Since the first work in Ontario was at Parkhill and Forest, towns near the southern end of Lake Huron, we shall start there, then continue in the southwestern part of the province, proceed northeastward to Ottawa, then turn west and work our way through the northern reaches of Ontario.
The first brethren preacher who came to Ontario was Joseph M. Scriven, who wrote the much-loved hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” His grave can be seen at Bewdley, a village near Port Hope on Lake Ontario.
When the Dominion of Canada was only four years old, a small groups of believers began meeting to practice the principles taught in the Word of God. When Donald Munro first came to Ontario from Scotland in 1871, he visited his brothers in Parkhill and Forest, towns near the southern end of Lake Huron. A hall was rented in Parkhill and Mr. Munro preached the Gospel with blessing. His brother and sister-in-law were among those saved. From there he preached in Forest before returning to Scotland. When he returned to Canada in 1872 to stay, having learned of believer’s baptism, he taught that and other New Testament truths.
At Parkhill, God worked further in the salvation of souls. A good number of believers gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus at Parkhill that year, 1872. The Parkhill Assembly was the first ‘open brethren’ assembly in Canada.[1] The following year, Gospel meetings were held again at Forest, and the Forest Assembly, ON was formed in that town.
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Through contacts made in Forest, Mr. Munro visited Lake Shore, five miles north of Forest, and preached the Gospel and church truths in the Congregational church. Its minister asked him to leave, so he went across the road to the Hugh Johnson farm and taught there. Mrs. Johnson and her mother-in-law and father-in-law were soon baptized by immersion in a creek, though it was late winter.
Breaking of Bread began in the Johnson home at the corner of 16th Concession and Lake Road that year, 1873. The Lake Shore Gospel Hall was built in about 1887 a mile up the road from the Johnson’s. Fourteen believers from the Ravenwood area, saved under the ministry of the McDonalds, who were barn framers, were added to the 14 already in fellowship at that time.
In 1980 a new hall, still used, was built on the site of the old Congregational church from which Mr. Munro had been asked to leave. Tent meetings for preaching the Gospel have been held in the locality fairly regularly until recently.
Leaders over the years include William Beatty, Henry Hodgson, Herbert Rawlings, Robert Kersey, Kenneth Porter, and Victor Fuller. Lake Shore Gospel Hall has up to 75 in attendance now.
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Grace Bible Chapel in Parkhill started in the mid 1960s when a group of people began a Sunday School program in a Parkhill home. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Fuller and Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Martin were the prime movers in establishing an assembly from this work. In 1968, the Christians purchased land in the area and built their present chapel. Elders have been Carl Turnbull, Bruce Fuller, Phil Bruce, Clarence Martin, and Amos Martin. Several people from Grace Bible Chapel have been commended to the Lord’s work in Canada. About 175 adults and youngsters attend the assembly.
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George Wilson was saved as a young man in the work at Forest. He moved to Sarnia and helped establish the Sarnia Assembly in 1887, which met first in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson at 229 South Vidal Street. Later that same year, joined by John Smith who had recently made his first voyage to Canada, Mr. Munro held meetings at Stratford and Shakespeare amid much persecution, but God saved souls and two more new assemblies were planted.
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The town of Arkona is midway between Sarnia and London. There, the Arkona Bible Chapel started in 1974 and was known initially as Elim Gospel Hall. David Daley was a full-time worker in the assembly from 1975 through 1982. In 1991, some of the Christians at Arkona Bible Chapel formed the Maranatha Bible Fellowship and met in rented space. In late 1996, the leadership of the two assemblies began discussing a merger. After much prayer, this came about in 1997. The combined assembly occupied the former Arkona Bible Chapel, which was renamed Elim Bible Chapel. The new assembly has about 200 adults and children in attendance, with new converts and many baptisms.
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The Windsor Gospel Hall celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1991. One of the brethren who figured prominently in the formation of the assembly was William Lever. Born in Scotland, he moved to Canada in 1911 and came to Windsor in 1912. Knowing of no assembly in Windsor, he fellowshipped at Central Gospel Hall in Detroit. In 1916, he and a small company of Christians, most of whom were connected with that assembly, rented a hall in the Odd Fellow’s Temple on Wyandotte Street East, just off Ouellette Avenue, to begin the work at Windsor Gospel Hall. The Christians at Central Gospel Hall continued their support of the Windsor assembly in the ensuing years.
