TY - JOUR KW - Churches Mennonite KW - Religion KW - Anniversaries AU - Joanna Reesor-McDowell AB -

Wideman Mennonite Church is one of the oldest Mennonite congregations in Canada. The group began meeting in homes soon after Henry Wideman, its first minister, arrived in York County in 1803 as part of a migration from Pennsylvania to Ontario early in the 19th century. Sadly, he died in 1810 from a falling tree while clearing land. The congregation decided to build a log church in 1816, the first of several buildings and subsequent additions that have served the community over the next two centuries. Sunday school and English as the language for worship were established by the 1890s, making Wideman more accessible to the community. J.S. Coffman preached at the first evangelistic meeting in 1892, and 22 converts were received from outside the congregation. Through the years, members of Wideman Mennonite were supportive of sister congregations that formed in the area: Cedar Grove, Danforth and Hagerman Mennonite churches.

BT - Canadian Mennonite (Waterloo) DP - ocul-wtl.primo.exlibrisgroup.com IS - 16 LA - eng PY - 2016 SE - 16 SN - 1480-042X T1 - Wideman Mennonite celebrates 200th anniversary T2 - Canadian Mennonite (Waterloo) VL - 20 ER -