©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 19 Feb 2019
Retrieval numbers: Volume 4610, 2758, 5858
Title: Floradale Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1997-2018
Extent: 18 cm of textual records
Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
This congregation began services in 1857, and formally organized in 1889. The congregation first purchased a building from the Evangelical Church in 1867. After the Old Order division a new building was constructed north of Floradale in 1896; in 1936 a new church was built at the present location. Abraham Dettwiler and William Hembling are considered founding leaders of the group. The congregation originated through division from North Woolwich Old Order Mennonite after a division in 1889. Initially (1856-1867) the church met every eight weeks in the home of Deacon William Hembling.
The 1889 division of the North Woolwich Old Order from the Mennonite Conference of Ontario caused a split in the congregation, after which the church was officially organized as Floradale Mennonite. The Old Order retained use of the building and the conference group was without a church building until 1896.
The congregation affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario from 1889-1988, the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada since 1988 and the Conference of Mennonites in Canada since 1995. The language of worship is English; language transition from German occurred in 1920s.
Pastoral leaders since 1896 have included Abram B. Gingrich (1896-1936), Oliver D. Snider (1909-1934), Reuben Dettwiler (1934-1951), Rufus Jutzi (1951-1964), Weyburn Groff (1964-1965), Gerald Good (1965-1976), Lester Kehl (1976-1989), Stanley D. Shantz (1989-1990), Richard Yordy (1990-1991), Fred Redekop (1991-
This fonds contains bulletins (1997-2018),a student directory (1997), and church council minutes (2017) which documents the activities of the congregation and its participants.
Floradale Mennonite Church
Floradale Mennonite Church
Inventory file list available.
Floradale Mennonite Church fonds material is also available at the Mennonite Archives of Ontario, Conrad Grebel University College (http://grebel.uwaterloo.ca/mao/Archives%20Fonds/III-13.htm).
No restrictions on access.
Textual records have been deposited by the congregation at the Mennonite Heritage Centre since 1997 on a regular basis. Described by Bert Friesen 17 May 2002; edited by Selenna Wolfe 19 Feb 2019.