Leaders from that time include J. Stevens, J.W. Russell, D. Ferguson, R.C.E. Young, Harry Gregg, John Craig, William Hynes, and Sebastian Polido, and more recently Raymond Fairley, Lawrence McLean, David Pratt, and Robert Wylie. The believers built the present Hall in 1927 at 644 Partington Avenue and called it Partington Road Gospel Hall. It continues as a testimony, now called Gospel Hall – 644 Partington Avenue. The assembly has commended a worker to ministry in Upper Michigan.
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In 1913, four young men who attended a Methodist church in Windsor – Bert Hall, Joe Hallett, Herbert Farnal, and Erwin Dresch (who later became a missionary to Mexicans living in Texas) – desired to Remember the Lord in a weekly service. They rented an apartment on Sandwich Street (now Riverside Drive) in Windsor for Bible studies and prayer. Others joined them and many came to new life in Christ. Over the years they met in believers’ homes and a rented store on Wyandotte Street. A commitment to the assembly character of the church precipitated the erection of a building on Pierre Avenue, which became known as Grace & Truth Gospel Hall.
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As the Grace & Truth assembly continued to grow, some of the Christians began a Sunday school work in the new South Walkerville subdivision. In 1926, outreach Gospel meetings and a Sunday school commenced in a little building built for that purpose on the corner of Turner and Lens in Windsor. The work grew, and in 1930 an assembly was formed at Turner Road Gospel Hall, at which 31 brothers and sisters from Grace & Truth Gospel Hall formed the nucleus.
Mr. and Mrs. Foggin left to serve the Lord in China after the first Lord’s Day in Turner Road Gospel Hall. They were the first of many from Turner Road to serve as overseas missionaries, to China, Taiwan, Zaire, Zambia, Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Liberia, and to ministries in Canada and the U.S.
The work prospered and soon larger quarters were needed. Land was purchased at the corner of Turner and Tecumseh Roads, which is still the location of the assembly. The new chapel was occupied in 1951. The assembly took the name Turner Road Gospel Chapel about then, and the Sunday Schools and adult Bible class were moved to Sunday mornings, from their previous Sunday afternoon times. Open-air meetings on Saturday nights and Sunday evenings were common. Boy’s Clubs and Girl’s Clubs were a feature of the assembly. Many of the younger people traveled to Lapeer, Michigan to preach and sing on the radio broadcast that Mr. Lomax had each Friday night. Sunday School outreaches away from the assembly facilities were conducted by Jim Hendry, Ralph Greenhow, and Vic Kendall.
The Gospel Chapel facilities were expanded in 1976, and the name was shortened to Turner Road Chapel. Elders at Turner Road have included Jack Briggs, Ian Cameron, Jan Cizmanski, Dave Hernandez, Ron Hesman, Alex Hill, Milko Lamos, Cyril Lapsley, Don McFarlane, Ken Palmer, Jim Pitman, and Jerry Potma.
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In 1952, opportunity to help in evangelical work in the town of Harrow, south of Windsor, was given to the Turner Road Gospel Hall, and eventually Turner Road was asked to take over and establish the work on New Testament lines. Thus the Harrow Assembly began. Clifford Beggs, on furlough from Angola, helped establish that work. Many Portuguese families who worked on the farms in the Harrow area came to know Christ.
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Turner Road Gospel Chapel grew and many younger families living in the South Windsor area became exercised about planting an assembly there. In October 1964, about 10 families began a Sunday School in Glenwood Public School for 36 children, with 16 in an adult class. By the end of 1966 the group had grown to 62 children and 28 adults. Bible studies and prayer meetings were also being held in various homes. The neighborhood was canvassed in early 1967.
In November 1967 the group commenced Breaking Bread together, and in September 1968 ground was broken one block from the school for a new chapel. The Oakwood Bible Chapel was completed in May 1969 with much of the labor being done by those in fellowship. Henry Petersen of California came for six weeks to help with visitation and to launch the new chapel.
Since then, two additions have been completed. About 200 are in fellowship, with about 125 in a Junior Sunday School and 40 in the Young People’s group.
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Berean Bible Chapel in Windsor began in 1995 in the home of Albert and Shirley Birch, the result of a desire of the Birches, Victor and Marion Salmons, Ray and Connie Vrskovy, Floyd and Waneda Wright, and Miss Marion McEwen to begin a new gathering. They had been in fellowship at Oakwood Bible Chapel. The leaders have been Albert Birch, Victor Salmons, and Floyd Wright. In 1997, the new assembly, consisting of about 60 adults and youngsters, moved into leased space in an office mall at 2280 Foster Avenue.
