Waterloo North Mennonite Church

Dates of creation: 1986-2015

Physical description: 1.15 m of textual records

Administrative history: The congregation is located at 100 Benjamin Rd., Waterloo ON N2J 3Z4 (519) 888-6113.

Waterloo North Mennonite Church began services in 1986, and formally organized in 1987. For the first years the congregation met in the chapel, then gymnasium, of Lutherwood, a residential facilitity for teenagers on the northern edge of the City of Waterloo.

In 1994 completed its building. The first building was occupied in 1994. The congregation originated through outreach by the Erb Street Mennonite Church, St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec.

In the first years there was not paid pastoral leadership of the congregation. Dan Nighswander became a part time paid member of the Ministry leadership team by 1988 and continued in a leadership role until 1997. Mary Mae Schwartzentruber and the Ministry Team provided leadership in 1997/98. Sue C. Steiner became lead minister in May 1998 and served through 2004; Lynn Bergsma Friesen served as part time Youth-Young Adult Minister in 1999. Chip Bender served as associate minister 2000-2010. Renee Sauder was interim minister in 2005-2006. Ardithd Frey was minister from 2006-2013, Rudy Baergen was interim minister 2013-2014. Gord Allaby became lead minister in 2014. Others on staff were Lisa Carr-Pries (2008- ) and Ben Cassels (2011-2016). 

The congregation became part of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec in 1987 and became part of the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada when the merger of three conferences in Eastern Canada occurred in 1988. The congregation is part of the Mennonite Church, and in 1995 joined the Conference of Mennonites in Canada.

Scope and content: Formal and informal records of Waterloo North Mennonite Church

Custodial history: The initial donations to the Mennonite Archives of Ontario were made by Sam Steiner in 1998-1999; a major donation came from the church via Ron Flaming in 2016.

Notes: Created by Sam Steiner, November 1999; modified by Sam Steiner September 2016
For further information, search the Archives.
Photographs related to this congregation are described in the Mennonite Archival Information Database.

File list:

Series 1: Formal records

1. Annual reports, 1991, 1997-2003, Oct 2004-Jun 2011, Jul 2012-Jun 2015
2. Church directory, October 1999, February 2004, 2004 (photo directory), Nov 2010
3. Leadership and organizational structures, 1986-2001
4. Steering Committee meetings, 1984-1986 (planning for the church plant)
5. Membership guidelines
   "Statement of Understanding," 1987
   "Congregational covenant," 1987
   "What membership means at Waterloo North Mennonite Church," 1997
6. Policies, etc.
   "Congregational decision-making," 1991
   "How we work together," 2014
   Various policies, 2014
7. Growth Task Force, 1998-2000
8. Congregational profile
   1990
9. Congregational meetings, 1988-1996, 2002-2015
   See also "Annual reports" file for annual meetings
10. Administrative Council/Church Ministries Council, 1987-1996, 2002-2015
    Note: Includes Ministry Team minutes
11. Worship Committee, 2013-2015
12. Mission and Service Committee, 2014-2015
13. Stewardship and Finance Committee, 2014-2015
14. By-Law, 2004
15. Homosexuality and church membership discussion, 1989-1993
16. Welcome Committee, 2014
17. Adult Sunday School
     

Series 2: Informal records

1. Special services and events programs
2. Anniversaries
   1st anniversary, 1987
   25th anniversary, 2010-2011
3. Building project brochure, 1990
4. Association des Theologiennes Mennonites au Congo
   Note: Waterloo North provided assistance to this group to conduct a seminar on violence against women and girls in Kinshasa. An audiovisual recording of the seminar can be found in Hist.Mss.26.6/24.
5. Clippings
6. Publicity brochures
   Note: Includes Logos program invitations, 2006
7. Correspondence
   To Brian Mulroney re: disarmament, 1991
   To MCEC Conference minister re: statement on homosexuality, 1993
8. Faith stories of new members, 2014-2015
9. Memorial services, 2014-2015

Series 3: Info Sheets

November 1986-April 1987
October 1995-2015

Series 4: Regular Worship Bulletins

October 1995-2015

Series 5: Matins Worship Bulletins

May 2006-2015

Series 6: Waterloo North Reflections

Vol. 1, no. 1 (Fall, 1998)-v. 5, no. 1 (Winter, 2003)
Spring, 2006-Spring 2013