History of Crosshill Mennonite Church
In Deut 8:1-10, Moses exhorted the Israelites to remember – remember their history, and to remember the way God had led them for forty years. Along with recalling the facts of history, Moses gives some interpretive meaning.
Walter Brueggemann in a book on evangelism makes a strong case for remembering our history. He refers to this text from Deuteronomy and other Hebrew scriptures to show that “amnesia causes the church to lack in any serious missional energy. It is only this odd memory operative at pre rational places in our life that gives energy for social action, generosity in stewardship, freedom for worship, courage in care for outsiders, and passion for God’s promises.” (Brueggemann 90)
When we talk about history from a faith perspective it is God’s story of which we speak, – and we are privileged to have a small part in God’s big story.
For the past 50 some years we have been claiming our identity as Mennonites who have been called to be part of God’s story at Crosshill Mennonite Church.
Of course God’s story didn’t just begin with us who claim Mennonite identity in Crosshill, so we begin telling our story from the year 1842. That’s when Wellesley Township was surveyed, and the earliest settlers began to clear the land. A notice (September 7, 1855) in the Stratford Beacon Herald announced that Crosshill was open for business by advertising “80 lots for sale at Crosshill owned by Hugh Hutchison. Mechanics and capitalists ought not miss this opportunity of profitable investment. The village has a township hall, a store, a tailor, a shoemaker and a foundry is being built.”
The ad does not tell us that Crosshill also had an army outpost where the volunteer company of the 29th battalion trained. Some stories indicate the volunteer soldiers organized quite a good soccer team. Local boys and farm hands, some of them Mennonite, often had opportunity to play soccer with the army reserves. It seems like a good peace witness.
Now amidst the mechanics and capitalists who came, God was evidently at work, because three churches were established in the village. In 1864 an Anglican church was built, a Methodist church was built just down the road in Hastings field, and in 1888 the Presbyterian congregation built a church, which later became home to Crosshill Mennonite Church. Rev. James Boyd was the first pastor here and his story is very much a mission story.
Influenced by the missionary movement in England and Scotland at the time, James Boyd studied medicine and theology with the hope of being called as a missionary to the South Seas. Health concerns however, delayed his departure to tropical climates, but some years later, he was called by the church of Scotland to come to Canada. One can imagine some very mixed feelings – tropical South Sea Island on one hand – or Crosshill – especially on a snowy, stormy day. It is interesting to note that James Boyd’s classmate was David Livingstone who went to Africa as a missionary.
It was in 1859 when Rev Boyd arrived in the Crosshill area. Since there was not yet a church building here, the congregation met in the township hall for worship. Unfortuately Rev Boyd died in 1888, just before the church building at 2640 Hutchison Rd. was complete. Though he was not able to lead worship here, his mission work has laid the foundation for future generations to worship at Crosshill.
In 1925 Boyd’s church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada, but by 1947 changing demographics had reduced the congregation and the church was closed. The property was purchased by the Township of Wellesley, and plans were made to convert Boyd’s Church to a repair garage for road maintenance equipment.
In the midst of these plans however, the mission of the church was kept alive. A former member of the Boyd Church, Millie Rennie, and a school teacher, Ethel Ward began a Sunday School for community children. Enrolment climbed to 24 students.
In 1949 Mapleview Mennonite Church purchased the Boyd church property with a dream of continuing the Sunday School, and establishing a new congregation. Crosshill Mennonite Church had it’s beginning. The first Sunday School records of the new Mennonite Church were dated, October 2, 1949. By 1950 the mission expanded. A rededication service was held and members from Mapleview Mennonite Church, who lived near Crosshill, along with some community neighbours, began to worship at Crosshill.
Pastoral leadership and membership in the new Crosshill Mennonite Church were combined with Mapleview until 1970. Growth of the church, leadership changes, and social change in the late 1960’s prepared the way for Crosshill Mennonite church to establish its own identity as a congregation.
The late Orland Gingerich, in his book, The Amish of Canada, suggested that “a more conservative stance by Mapleview bishops” also gave initiative to establish Crosshill’s identity as a separate congregation. The more conservative stance restricted women with cut hair in worship, and insisted upon a literal interpretation of a woman’s head covering. Establishing a congregation with its own identity was one way God worked to give women more freedom in worship.
In 1966 Steve Gerber was ordained to be a minister at Crosshill and in 1967 Ervin Erb was ordained to leadership as a deacon. The needs of a growing congregation required more Sunday School space and a larger sanctuary. In 1972 an addition to the 1888 building was completed and dedicated.
The decades that followed brought leadership changes, introduced the role of elders, found a place for musical instruments in worship, and brought new openness to the role of women in the church.
With the retirement of Ervin Erb in 1984, elders began to help the minister with pastoral care and church leadership. Following Steve Gerber’s retirement in 1985, Ray Erb was called to serve as minister. The following years again brought change. Perhaps the most visible was the use of musical instruments to aid in worship. Ray Erb served until 1994. At that time Jim Reusser was called to interim leadership and brought new openness to the role of women in the church’s mission. In 1995 Jamie Gerber was called to serve as pastor.
A visioning process in 1996 helped us to further define our identity and our mission. We agreed that we believe God calls us to be a growing, caring, congregation that is involved in the community. We recognized the ongoing need for personal spiritual growth, centred on Christ’s teaching. And in order to have a place for everyone to celebrate God’s presence in worship, we identified the need for an updated, inviting facility.
Following a needs analysis, and considerable planning, a decision was made to build a new facility rather than renovate the existing building. A parcel of land was purchased at 2357 Hutchison Road, a property owned at one time by the Rev. James Boyd. In the spring of 2005, a ground breaking ceremony on this property was followed by a construction project that reached completion in June of 2006. We have been worshipping at the new site since June 18th, 2006.
Jamie Gerber resigned from the pastor role in June of 2012. Previous to Jamie’s resignation, a search process had been initiated for an Associate Pastor. As a result of this search, Max Kennel was called to serve as Associate Pastor with responsibility for Youth. Doug Amstutz was called to the position of Lead Pastor for a one year interim period after Jamie’s resignation. At the time of printing, the congregation is looking forward to welcoming Julie Ellison White as Lead Pastor starting in September of 2013 at the end of Doug’s term.
Remembering our story as part of God’s story reminds us that we are not self-generated people but we are God’s people. We are an Easter people who have a dynamic never ending story, which only begins when we, like Mary in the Gospel of John, have seen the Risen Lord and obey his command to go and “tell the others”.
Submitted by the 2013 Crosshill Mennonite Church historical committee.