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In the city of London, the Emery & Edward St. Gospel Hall was built in about 1920. The property had been purchased by a Mrs. Jeffery, who also had the hall built, for an assembly associated with the ‘Grant’ party. At some point, the assembly became ‘open.’ In 1952, the name of the hall was changed to Emery Street Gospel Hall and in 1972 to Edward Street Chapel. The assembly has always met at this location.
Over the years, leadership has been shared by Arthur Drennan, James Ross, Elmer Hair, Jack McLaud, Charles E. Lacey, Robert DePhillippeaux, Arthur MacKnight, Gorden Black, and Leslie Doey. About 50 adults and children are in the assembly today. Workers have been commended by the assembly to Angola, to the home field, and to Graphite Bible Camp.
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Bethel Chapel in London began in 1934, two of its founders being Rowland Hill, Sr. and A.J. Phillips. These two men were in fellowship at that time at Hamilton Road Chapel in London and were burdened to begin a testimony in the south part of the city. (The Hamilton Road Chapel closed in the late 1980s and has been superseded by Southdale Bible Chapel.)
Others in leadership in the assembly, which has always been at the same location at 439 Moore Street, have been William Barrington, Rowland Hill Jr., Earnest Bodaly, Howard Elliott, Harry Brown, Gorden McKenzie, Edward Cossey, H.G. Phillips, and Douglas Phillips.
A ladies’ coffee hour with ministry is held monthly and is attended by 25 to 30 women, most of whom are not in the assembly. Workers have been commended to local work and to West Africa. Another ladies’ ministry consists of filling large shipping crates with clothes and utensils and sending them to needy peoples. About 40 adults and young people attend the assembly.
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Joe and Anna Ebert began the Kintore Bible Chapel in Thamesford, east of London, in their home in 1993. Though the assembly did not hive off from another, the Eberts had brethren backgrounds. Larry Ball has shared leadership of Kintore Bible Chapel with the Eberts. The assembly has about 40 people attending and continues to meet in the Ebert home.
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Vienna, Straffordville, and Tillsonburg lie southeast of London, just north of Lake Erie. To that area came a 20-year-old T.D.W. Muir from Hamilton in 1875 and began preaching. Soon he was joined by John Smith, just arrived from Scotland. They preached together in school houses, homes, halls, and church buildings. Many were saved, and several assemblies were quickly established, including the South Middleton Assembly, which continued until about 1945. The assembly established near Straffordville continues today as the Straffordville Gospel Hall.
The Tillsonburg assembly was established in 1888 on Harvey Street through the efforts of Mr. Muir and others from the South Middleton and Straffordville assemblies. The assembly met in a rented room in ‘Graves Block’ for about 25 years. In 1914, the Tillsonburg Gospel Hall was built and there the assembly worshipped until the town fathers gave notice in 1976 that the property was to be expropriated and a new shopping mall developed there. In 1979, the Hall was moved to its current location at the corner of Bridge and Queen Streets, and renovated. At that time the name was changed to Tillsonburg Bible Chapel, ON and the assembly developed a strong youth program.
Leaders in the assembly over the years include Thomas Touzeau, J.C. McCormack, William Beckett, Alan Morrison, Ivor Conod, Burnice McAllister, Len Fex, Jim Rowbottom, and Gordon McEown.
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Two small assemblies that had existed since the late 1800s, one in or near Simcoe and the other near Port Dover, ten miles southeast of Simcoe on the north shore of Lake Erie, merged in 1920.
The merged group met in a rural location until 1945, when the assembly moved into Simcoe. In 1947 the Christians built the Nelson Street Chapel, a small structure. The Lord blessed with conversions. Paul and Dorothy Fletcher began helping in the work in 1957, commuting from Brantford. In 1959 they moved to Simcoe, where Mr. Fletcher took a business position. In 1972, he resigned his position in order to give all his time to evangelism and pastoral ministry on behalf of the assembly.
A larger chapel was erected in 1966 on Cedar Street and called the Simcoe Gospel Chapel. Fletcher Lampkin and Lawrence Misner were among those involved at the beginning of the Simcoe Gospel Chapel. On opening day, 93 were present at the Family Bible Hour. By 1974, Family Bible Hour attendance was running at 250, and the main auditorium was filled for both Breaking of Bread meetings and Sunday evening services. Knowing they must expand or start a branch work, the congregation decided to construct a larger building.
