Anchor of Hope Anabaptist Fellowship
Anchor of Hope Anabaptist Fellowship in the city of Stratford, Ontario began in 2017 as an outreach of Fairhaven Amish Mennonite Church in nearby Poole (Perth County). Originally conceived as a children's outreach in the city in 2003, the ministry grew until it was decided to purchase an existing building on Erie Street. The children's ministry, today known as the Stratford Bible Club, has grown to regular Thursday evening meetings of about 60 children from the surrounding community. Anchor of Hope's membership presently (2023) consists of about 15 households. It is an unaffiliated church in the Amish Mennonite tradition. Children of the congregation attend the Christian school at the Fairhaven church.
Former ministers of the congregation were Melvin Roes (Acting Bishop), Joseph Kuepfer, James Schmidt, and Deacon Richard Ropp. On July 7, 2023 James Schmidt and Richard Ropp were nominated to enter the lot for the office of Bishop. At an ordination service on July 9, 2023 the lot fell upon Richard Ropp. James Schmidt and Joseph Kuepfer remain as congregational ministers.
History
The roots of the Anchor of Hope Anabaptist Fellowship extend almost 200 years into Canada's history.
In 1824 Alsatian Amish Mennonites immigrated to the British province of Upper Canada (Ontario), settling in Wilmot Township. By 1859, families had moved into nearby Wellesley Township, and by 1874 the Amish Mennonites expanded into Mornington Township (now Perth East). They built a church building in 1886, which created a division among the traditional "House" Amish and the more progressive "Church" Amish Mennonites. The House Amish became the genesis of today's Old Order Amish, centered in the Milverton area. The Church Amish erected the Mornington Amish Mennonite Church in Poole.
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