Old Colony Mennonites from Mexico began settling in southern Ontario in the mid-1950s, settling in Aylmer. Eventually they made their way to other parts of southern Ontario, including the Wheatley area within the municipality of Chatham-Kent near Leamington. Throughout the 1980s the Wheatley Old Colony Mennonite Church experienced significant growth. Much of the growth can be attributed to the migration of Mennonites from Mexico to southern Ontario.

In 1989 the Wheatley church established a congregation in the Dresden-Wallaceburg area. Most of the members of this congregation were recent immigrants from Mexico. A relatively small group of 14 families were accepted as church members on 20 January 1990. The group rented a building for worship services for their first year until an old church building was purchased in the Wallaceburg area. In 2000 the building was enlarged to accommodate 500.

In 2010 the church was led by Bishop Peter Friesen and held services in Low German and High German. The church had approximately 250 members.

Bibliography

Additional Information

Address: 11159 Grove Mills Line, Dresden, ON N0P 1M0

Telephone: 519-683-1153

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