Two acres were purchased on the northeast edge of the city. In the spring of 1975, a Conference was held to officially open the new chapel. Four hundred people filled the auditorium for Saturday and Sunday services.
Others in leadership over the years have been Mark Fletcher, Mark Williams, John Furber, and Ken Shewell. The assembly has commended several to the Lord’s work. About 200 adults are in fellowship in addition to about 100 teens and children in the Sunday Schools.
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In the summer and early fall of 1989, six families met in a home in Waterford, a small town north of Simcoe, for prayer and Bible study on a weekly basis. They discussed their concerns for a back-to-basics Scriptural teaching of the Word with faithful men of God in other areas. After much prayer, they Broke Bread in the Marsden home in Waterford in mid November, and on the following Sunday met in the Ferrier farm house near Simcoe, with 22 believers in attendance.
The believers decided to rent a room in the Minden Manor Motel in Simcoe for Sunday meetings and for Wednesday prayer and Bible study meetings. This continued for two and a half years.
The Lord then provided them with a building of their own, which they call Faith Bible Chapel and in which they continue to meet. They now have between 40 and 55 at the weekly Breaking of Bread meetings, and 75 to 80 at the Family Bible Hour and Sunday School.
Shortly after Faith Bible Chapel began, Don and Mae Moffatt, who had served the Lord in Newfoundland, came into fellowship with the believers. Don Moffatt was greatly used in sharing in the ministry of the Word until his home call in 1994.
The first elders at Faith were Ron Oakes, Kevin Marsden, Mike Kekes, and Ivan Ferrier. Lloyd Thompson has since joined in leadership. Among the men from other assemblies who have ministered the Word at Faith Bible Chapel are John Maring, Colin Anderson, Patrick Long, Brian Gunning, David Robins, and Willie Burnett.
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Burgessville is midway between London and Hamilton. In October 1989, in nearby Norwich, an assembly was formed and met at the Norwich Gospel Trailer. Steve Kember, commended from the Sarnia Gospel Hall, began the work with the help of a few others. In 1994, the assembly purchased and renovated a building in Burgessville and moved there to become the Burgessville Gospel Hall. The assembly has about 70 adults and youngsters in attendance. Steve Kember, Bill Burton, and Ernie Dyck have been the elders.
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In about 1800, the first Mennonites came to Waterloo County, Ontario, from Pennsylvania. By 1820, such names as Martin, Bowman, Hoffman, Gingrich, and Weber were known in the area that is now Woolwich Township. According to John Martin, many of the Mennonite preachers had a meager knowledge of the Bible and the doctrine of salvation was not taught.
In 1922, Alex Stewart of Guelph came with Frank Guthrie to this Mennonite area and held meetings in Elmira, resulting in the salvation of a number of people, including Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Martin. A small assembly was brought into being at Elmira, the Christians meeting above Playford’s Garage. That same year, Mr. Stewart held meetings in Linwood; some were saved, including Simeon Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Gerth, Mrs. King, and Mrs. Pem Hosea, and an assembly was planted there, meeting in Mrs. King’s carpenter shop. The Elmira Assembly lasted until 1928, and the Linwood Assembly lasted a few years longer, until the Gerths and Hoseas moved to Waterloo.
But God was working in the area. In 1928, Israel Martin was saved, and in 1931, John M. Martin and others were saved in evangelistic meetings conducted by a Pentecostal preacher. Soon John’s brother Noah was saved, and Henry Bauman and his sisters, and the Brubacher sisters. John Martin married Melissa Brubacher in 1932, but they stayed with the Mennonite churches for a while.
In 1931, Israel Martin started a Sunday School in his brother Nathan’s house in Hawkesville. Mr. William Goetz had moved to Hawkesville about this time and started Bible studies in various homes. These were later moved to Nathan Martin’s house. Sunday evening services were then started there, and Nathan Martin’s house became known as the Hawkesville Gospel Mission. Preachers from various denominations were invited to come and preach.
By 1934, it was apparent that the group of believers were going to leave the Old Order Mennonite church. In the spring of 1934, some of the believers had begun Remembering the Lord at the farm home of John and Melissa Martin. To the Hawkesville Gospel Mission were coming the Martin Baumans, John Martins, and Noah Martins from the Wallenstein area; the Israel Hoffmans, Amos Hoffmans, Sydney and David Hoffman, and the Simeon Martins from the Heidelberg area; the Goetz and Weber families lived in Hawkesville. This was the nucleus of the new group about to form.
