Maple View Mennonite Church (Wellesley, Ontario, Canada)
R.R. 2, Wellesley, ON, N0B 2T0. (519) 656-2946. Located 2 km northwest of Wellesley on 3rd Line of Wellesley Township. Pastor Bruce Sawatsky served in 2000 as a congregational leader. In 1900 there were 230 members; in 1925, 350; in 1950, 485; in 1965, 527; in 1975, 343; in 1985, 347; in 1995, 292; in 2000, 320. The congregation has been affiliated with the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference (1923-1988), Mennonite Church (1898-1999), Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (1988-) and Mennonite Church Canada (1995-). The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1930s.
The congregation began services and formally organized in 1859. The first building was occupied in 1886, with a subsequent building program in 1928. John Jantzi (1806-1881) is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through division from Wilmot Amish Mennonite congregation (Steinmann) due to travel distance and increasing size of the congregation.
Maple View was first known as the Wellesley Amish Mennonite (AM) congregation. Worship services were first held in homes until a meetinghouse was erected which was to be used only as a funeral chapel. When the house began to be used for regular worship services in 1886, a group opposed to the move withdrew to continue as Old Order Amish. They were joined by a group that withdrew the same year and for the same reason from the Poole Mennonite Church.
In 1912 another conservative group withdrew from the Wellesley AM group to organize a congregation called the Lichti Amish Mennonites, after their leader, Bishop Jacob Lichti. This group built a meetinghouse a half mile east of the parent church. It became known as the Cedar Grove Amish Mennonite Church.
The Poole Mennonite Church was a daughter congregation of Wellesley AM. It was formally organized in 1874.
Bishops who served the congregation prior to the use of meetinghouses included John Jantzi, Christian Gascho, Christian Wagler and Christian B. Zehr.
Bibliography
Mennonite Reporter (18 January 1988): 4.
Maple View Mennonite Church 1859-1984. Wellesley, ON: The Church, 1984.
| Author(s) | Joseph C. Fretz |
|---|---|
| Marlene Epp | |
| Date Published | April 1986 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. "Maple View Mennonite Church (Wellesley, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 1986. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Maple_View_Mennonite_Church_(Wellesley,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=102339.
APA style
Fretz, Joseph C. and Marlene Epp. (April 1986). Maple View Mennonite Church (Wellesley, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Maple_View_Mennonite_Church_(Wellesley,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=102339.
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