Amish Mennonites in Ontario
(Under Construction)
Celebrating their 200th Anniversary in Ontario in 2024, Amish Mennonites are a well established part of provincial history.
First arriving in Wilmot Township (Waterloo County) in 1824, today these Anabaptist Christians are represented in Wellesley Township, Perth East, North Perth, the City of Stratford, Whitechurch, Markstay-Warren, and the Town of Perth in Lanark County.
A diverse history has seen Amish Mennonite divisions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, forming traditional, conservative and progressive branches. Today the Old Order Amish, the Beachy Amish Mennonites, and the Maranatha Amish Mennonites are the three descendant groups of the original settlers, with the most progressive group of Amish Mennonites now a part of Mennonite Church Canada.
History
After divisions between the House Amish and emerging Church Amish in the United States, the same occurred in southwestern Ontario in 1886 in Waterloo and Perth counties.
According to Orland Gingerich, "The different convictions with regard to Sunday worship finally resulted in permanent divisions of most of the congregations before the end of the century and, among the worship issues- church music, Sunday school, evening services and meeting houses- the building itself became the most divisive factor."<ref:The Amish of Canada: Orland Gingerich, Conrad Press, 1972, p. 75>
Amish Mennonite Churches in Ontario in 2024
1) Cedar Grove Amish Mennonite Church (1911); Wellesley Township; Maranatha Amish Mennonites
2) Whitechurch Amish Mennonite Church (1999); Whitechurch; Maranatha Amish Mennonites
3) Fairhaven Amish Mennonite Church (1974); Township of Perth East (Perth County); Beachy Amish Mennonites
4) Pine Haven Amish Mennonite Church (1989); Markstay-Warren; Beachy Amish Mennonites
5) Fellowship Haven Amish Mennonite Church (1991); North Perth (Perth County); Unaffiliated Amish Mennonite
6) River of Life Amish Mennonite Church (2021); Town of Perth (Lanark County); Unaffiliated Amish Mennonite
7) Anchor of Hope Anabaptist Fellowship (2017); Stratford; Unaffiliated Anabaptist