In September 1934, the first public meeting to observe the Lord’s Supper was held at the Hawkesville Gospel Mission. Frank Guthrie and George McKenzie were with them, and fifteen were baptized by immersion that day, with about 1000 curious townspeople in attendance.
The group had to make a fundamental choice at this point. Two of the most respected preachers who had come to the Hawkesville Gospel Mission were Henry Jansen, a Russian Mennonite from Kitchener, and Frank Guthrie from the brethren assembly in Guelph. Should they become part of the Russian Mennonite organization, or should they follow the New Testament church pattern, as espoused by Frank Guthrie?
Though Israel Martin initially leaned toward affiliating with the Russian Mennonites, eventually the whole group decided upon the New Testament pattern, with the Word of God as their sole authority. But Mennonite customs were slow to disappear, the characteristic dress being one of these. The 1934 opening of the Guelph Bible Conference Grounds, 25 miles from Hawkesville, at which the main speaker was Harry Ironside, is remembered as having a major influence upon the Hawkesville Christians.
The number of those affiliating with the new assembly at the Hawkesville Gospel Mission grew, and Nathan Martin’s house was inadequate. Property was secured in the center of Hawkesville at the corner of Geddes Street and Hawk Street. The Hawkesville Gospel Hall had its opening in December 1939 with a series of meetings, at which a number were saved. John Martin, who with Sydney Hoffman had been commended to full-time work elsewhere, returned and was one of the speakers.
John Martin developed a radio ministry originating from Kitchener, and was assisted by several from the Hawkesville Gospel Hall. When the Emmaus Bible School opened in Toronto in 1945, five of the young men from Hawkesville attended and were instrumental in having the Emmaus Young People’s Rally held at Hawkesville.
By 1951, the Gospel Hall was too small for the increasing numbers, and an addition was built, increasing the seating capacity to 200. In 1960, the name was changed to Hawkesville Bible Chapel, concurrently with the introduction of a Family Bible Hour on Sunday mornings. Elders were first publicly recognized in 1963. Allan and Joyce Weber, then in the Lord’s work on Prince Edward Island, were invited to return for visitation work in the area. The elders also visited weekly in pairs in the community.
Once again, a larger building was needed, land was donated near Wallenstein, and in November 1968, the Wallenstein Bible Chapel was ready for occupancy, with a seating capacity of over 500. The elders at the time of this move were Ezra Frey, Amos Hoffman, David Hoffman, Israel Hoffman, John Martin, Noah Martin, and Onias Weber. Urias Brubacher and David M. Martin soon joined them. Growth in numbers has continued, and the assembly is involved in many outreach ministries. Conestoga Bible Camp, which began as a ministry of Wallenstein Bible Chapel, had its first session in 1972. Among the many who have gone out into full-time service for the Lord are Mr. and Mrs. John Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Hoffman, and Vera Bauman to ministry in Canada; and Mr. and Mrs. Abner Bauman, Esther Frey, and Mr. and Mrs. Allan Hoffman to overseas ministry. In 1989, the assembly hived-off the Alma Bible Church. Recent elders include Melvin Frey, Glenn Gingrich, Wayne Hockley, Ken Hoffman, Aaron Martin, Murray Martin, Ollie Shantz, and Henry Tewinkel. Today about 450 people attend Wallenstein Bible Chapel.
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Woodside Bible Fellowship at 200 Barnswallow Drive in Elmira, north of Waterloo, began in 1975. Neil Martin, Urias Brubacher, Allan Hoffman, and David M. Martin were those involved in its establishment. The assembly was a hive-off of Wallenstein Bible Chapel and was called the Elmira Christian Fellowship for the first couple of years while it met at the Riverside Public School. Others active in leadership have been David McClurkin, Harold Paisley, Paul Fletcher, and Harvey Gingrich. About 300 adults were in attendance in 1996, plus a Sunday School of over 150. The assembly has commended workers to Zambia, Kenya, Senegal, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, and to International Teams and His Mansion Ministries in Ontario.
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A few miles east of Elmira is the city of Guelph. In the early 1900s, an assembly was meeting in a house on Norwich Street in Guelph, apparently the first in that city. C. Ernest Tatham’s father was the leading brother in this meeting, which later moved to a hall over the old Royal Bank building on Wyndham Street. At that time, the meeting consisted mostly of the extended Tatham family and a few others.
