Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

The Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada was the result of an integration of three Ontario Mennonite groups: the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec (5,110 members, 1987), the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference (3,195 members, 1987), and the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario (5,192 members, 1987). The first two groups were conferences of the Mennonite Church (MC). The last was a provincial conference related to the Conference of Mennonites in Canada, which was one of the districts of the General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM).

The Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada was rooted in a long history of cooperation including the formation of the Nonresistant Relief Organization (1917), Conference of Historic Peace Churches (1940s), a joint Mennonite Mission and Service Board (1950s), and Conrad Grebel College (1960s). In 1973 the three conferences formed an Inter-Mennonite Conference (Ontario) to direct the growing cooperative work in mission, education, and congregational resources. The separate conference structures remained intact, and they reserved the right to make final decisions on policy and budgets.

A 1979 proposal to amalgamate all three groups was defeated. In 1986, however, the conferences decided to "integrate" (this term, it was felt, implied less of a melting pot than "merger" or "amalgamation") by 1988.

In March 1987 delegates from the three conferences approved a structural model for the proposed integration. They also decided to become associate members of each other's North American general conferences for a six-year get-acquainted period rather than leave wider affiliations up to each individual congregation. The Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada was officially inaugurated on 1 March 1988. In 1997 the conference numbered 97 congregations with 13,630 members; all but one congregation hold dual conference affiliation (MC and GCM).

In October 2001 the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada changed its name to Mennonite Church Eastern Canada in recognition of the transformation of the Mennonite Church and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada (formerly Conference of Mennonites in Canada). Instead of relating to separate binational and national denominational structures, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada now was affiliated only with a national body. In 2001 the conference included 95 congregations with a total membership of 14,075.

In 2010 the following 99 congregations were members of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada:

