Title: Elmira Mennonite Church fonds
Dates of creation: 1919-2020
Note: Further accruals are expected.
Physical description: 1.9 m of textual records
Administrative history: Elmira Mennonite Church was planted by Floradale Mennonite Church. The lot was purchased in 1919 and the present brick building was erected in 1924. In 1976 the building was renovated and an extension was added. For further reference see Ken Bechtel, Three Score Years (Elmira: Elmira Mennonite Church, 1984).
Scope and content: Formal and informal records of the congregation and its activities
Custodial history: The congregation has made periodic donations to the archives
Notes: For photographs related to this congregation see the Mennonite Archival Image Database.
Audiovisual recordings related to this congregation are located in Video recordings.
Sound recordings are located in Worship services recordings.
Further information on this congregation can be found by searching the Archives.
Original description created February 2002 by Sam Steiner
Series 1: Formal records
Vol.1: Membership and committees
- Membership
List of founding members, 1955
Membership Book, 1924-1964
- Marriage registers, 1947-1986, 1986-2009
- Sunday school re-organization book, 1948-1966/67
- Annual meetings
Minute books, 1919-1991
Annual reports and minutes, 1968-1982, 1987, 1991-2008, 2010 (minutes only), 2011-2022
- Constitutions and By-Law, 1969, 1974, 1997, 2011, 2013
- Church Council/Executive Team/Team Leaders
Minute books, 1959-1967
Minutes (with some correspondence and ad-hoc committees), 1967-2022
- Pastoral Supervisory Committee, 1980-1982
- Education Commission/Faith Formation Team, 1984-1999, 2008-2011, 2013-2022
Sunday School executive, 1981-1982
- Missions Commission/Community Engagement Team, 1985-1999, 2008-2011, 2013-2022
- Pastoral Care Commission, 1985-1999
- Facilities/Property/Stewardship Committee, 1976 (notes on building project), 1988-1992, 1997, 1999, 2008-2011, 2013-2022
- Worship and music
Worship Commission/Worship Resource Team, 1986-2022
Worship and Music Committee/Music Committee, 1980-1995
Worship Team, 1992-2000
Worship and Fellowship Commission, 1983-1992
Sunday Evening Committee, 1989-1990
- Gift Discernment Commission, 1985-1991, 1997, 2008-2010, 2013-2018
- Vacation Bible School committee, 2009
- Directories, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022-2023
- Green Team minutes, 2011, 2015
- Website Committee, 2015
- Outreach Committee, 2015
- Ad Hoc Safe Church Committee, 2018-2022
- Statistics
Congregational Information Form, 2002
Yearbook reports, 1992-1995, 1997-2000
- Board of Elders, 1969-1976
- Social Committee, 1995-2002
- Mennonite Tour Program, 1985-1986, 1992
Note: This program operated out of Elmira with particiaption from other local Mennonite churches, offering educational tours of the local Mennonite community.
- Living in Faithful Evangelism (LIFE) program, 1992-1993
- Long range planning, 1986-1988
Vol. 2: [rearranged and integrated with Vol. 1 in 2021]
Vol. 3: Women's Organizations
- Elmira Sewing Circle book, 1931-1937
- Elmira Sewing Circle book, 1945-1949
- Elmira Sewing Circle book, 1953-1957
- Elmira Senior Auxiliary, 1957-1968
- Elmira Senior Auxiliary, 1965-1970
- Elmira Senior WMSA, 1966-1974
- Elmira Busy Bees Sewing Circle, 1948-1965
- Food Committee/Social Committee
Kitchen logbook, 1957-1978
Minutes and logs, 1970-1994
- WMSC 1950-1955
- WMSC 1955-1960
- WMSA and Sharon Mission Circle re-organization reports, newsletters, 1960-2007
- Girl's Club, 1985-1991
- Misc. Materials relating to MCC Relief Sale and Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, 1970s
- Sharon Mission Circle Records, 1954-1968, 1981-1988
Vol. 4: Financial records
- Church Treasurer's book, 1925-1948, 1919-1955
Note: Includes records of the church building project
- Mission offering records, 1925-1957
- General ledger, 1968-1972
- Financial reports, 1952-1956, 1961; includes several annual meeting minutes
Vol. 5: Youth records
- Junior Mennonite Youth Fellowship record book 1962-1967
- Sunday school, Bible conference and Evangelistic service records, including "Eighth Annual Ontario Mennonite Sunday School Conference and Dedication Service held in the new Mennonite Church, Elmira, Ont. Aug. 31st& Sept. 1st, 1924", 1924-1935
- Mennonite Youth Fellowship
Minutes and correspondence, 1949-1969, 1982-2003
Constitution, 1958
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Series 2: Informal Records
Vol. 1
- Misc. news clippings
- Special dedication and anniversary programs, 1924, 1959, 1974, 1976
- Anniversary photographs, 1974
- Glenn Brubacher, "The frema Geisht: a study of the 1939 schism in the Woolwich Conference that ended in a merger with the Ontario Mennonite Conference," n.d.
- Willard Martin, "A history of the Elmira Mennonite congregation," 1959
- Jim Brubacher, "An examination of a recent schism in the Elmira Mennonite congregation (OMC)," 197?
- Norman Snider, "Historical sketches," n.d.
- Misc. programs and reports, 1928-
- Photo directories, 1974, [1984?], 2013
- Orvie & Adeline Horst, "Celebrating 75 years of worshipping God at Elmira Mennonite Church," November, 1999; Orvie Horst, "A kaleidoscopic view of the Mennonite Church in upper Woolwich Township," April 2000
Note: includes list of bishops, pastors and deacons at Elmira
- Special bulletins and publications for 75th anniversary, 1999
- "Celebrating Seniors" -- short sketches of older members, ca. 2002
- Oliver D. Snyder ordination document, 1909 & clipping from ordination as Bishop in 1936
- Three Score Years by Ken Bechtel, 1984. (History of the congregation)
Series 3: Church bulletins
1948-2022