Welcome Inn Church (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
The Welcome Inn Church in Hamilton, Ontario originated through the outreach of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada and the Hamilton Mennonite Church. The congregation began in 1966 as a inner city mission project and Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) unit, known as Welcome Inn Community Centre. Regular evening worship services held once a month began in 1978, followed by regular Sunday morning worship and Sunday School in 1981. At its height, the church had 70 congregants. The first building was occupied in 1966 with a subsequent building program in 1989/90. Menno and Margarete Ediger are considered the founding leaders of the group.
The demise of the MVS program in 2003 and the departure of several key congregational leaders around the same time eventually led to a reduction of those able to do the work of the church, leaving 25 congregants by 2009. Pastor Marv Friesen resigned at the end of 2009, and the congregation held their final service on 20 December 2009.
In 1995 there were 41 members; in 2000, 58. The congregation had been affiliated with the Conference of Mennonites in Canada / Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada since 1988. The language of worship was English.
The congregation was located at 40 Wood St. East, Hamilton, Ontario, 1.5 km north of downtown.
Bibliography
CMC Nexus (November 1995): 7.
Mennonite Reporter (9 June 1975): 4; (27 June 1977): 9; (30 May 1983): 4; (21 August 1989): 15; (16 April 1990): 16; (28 May 1990): 5.
Neufeld, Tim. "A History of the Welcome Inn Church." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1987, Mennonite Heritage Centre
Rogalsky, Dave. "Welcome Inn Church Stops Worshipping After 30 Years." Canadian Mennonite (8 February 2010): 15.
Welcome Inn Community Centre and Church 1966-1986. 1986, 90 pp.
Willms, Albert, ed. Welcome Inn - VS Inner City Ministry, Hamilton, 1966-1977. Hamilton, ON: Welcome Inn, 1977, 83 pp.
| Author(s) | Marlene Epp |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | April 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Epp, Marlene and Richard D. Thiessen. "Welcome Inn Church (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Welcome_Inn_Church_(Hamilton,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=78724.
APA style
Epp, Marlene and Richard D. Thiessen. (April 2010). Welcome Inn Church (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Welcome_Inn_Church_(Hamilton,_Ontario,_Canada)&oldid=78724.
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