In 1916, the Eramosa Road Gospel Hall was built, after some of the McAllister family moved to Guelph from the Clifford area. A ‘Grant exclusive’ meeting, Eramosa was apparently the subsequent meeting place of the earlier house meeting, for C. Ernest Tatham fellowshipped there as a young man. Many of the well-known preachers of the day came there – John Bloor, Samuel Ridout, H.A. Ironside, and Alex Stuart. The leading brethren at Eramosa Road Gospel Hall were John McAllister, John Irvine, Frank Guthrie, and later Stuart Burnham. These were the years of amalgamation of the Grants with the ‘open’ assemblies, and it is fair to assume that Eramosa Road Gospel Hall became ‘open.’
In 1958, L.J. Harris, R.W. Farnworth, and others desired to see the work grow, and the present facility at 491 Waterloo Avenue was built in 1960 and the name changed to Guelph Bible Chapel. Elders were recognized beginning in 1973. In 1974, Murray McLeod, a retired missionary from India, was invited to be a part-time pastor, and continued until 1981, at which time David Booker became a full-time pastor, followed by Kirk Lithander and Jack Correll as full-time workers. Other elders, besides those named above, include Les Harris, R.K. Farnworth, Bill Bleach, Gordon Guthrie, Henry Thiessen, Lew Aubrey, Harry Hitchon, Norm Boyd, Jerry Earls, Jim Ritchie, Dave McCready, and Mr. Brewster.
Guelph Bible Chapel has commended several to the Lord’s work, and now has about 200 in Sunday attendance. Two assemblies have derived from it.
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Willowdale Christian Fellowship in Guelph began in 1979, with its first meetings at the Willow Road School. Eight families from Guelph Bible Chapel were involved in the start-up. The assembly later moved to Arkell Road to become the Arkell Road Bible Chapel. Leadership over the years includes Evered Penn, Campbell Round, James Conover, and Peter Bolton. About 110 adults and youngsters attend the assembly.
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Lakeside Bible Church began in 1989, hiving-off from Guelph Bible Chapel. The principals in the start-up were Gordon and Frank Guthrie, Phil Fletcher, David Booker, Norm Roberts, and David Neff, all of whom were elders at Guelph Bible Chapel. The assembly met six weeks in a school before moving into its own building in Guelph. Those in active leadership since the formation are the Guthries, David Booker, Jim Lowe, and Ken Rowan. Darryl Milne is the current youth worker, commended to that position. About 750 adults and youngsters attend Lakeside Bible Church.
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Bethel Chapel in Waterloo has its roots in several families that moved to Waterloo from Elmira and Linwood. They met in the home of William Klinck for several years.
In about 1945, William Murray and John Martin had tent meetings in Waterloo; after that they rented a vacant store and carried on the assembly meetings there. In 1948, a small Bethel Chapel was built at 16 Laurel Street and the assembly started to grow. The building has since been enlarged. The assembly has about 75 in fellowship now.
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Lakeshore Bible Chapel in Waterloo, at 470 Glenelm Crescent, was established in 1970 by ten couples: Allan and Joan Poyntz, Henry Ralston, Len and Joan Habermehl, Henry and Iva Ralston, David and MaryLynn Knight, Larry and Betty Tierney, Murray and Wilma Toman, Rolf and Esme Stockheisen, Dave and Sheila Brown, Ross and Carol Steinman, and Chris and Marnie Watts. The assembly was a hive-off from Bethel Chapel, and had its first meetings at the Cedarbrea Public School. Lakeshore Bible Chapel moved to its present location in 1978 and has helped establish Forestview Bible Church, Cambridge Community Church in Cambridge, and New Hope Community Church in Waterloo. The assembly has about 185 adults in fellowship, with about 100 in the Sunday School. Through the years, several workers have been commended by Lakeshore Bible Chapel to the Lord’s service.
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During the fall of 1990, nine families who lived in Cambridge but drove to other cities for their church meetings came together to pray about and discuss forming a new church in Cambridge. Gordon Martin from Lakeshore Bible Chapel gave teaching on the New Testament church to the group, some of whom had brethren backgrounds. These families began meeting on Sundays in September 1991 in the Hespeler Missionary Church building. When the building was sold a year later, the congregation moved to the Clemens Mill area of Cambridge, first into St. Margaret’s School and then in 1993 to Clemens Mill Public School, where they took the name Cambridge Community Church. Rob Heintz joined the fellowship in 1992 and serves as a full-time pastor with several elders. About 200 people are in the assembly.
