Nairn Mennonite Church (Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada)
The Nairn Mennonite congregation near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, began services in 1948. The church's first building was constructed in 1881 as part of the Presbyterian Church. A new building was erected in 1996. Wilfred Schlegel is regarded as the founder of the congregation. Culturally the congregation's roots are Amish Mennonite. The settlement was the result of colonization by Amish Mennonites from Wilmot and Wellesley Townships in Waterloo County, and East Zorra Township in Oxford County.
Membership in 1950 was 20; in 1965, 83; in 1985, 61; in 1995, 59; in 2000, 61. The congregation has been affiliated with the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference (1948-88), the Mennonite Church (1959-1999), Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (1988-) and the Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada (1995-). The language of worship services has always been English.
R.R. 1, Box 9, 26459 Bear Creek Side Rd., Ailsa Craig, ON, N0M 1A0. (519) 232-4425. The congregation is located 4 km south of the town of Ailsa Craig. Pastor David Friesen Waldner served in 2002 as a congregational leader.
Bibliography
Gospel Herald (13 April 1948): 355; (7 September 1948): 845; (22 March 1949): 283; (21 February 1950): 184; (24July 1956): 705.
Mennonite Reporter (10 July 1989): 9; (30 May 1994): 15; (17 October 1994): 15; (4 March 1996): 14; (3 February 1997): 17.
Arnel, Ruth. A Time of Change: Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Nairn Mennonite Church. Nairn, Ont.: Nairn Mennonite Church, 1973, 48 pp.
"40-Nairn," Mennonites in Canada collection, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Church archival records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Additional Information
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Schlegel, Wilfred and Sam Steiner. "Nairn Mennonite Church (Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2000. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 09 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/N352ME.html>
APA style: Schlegel, Wilfred and Sam Steiner. (July 2000). "Nairn Mennonite Church (Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 09 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/N352ME.html>
