Cedarview Old Order Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)
The Mount Forest area was first settled by Old Order Mennonites from Waterloo County, Ontario, in 1967, several years after the first farms were purchased in 1964. This movement to the Mount Forest area resulted from the expansion of urban areas of Waterloo County into the Old Order community, and the rising cost of agricultural land in Waterloo County.
The first meetinghouse (Spring Creek) in the Mount Forest area was built in 1972 on Concession 6 of what was then Arthur Township. At that time 19 families lived in the surrounding community. The Old Order settlement in the area grew and the Farewell meetinghouse was built in 1979. Two years later, in 1981, the Cedarview meetinghouse was erected, making it the third Old Order Mennonite meetinghouse in the area.
Melvin Bearinger, who had been ordained as a minister for the Spring Creek congregation on 2 November 1976, transferred to the Cedarview congregation as its first minister. Levi B. Frey, deacon for Spring Creek, served as deacon for Cedarview until Wayne R. Martin was ordained at Cedarview on 24 May 1988. As is the practice in Old Order churches, he was ordained by lot from within the congregation. Ordained persons are not paid for their church service.
The Old Order Mennonite population in the Mount Forest area has continued to grow. In 2003, the Riverdale meetinghouse was erected to address this growth, and eight families from Cedarview "transferred" to Riverdale because it was closer to their homes. No official transfer of membership actually takes place within Old Order Mennonite congregations; people automatically "belong" to the congregation whose meetinghouse is closest to their home.
In 2004, the Cedarview congregation was split into East and West districts to form eight church districts in the Mount Forest area, with three open each Sunday. At that time, the number of families in the Cedarview district was around 39. An accurate count of "members" for a congregation is not always available because Old Order Mennonites think of themselves as members of the church at large and not just the immediate congregation.
Bibliography
Information from the church.
Additional Information
Address:103713 Southgate Road 10, Mount Forest, Ontario
Denominational Affiliation: Old Order Mennonite Church
Cedarview Mennonite Meetinghouse Membership
| Year | Membership (in families) |
| 1981 | 20 |
| 1989 | 29 |
| 1994 | 32 |
| 1999 | 38 |
| 2004 | 39 |
| Author(s) | Anita Streicher |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 2005 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Streicher, Anita. "Cedarview Old Order Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 2005. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedarview_Old_Order_Mennonite_Meetinghouse_(Mount_Forest,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=91365.
APA style
Streicher, Anita. (2005). Cedarview Old Order Mennonite Meetinghouse (Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cedarview_Old_Order_Mennonite_Meetinghouse_(Mount_Forest,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=91365.
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