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New Hope Community Church in Waterloo started in January 1996, meeting then, as today, in the Westvale Public School for Sunday mornings, and using homes for small groups. The assembly derived from Lakeshore Bible Chapel, that church’s third purposely planted congregation, to reach into the west side of Waterloo where there was no English-speaking evangelical church. Among those at Lakeshore who worked to establish the new assembly were Gordon Martin and Mark Rogers. The leadership team at New Hope has included Jeremy Horne, Randy More, Allan Poyntz, Mark Rogers, Bill Stubbs, Rob Vanderspek, and Dan Zimmermann. From an initial 40 people, about 150 attend the assembly now. Bill Stubbs is a full-time worker at New Hope Community Church.
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Perhaps as early as 1870, Douglas Russell came from Scotland to a district near Galt, where he had relatives in the Clyde and Valens area. These are small towns near Cambridge, between Hamilton and Kitchener. Mr. Russell’s preaching was powerful and many were saved, including the grandparents of Lorne McBain. Upon returning to Scotland, he became involved with Donald Ross and his associates, and entered into fellowship in an assembly there. When he returned to Canada, he preached in the area around Clyde. Donald Munro and John Smith came to assist in the work, and the Clyde Assembly was established. The first meeting of the believers was in a blacksmith’s shop. This assembly continues today. Within a short time, the Valens Assembly was formed at nearby Valens, and a short time later the Galt Assembly came into being. T.D.W. Muir had been saved at meetings conducted by Donald Munro and John Smith in 1874 in Hamilton. Within a few months, he was one among many preachers who preached in the area.
In the early 1920s, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lapsley lived in the Valens area and fellowshipped in the Clyde Assembly. The Lapsleys were exercised to see an assembly in their area, since the original Valens Assembly had discontinued, and with the help of George Dixon and Mr. and Mrs. John Robson, began an assembly in 1923, meeting first in the Robson home. William Bailley held many Gospel meetings in the area, resulting in new converts. Fred Watson also helped in establishing the new assembly. The Christians later built the Valens Gospel Hall on property adjacent to the Robson home. Others in leadership have been Earl Watson, John Holtzhauer, Ted Lapsley; Robert Reeve, and Martin Grinwis. The assembly at Valens Gospel Hall has commended workers to Zambia, and presently has about 30 in attendance.
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In the spring of 1980, five couples living in the Tavistock area, about 20 miles southwest of Waterloo/Kitchener, expressed an interest in starting an assembly there. John Martin had been holding Bible studies for several winters in the Tavistock/Stratford area. The group persuaded John and his wife to move there from their home in Hawkesville. That summer the group purchased and renovated the old Knox Hall at the corner of William and Oxford Streets in Tavistock and renamed it Tavistock Bible Chapel. The principals involved in the start-up were John M. Martin, Bill Jeffery, Kenneth Wagler, and John Wilkerson. Others in leadership have been Jim Cormach and Mike Bastiaanson. About 140 adults and youngsters attend Tavistock Bible Chapel today.
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Mitchell is a small town near Stratford, north of London. An assembly began there in the mid 1930s, meeting in rented quarters that they called Mitchell Gospel Hall.
In 1948, because most of the Christians in the Mitchell assembly were driving in from the Clinton area, 20 miles northwest of Mitchell, the assembly relocated to Clinton. The Christians met in the home of Samuel McDonald at the beginning. Numbers were small, but in 1953, after much prayer and laying hold of God in faith, the brethren undertook the building of a new Hall on Joseph Street, calling it Joseph Street Gospel Hall. The labor in building the hall was supplied almost completely by brethren from a number of assemblies in that part of Ontario. The Hall opened in late 1953.
Those starting the Clinton assembly were principally Samuel McDonald and William J. Davidson. Leadership has been supplied by these and Douglas McDonald, Willis Switzer, David Kember, Larry Schade, and Keith Bachert. Joseph Street Gospel Hall has commended full-time workers to the mission field, and has about 90 in attendance today.
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The assembly testimony in Mitchell resumed in 1984 with the start-up of Mitchell Bible Chapel. It was not derived from another assembly, and was initiated by John and Graham Martin, Mark Otten, Frank Ennis, and Steve Vandenbrink, and these have been its elders. About 30 adults and youngsters attend Mitchell Bible Chapel.
