©Mennonite Heritage Centre 2003
Last updated 20 Apr 2014
Retrieval numbers: Volume 4633
Title: Wilmot Mennonite Church fonds
Dates: 1996-1999, 2006-13
Extent: 8 cm of textual records
Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives
The Wilmot Mennonite Church was founded in 1977 near Baden, Ontario in Wilmot Township, Waterloo County. It was the result of a merger between the Geiger Mennonite Church and the Baden Mennonite Church. The Geiger Mennonite Church was in the same location as the Wilmot Mennonite Church. Its origins are in the 1830s. The Geiger congregation built their first meeting house in 1844. A second meeting house was built on the same site in 1876 and was remodeled in 1913. In 1890 the membership was 31. The Geiger congregation began Sunday School in 1901. In 1953 the membership stood at 92. IN 1975 it was 72. Baden was a mission station begun in the village about 1913. It was organized into an independent congregation in 1945. The membership was 41 in 1950. In 1975 the membership stood at 67. During the 1960s it began joint activities with the Geiger congregation. One pastor began serving both congregations in 1967. It formally merged with the other congregation in 1976 and a year later was named the Wilmot Mennonite Church. In 1976 the merged congregation's membership was 135. In 1985 the membership was 115. In 2000 it was 125. The leaders of the Geiger congregation were: Benjamin Eby (1831-1853), Ulrich Geiger (1838-1864), Abraham Honsberger (1831-1838), Amos Cressman (1867-1909), Osiah Cressman (1903-1933), Eli Good (1922-1934), Abraham Good (1934-1960), Moses Roth (1937-1959), Robert Mast (1961), Glen Horst (1962-1963), Lester Bauman (1964-1971 [for both Geiger and Baden 1967-1971]), Stanley Shantz (1972-1979 for both Geiger and Baden, then Geiger-Baden, then Wilmot). The leaders of the Baden congregation were: James Martin (1945-1960), Urie Bender (1951-1955), Elmer Grove (1956-1959), David Groh (1962-1966). The leaders of the Wilmot congregation were: Will Stoltz (1980-1985), Ross Shantz (1986), Jean-Jacques Goulet (1987-1991), Glyn Jones (1993- ).
This fonds contains bulletins (1996-1999) and newsletters (1996-1999). The records pertain to the development of the Mennonite congregation in Baden, Ontario from 1996-1999.
Wilmot Mennonite Church
Wilmot Mennonite Church
Inventory file list available.
No restrictions on access.
Textual records have been deposited by the congregation at the Mennonite Heritage Centre. Described by Bert Friesen 12 September 2002.