Berea Mennonite Church (Alma, ON)

Title: Berea Mennonite Church fonds

Dates of creation: 1941-1988

Physical description:  47 cm of textual material

Administrative history: Located seven miles west of Alma on the Elora Rd. The congregation began services in 1941, and formally organized on Dec. 13, 1946 at the home of John F. Garber. The first building was occupied in 1952. Gordon Schrag is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated as a Sunday school mission known as the Parker Mission. There were 38 charter members.

Pastors have included Gordon Schrag, John F. Garber, Gordon Bauman, Elvon Burkholder, Alfred Polzin, J.B. Martin, Menno Zehr, Curtis Bender and Dale Bauman. In 1965 there were 59 members; in 1975 53; in 1985 56. The congregation dissolved in 1989. It had been affiliated with the Mennonite Conference of Ontario (1947-1988), Mennonite Church (1947-1989), and Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada (1988-1989).

The congregation merged with Moorefield Mennonite Church and became called Community Mennonite Church (located in Drayton). The Berea building was sold to Old Colony Mennonites as a meetinghouse in 1991.

For more information see the Mennonite Encyclopedia, "Berea"; Gospel Herald (7 Jan. 1947), p. 880, (3 Jan. 1950), p. 19, (27 Sept. 1955), p. 921; Mennonite Reporter (19 Mar. 1990), p. 17, (9 Dec. 1991), p. 15; Mrs. Mervin Shantz, "Congregational history of Berea Mennonite Church," 1955, MAO; Linda Weber, "A brief history of Bethel, Berea, Moorefield, Glen Allen and Listowel," 1971, 37 pp.; Unpublished congregational history of Berea Mennonite, 1982, 3 pp.;

Custodial history: Accessions from the Berea congregation have been received at various undocumented times. See also the Moorefield congregation's collection (III-17) for information during the years a joint church bulletin was published.

Note: Created by Sam Steiner, Jan. 1998

Series 1: Formal records

1. Sunday school offering and attendance records (Parker Mission), 1941-1946, 1983, 1985
2. Summer Bible school records, 1956-1962
3. Directories, 1984-1987, 1989
   Note: Includes baptismal list, 1982-1989
4. Annual meetings and reports
   Note: Includes charter member list
5. Church council correspondence and minutes, 1955-1989
6. Women's Missionary and Service Association (WMSA), 1966-1989
7. Berea Mennonite Church cemetery rules and regulations re burial contract, 1955

Series 2: Informal records

1. Mrs. Mervin Shantz, "From Parker Mission to Berea congregation," Gospel Herald, 1955
2. "Berea Mennonite Church," 1982
3. Misc. programs, 1952-1963
4. "Worker's Report" / Gordon Bauman, 1964
5. "An installation prayer" for Dale Bauman, 21 Jun 1981

Series 3: Bulletins

1. Bulletins, 1953-1979, 1986-1988 (intervening years can be seen in Moorefield collection)

Series 4: Realia

1. Copper printing plate for Berea Mennonite Church bulletin

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