Cedar Grove Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)
The Cedar Grove Mennonite Church (MC) in York County, Ontario began in the early 19th century. From about 1824 the grounds were used for burial purposes. In 1861 Samuel Reesor, grandfather of L. J. Burkholder, and owner of the property, built a frame meetinghouse and gave it to the Mennonite Church. Regular services are recorded for this since after 1867. The preaching was in German until 1882. Cedar Grove was neighbor to the Reesor Wisler Mennonite Church and served the members of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario in the southeastern part of Markham Township, York County.
About the year 1864 a Sunday school was opened by neighbors and conducted for several years, and again in 1887 a union Sunday school was organized at this place and carried on until 1895. In 1896 a Mennonite Sunday school was organized which, with a few interruptions between 1905 and 1932 when the Wideman Sunday school served both churches, was regular at Cedar Grove.
Ministers who served here were Samuel Hoover of Ontario County; Samuel R. Hoover of Markham; John G. Hoover; Lewis J. Burkholder, and A. Lorne Burkholder. At this place Oscar Burkholder was ordained to the ministry in 1912. Here Samuel G. Reesor, a deacon, expired in the pulpit while at prayer on 10 August 1913. Other deacons who served at this place were Jacob G. Reesor, Isaiah Hoover, Amos Burkholder. The 1952 membership of this church was 39.
Cedar Grove joined with Steeles Ave. Mennonite in 1986 to form the Rouge Valley Mennonite Church; the new group met on the former Cedar Grove site. The meetinghouse was located on the west side of 10th Line of Markham Township north of Steeles Ave.
Bibliography
Mennonite Reporter (7 January 1985): 12.
Burkholder, L.J. A Brief History of the Mennonites in Ontario. Kitchener, ON: Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935: 107-111.
Congregational Records at Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Additional Information
Cedar Grove Mennonite Church Pastors
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Samuel Hoover | 1870s-1893 |
| Samuel R. Hoover | 1888-? |
| John G. Hoover | 1892-? |
| Lewis J. Burkholder | 1896-1946 |
| A. Lorne Burkholder | 1940-1958 |
| George Elsasser | 1958-1960 |
| Laurence Martin | 1962-1964 |
| Glen Brubacher | 1965-1981 |
| Lawrence Burkholder | 1982-1986 |
Cedar Grove Mennonite Church Members
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1925 | 25 |
| 1950 | 45 |
| 1965 | 35 |
| 1975 | 42 |
| 1985 | 49 |
| Author(s) | Joseph C Fretz |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Fretz, Joseph C and Samuel J. Steiner. "Cedar Grove Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedar_Grove_Mennonite_Church_(Markham,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=165703.
APA style
Fretz, Joseph C and Samuel J. Steiner. (1953). Cedar Grove Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedar_Grove_Mennonite_Church_(Markham,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=165703.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 537. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.