Congregation	Location
Agape Fellowship House Church	London, ON
Avon Mennonite Church	Stratford, ON
Bethany Mennonite Church	Virgil, ON
Bethel Mennonite Church	Elora, ON
Blenheim Ecumenical House Church	Kitchener, ON
Bloomingdale Mennonite Church	Bloomingdale, ON
Breslau Mennonite Church	Breslau, ON
Brussels Mennonite Fellowship	Brussels, ON
Calvary Church Ayr (Mennonite)	Ayr, ON
Calvary Mennonite Church	Monetville, ON
Cassel Mennonite Church	Tavistock, ON
Chin Christian Church	Kitchener, ON
Community Mennonite Church of Stouffville	Stouffville, ON
Community Mennonite Fellowship	Drayton, ON
Crosshill Mennonite Church	Millbank, ON
Danforth Mennonite Church	Toronto, ON
East Zorra Mennonite Church	Tavistock, ON
Église évangélique Mennonite de Joliette	Joliette, QC
Église évangélique Mennonite de Rawdon	Rawdon, QC
Elmira Mennonite Church	Elmira, ON
Erb Street Mennonite Church	Waterloo, ON
Erie View United Mennonite Church	Port Rowan, ON
Faith Mennonite Church	Leamington, ON
First Hmong Mennonite Church	Kitchener, ON
First Mennonite Church	Kitchener, ON
First Mennonite Church	Vineland, ON
Floradale Mennonite Church	Floradale, ON
Grace Lao Mennonite Church	Kitchener, ON
Grace Mennonite Church	St. Catharines, ON
Hagerman Mennonite Church	Markham, ON
Hamilton Mennonite Church	Hamilton, ON
Hanover Mennonite Church	Hanover, ON
Harrow Mennonite Church	Harrow, ON
Hawkesville Mennonite Church	Hawkesville, ON
Hillcrest Mennonite Church	New Hamburg, ON
Hunta Mennonite Church	Hunta, ON
Iglesia Menonita Refugio de Paz	Sherbrooke, QC
Jane Finch Faith Community	Downsview, ON
Kingsfield-Clinton	Clinton, ON
Kitchener-Waterloo House Church	Waterloo, ON
Lao Canadian Evangelical Mennonite Church	Toronto, ON
Lao Christian Fellowship	St. Catharines, ON
Leamington United Mennonite Church	Leamington, ON
Listowel Mennonite Church	Listowel, ON
Living Water Community Christian Fellowship	New Hamburg, ON
Mannheim Mennonite Church	Petersburg, ON
Maple View Mennonite Church	Wellesley, ON
Markham Chinese Mennonite Church	Markham, ON
Markham Christian Worship Centre	Markham, ON
McArthur's Mills Christian Fellowship	Bancroft, ON
Mennonite Fellowship of Montreal	Montreal, QC
Milverton Mennonite Fellowship	Milverton, ON
Mississauga Mennonite Fellowship	Mississauga, ON
Nairn Mennonite Church	Ailsa Craig, ON
Niagara United Mennonite Church	Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Nith Valley Mennonite Church	New Hamburg, ON
North Leamington United Mennonite Church	Leamington, ON
Ottawa Mennonite Church	Ottawa, ON
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church	Petitcodiac, NB
Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship	Kitchener, ON
Poole Mennonite Church	Milverton, ON
Preston Mennonite Church	Cambridge, ON
Quest Christian Community	St. Catharines, ON
Rainham Mennonite Church	Selkirk, ON
Rehoboth Evangelical Church	Toronto, ON
River of Life Fellowship	Kitchener, ON
Riverdale Mennonite Church	Millbank, ON
Rockway Mennonite Church	Kitchener, ON
Rouge Valley Mennonite Church	Markham, ON
Shantz Mennonite Church	Baden, ON
soulspace	Stratford, ON
St. Agatha Mennonite Church	Baden, ON
St. Catharines United Mennonite Church	St. Catharines, ON
St. Jacobs Mennonite Church	St. Jacobs, ON
Steinmann Mennonite Church	Baden, ON
Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church	Kitchener, ON
Tavistock Mennonite Church	Tavistock, ON
The Church of the Living Word in Ottawa	Ottawa, ON
The Gathering Church	Kitchener, ON
Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church	Toronto, ON
Toronto Mennonite New Life Church	Toronto, ON
Toronto United Lao Mennonite Church	Toronto, ON
Toronto United Mennonite Church	Toronto, ON
Tree of Life/Arbre de Vie	Monetville, ON
Valleyview Mennonite Church	London, ON
Village International Mennonite Church	Ottawa, ON
Vineland United Mennonite Church	Vineland, ON
Vision Mennonite Church	London, ON
Wanner Mennonite Church	Cambridge, ON
Waterloo North Mennonite Church	Waterloo, ON
Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church	Waterloo, ON
Waters Mennonite Church	Lively, ON
Wellesley Mennonite Church	Wellesley, ON
West Hills Mennonite Fellowship	New Hamburg, ON
Wideman Mennonite Fellowship	Markham, ON
Wilmot Mennonite Church	New Hamburg, ON
Windsor Mennonite Fellowship	Windsor, ON
Zion Mennonite Fellowship	Elmira, ON
Zurich Mennonite Church	Zurich, ON

Bibliography

Mennonite Reporter (9 November 1987): 5.

Mennonite Yearbook & Directory, 1988-89, ed. James E. Horsch. Scottdale, Pa.: Mennonite Publishing House, 1989: 52-54.

Mennonite Yearbook & Directory, 1997, ed. James E. Horsch. Scottdale, Pa.: Mennonite Publishing House, 1997: 43.

Additional Information

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada website

Author(s)	Ron Rempel
	Sam Steiner
Date Published	July 2010

Cite This Article

MLA style

Rempel, Ron and Sam Steiner. "Mennonite Church Eastern Canada." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Church_Eastern_Canada&oldid=92738.

APA style

Rempel, Ron and Sam Steiner. (July 2010). Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Church_Eastern_Canada&oldid=92738.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, pp. 569-570. All rights reserved.

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