Floradale Mennonite Church (Floradale, Ontario, Canada)
 |
| Floradale Mennonite Church, September 2009 |
The Floradale Mennonite congregation began services in 1857, and formally organized in 1889. The first building purchased a building from the Evangelical Church in 1967. After the Old Order division a new building was constructed north of Floradale in 1896; in 1936 a new church was built at the present location. Abraham Dettwiler and William Hembling are considered founding leaders of the group. The congregation originated through division from North Woolwich Old Order Mennonite after a division in 1889. Initially (1856-1867) the church met every eight weeks in the home of Deacon William Hembling.
The 1889 division of the North Woolwich Old Order from the Mennonite Conference of Ontario caused a split in the congregation, after which the church was officially organized as Floradale Mennonite. The Old Order retained use of the building and the conference group was without a church building until 1896.
The congregation affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario from 1889-88, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada since 1988 and the Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada since 1995. Floradale Mennonite is part of the Mennonite Church segment of the Mennonite "family." The language of worship is English; language transition from German occurred in 1920s.
Floradale is the parent church to Elmira Mennonite (1924), Bethel Mennonite and Berea Mennonite (1947), and Glen Allan (1944).
Bibliography
Canadian Mennonite (4 January 1956): 3.
Mennonite Reporter (23 January 1989): 13.
Bauman, Brent. Forged Anew : a History of Floradale Mennonite Church, Hembling-North Woolwich-Floradale 1856-1996. Floradale : The Church, 1996.
Burkholder, L. J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario. Kitchener, ON: Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935: 77-79.
Martin, Edith. "The Growth of the Floradale Mennonite Church, Floradale, Ontario, 1944-64." (1965), Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Martin, Delton. "History of the Floradale Mennonite Church." (1967), 14 pp., Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Martin, Delton. History of the Floradale Mennonite Church, 1857-1971. Floradale: The Church, 1971, 28 p.
Church records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Additional Information
Address: 22 Second Street, Floradale, Ontario
Phone: 519-669-2861
Website: Floradale Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Mennonite Church Eastern Canada
Floradale Mennonite Senior Pastors
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Abram B. Gingrich |
1896-1936 |
| Oliver D. Snider |
1909-1934 |
| Reuben Dettwiler |
1934-1951 |
| Rufus Jutzi |
1951-1964 |
| Weyburn Groff |
1964-1965 |
| Gerald Good |
1965-1976 |
| Lester Kehl |
1976-1989 |
| Stanley D. Shantz |
1989-1990 |
| Richard Yordy |
1990-1991 |
| Fred Redekop |
1991- |
Floradale Mennonite Church Memberships
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 20 |
| 1925 |
52 |
| 1950 |
140 |
| 1965 |
193 |
| 1975 |
218 |
| 1985 |
214 |
| 1995 |
220 |
| 2000 |
209 |
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 341. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2009 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Dettweiler, Reuben and Sam Steiner. "Floradale Mennonite Church (Floradale, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2000. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/F634.html>
APA style: Dettweiler, Reuben and Sam Steiner. (July 2000). "Floradale Mennonite Church (Floradale, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/F634.html>
