South Cayuga Mennonite Church (South Cayuga, Ontario, Canada)
South Cayuga Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), first known as Fry's Corners, was located on the Rainham Road, a mile north of Lake Erie and 8 miles west of the Rainham Mennonite neighborhood. Services began in 1835, and land was conveyed for worship and school purposes in 1839 and 1843. John Fry and Jacob Culp were the founding leaders of the group. The congregation originated through colonization from Welland County, York County, and The Twenty areas of Ontario. A frame meetinghouse was built in 1850. This was a fairly strong fellowship by 1870. The Old Order Mennonite group was the stronger group after the division of 1889. Christian Gayman was an influential bishop here before the division. When John Shirk, the last Old Order minister, moved to Waterloo County, this faction ceased to function. Mennonite ministers in charge have been Moses Hoover of Rainham after 1893 and A. Lewis Fretz, also at Rainham since 1931. For several years after 1917 this congregation with under 20 members became the charge of the Rural Mission Board of Ontario. By 1957 the membership had risen to 32.
In 1925 there were 9 members; in 1950, 15; in 1965, 29. The congregation dissolved in 1966. The building was sold and moved; the land was also sold. (This land was immediately east of the cemetery.) The cemetery is still in use. South Cayuga was affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario after 1835. The language of worship was English. After the congregation closed most members affiliated with the Rainham Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
Burkholder, L. J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario. Kitchener, ON: Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935: 32, 55.
| Author(s) | Joseph C. Fretz |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | January 1989 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. "South Cayuga Mennonite Church (South Cayuga, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 1989. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=South_Cayuga_Mennonite_Church_(South_Cayuga,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=172689.
APA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. (January 1989). South Cayuga Mennonite Church (South Cayuga, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=South_Cayuga_Mennonite_Church_(South_Cayuga,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=172689.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 584. All rights reserved.
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