Guelph Mennonite Church

Title: Guelph Mennonite Church fonds

Dates of Creation: 1980-1997

Physical Description: 24 cm of textual records

Administrative History: In 1980, several Mennonite families met with the Mennonite Mission Board of Ontario (Ontario Mennonite Conference) to determine whether to organize as a congregation in Guelph. Fellowship began on a semi-monthly basis on September 14, 1980. In 1981, regular Sunday morning services began, and the congregation called its first pastor, Martha Smith Good. There were 14 charter members. The congregation was affiliated with, and supported by, the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario.

The congregation held monthly business meetings under the direction of a steering committee. Sunday morning services were held at Priory Park Public School, 275 Scottsdale Drive.

Dave Thiessen succeeded Martha Smith Good as pastor in 1987 and served until 1996. In 1995, the last year for which records are available, congregational membership stood at 40. The congregation held its last service on 22 June 1997. Following this, they entered into a partnership with Breslau Mennonite Church and became a regional care group of Breslau.

Custodial History: These records were received by the Mennonite Archives of Ontario in 2009 from Breslau Mennonite Church, except for the marriage register which was received in 2017.

Scope and Content: The fonds consists of formal and informal records of the Guelph Mennonite Church from 1980-1996. It is divided into three series.

Notes: See also: "Small church tries partnership with larger one" / by Ferne Burkhardt. Mennonite Reporter 27(15), 10.

Series 1: Formal Records

1. Constitutions. 1981 (draft), March 1982, May 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991

2. Directories. September 1980, November 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989-1991, 1991 Sharing List

3. Annual Reports. 1982-1995

4. Congregational Meetings and Internal Communications. 1981-September 1997

5. Steering Committee. 1983-May 1996

6. Standing and Ad Hoc Committees. (scattered)

7. Formal Correspondence. 1980-1996

8. Congregational Profile, 1987

9. Facilities.

10. Statistics. 1983-4, 1986-7, 1989

11. Pastoral Records.

12. Marriage register, 1983-1995

Series 2: Informal Records

1. Tenth anniversary. 1991

2. Events.

3. Logos submitted for Guelph Mennonite Church. ca. 1983

4. "Proposed Statement on Capital Punishment." [n.d.]

5. Press clippings.

Series 3: Bulletins

13 September 1981 - 2 June 1996