orchard Park Bible Church. 2016. Web. 16 February 2017. http://www.orchardparkbiblechurch.org/about/history/.
When Your Children Shall Ask: a History of the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1957-1982. Ontario: Ontario Mennonite Brethren Conference, 1982: 71-73.
Wichert, Bertha. "Milestone." Mennonite Brethren Herald 12, no. 19 (21 September 1973): 28.
Wichert, Edith. "Ground-breaking for Ontario church." Mennonite Brethren Herald 13, no. 13 (28 June 1974): 11.
Wichert, Edith. "Orchard Park has year firsts." Mennonite Brethren Herald 11, no. 3 (11 February 1972): 10-11.
Archives
Archives are at the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies
Additional Information
Address: 434 Hunter Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, L0S 1J0
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1972-2018
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1972-2018
Ordained Leaders at Orchard Park Bible Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Leadership Team | 1971-1973 |
| Herman Kroeker | 1973-1979 |
| Ernest Dyck (Interim) |
1980-1982 |
| Dewayn Isaac | 1982-1988 |
| Rob Thiessen | 1988-1995 |
| Herman Neufeld (Associate) |
1988-1995 |
| Herman Neufeld | 1995-1997 |
| David Boyes (Youth) |
1992-1993 |
| Alfred Reschke (Associate) |
1994-1997 |
| John Hiebert (Interim) |
1997 |
| Ray Russell | 1998-2003 |
| Derek Johnson (Youth) |
1999-2001 |
| Henry Wiebe (Interim) |
2003-2004 |
| Jim Evans | 2005-2014 |
| Kevin Weeks (Associate) |
200?-2014 |
| Reid Cooke (Interim) |
2015-2016 |
| Lennie Fahnestock (Interim) |
2016-2017 |
| Trevor Peck | 2017-2018 |
Membership at Orchard Park Bible Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 99 |
| 1975 | 136 |
| 1985 | 185 |
| 1995 | 267 |
| 2005 | 213 |
| 2015 | 201 |
Map
Map:Orchard Park Bible Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada)
| Author(s) | Samuel J. Steiner |
|---|---|
| Alf Redekopp | |
| Date Published | March 2019 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. and Alf Redekopp. "Orchard Park Bible Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2019. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Orchard_Park_Bible_Church_(Niagara-on-the-Lake,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=166708.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. and Alf Redekopp. (March 2019). Orchard Park Bible Church (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Orchard_Park_Bible_Church_(Niagara-on-the-Lake,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=166708.
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