Anson Hoover Mennonites (Ontario, Canada)
The Anson Hoover Mennonite Church separated from the Canadian Orthodox Mennonites in 1974 after their difficult merger with the Noah Brubacher Church seven years earlier. Minister Anson Hoover (1920-2008) became voller Diener (unordained bishop) and promptly ordained Tilman Hoover as deacon and Amos Sherk as minister. Several divergent currents quickly became apparent, however, within the membership, and by 1976, Anson Hoover and Amos Sherk, with a small number of families, held meetings independently. The rest of the group—those least inclined toward Pure Church radicalism—went their own way under the leadership of deacon Tilman Hoover.
When it became apparent that Anson Hoover had no desire to establish or lead a new congregation, and that he might be willing to reunite with the Orthodox Mennonites, minister Amos Sherk with a few members rejoined the group under Tilman Hoover to become the Amos Sherk Mennonite Church.
After an unsuccessful attempt at reuniting with the Orthodox Mennonites, Anson Hoover followed most of the remaining members of his group into the Conservative Mennonite Church of Ontario, where he continued his ministry in the Hesson, Brookside and Kurtzville congregations. His son David Hoover, also having separated from the Orthodox Mennonites in 1980, established a small communal group near Linwood, Ontario. In 1987 this group rejoined the Orthodox Mennonites and relocated to Huron County, Ontario.
Another son, Peter Hoover, ordained to the ministry in 1984, joined the Schmiedeleut Hutterites, where he was instrumental in bringing about changes that led to the separation of two Minnesota colonies, Elmendorf and Altona, from the Schmiedeleut group under elder Jacob Kleinsasser, in 2004. Some members of these two colonies, including Peter Hoover, moved to Tasmania, Australia and became part of the Rocky Cape Christian Community.
See also Pure Church Movement
Bibliography
Martin, Donald. Old Order Mennonites of Ontario: Gelassenheit, Discipleship, Brotherhood. Kitchener, Ont: Pandora Press, 2003: 183-185.
| Author(s) | Peter Hoover |
|---|---|
| Date Published | July 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hoover, Peter. "Anson Hoover Mennonites (Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Anson_Hoover_Mennonites_(Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=162424.
APA style
Hoover, Peter. (July 2010). Anson Hoover Mennonites (Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Anson_Hoover_Mennonites_(Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=162424.
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