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One of the newer assemblies in Ontario is Chesley Bible Chapel, originally meeting in the small town of Chesley, north of Clinton. The assembly was established in 1994 by Steve Cudney and John M. Martin, who were joined in leadership by Stan West. First meeting in a Mennonite Brethren building, the assembly subsequently met in a rented building on Main Street in the business area of Chesley.
In the late 1990s, the assembly relocated to the larger town of Hanover, about 10 miles south of Chesley and meets at present in a building on 15th Avenue; it is now called Hanover Bible Chapel and consists of about 15 adults and as many teens and children. The believers hope to purchase this building.
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Wingham is a small town southwest of Hanover. The present Wingham Bible Chapel has its roots in an old ‘exclusive’ meeting about 12 miles out in the country, which died for lack of gift and numbers.
In 1937, John Martin pitched a tent in Wingham and had some Gospel meetings. Through various efforts, several people were saved and a few from the former meeting started to meet in the home of Gordon and Margaret McInnes. In 1950, the Wingham Gospel Hall was built. The work carried on there for some time. In about 1972, Len and Madeline Fex moved to Wingham and through their ministry a number of people were saved. The assembly grew considerably and a new building, the Wingham Bible Chapel, ON was put up on Boland Street in 1975.
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Eight families, including those of Claude Martin, Owen Weber, John Langendoen, and Bill Klumpenharve began an assembly testimony in 1985 in the village of Gorrie, south of Hanover. Gorrie Bible Fellowship was formed with the blessings of the assembly at Wingham Bible Chapel. Meeting first in the town hall, they built and moved into their own building, seating 200, in 1991. Leadership has been shared by the four men mentioned and Bob Bramhall, who joined the fellowship in 1986. Mr. Bramhall is now working full-time in the assembly. Gorrie Bible Fellowship has commended workers to Nepal, Indonesia, and elsewhere. About 175 regularly attend the services at Gorrie Bible Fellowship.
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For six weeks in 1874, John Smith and Donald Munro had preached the Gospel in Hamilton, at the western tip of Lake Ontario, seeing little interest. Then T.D.W. Muir, K.J. Muir, and William J. Faulkner were saved under their preaching. The Gospel meetings continued, and many more were saved and baptized. These Christians soon began meeting to Remember the Lord, the beginning of the McNab Street Gospel Hall in Hamilton. This is the oldest continuously meeting assembly in the city of Hamilton. It has since relocated and is called the West Fifth Bible Chapel.
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The assembly now meeting at Stone Ridge Bible Chapel in Hamilton has its roots in a children’s work carried out by believers from MacNab Street Gospel Hall. The children’s work was begun in 1952 in a basement structure and first consisted of hobby classes, but expanded to include a Sunday School and a Gospel meeting. Funds for a down payment on the lot and building in which these activities were held were donated by some elders from MacNab and the structure was named Queensdale Gospel Hall. The first official meeting of the new assembly was in 1955. An upper level was added in 1958, and the name was changed to Queensdale Bible Chapel at that time.
In early 1994, the building was heavily damaged by fire set by arsonists. The structure was demolished and the lot sold. After that, the assembly met at a series of rented locations. Construction of a new building was begun in 1998, and the name Stone Ridge Bible Chapel was chosen to reflect the new location. Present attendance is about 35, a third of what it was before the fire. The assembly has commended servants to the Lord’s work in Ontario, Quebec, and elsewhere.
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Shoreacres Bible Chapel in Burlington, north of Hamilton, began in 1959 as the Burlington Gospel Hall. The principal instigators were James and Annabelle Weaver. James had come out of the Needed Truth faction, and Annabelle from an assembly in Toronto. The Beukers joined them out of the Christian Reformed Church. The Greens came from the former Queensdale Gospel Chapel, which was destroyed in a fire. The remaining nucleus of those starting the new assembly came from Bethany Gospel Hall in Hamilton.
The meeting began as bi-weekly hymn sings in the Weaver home, with about 20 in attendance. The first Remembrance Meeting took place in February 1959 in the Weaver home. By the fall, the group had moved to Old White Chapel, now the Red Cross quarters, and early the next year was meeting at Trefoil Lodge, with about 50 adults and children in attendance. Property was purchased on Shoreacres Road and Shoreacres Bible Chapel was completed in 1969. The building was expanded a decade later.
Recognized elders over the years include William Allen, Henry Bingham, James Currie, William Hislop, James McNeice, George Patterson, and James Weaver, and others for shorter periods. Workers have been commended by the assembly to the Philippines, Botswana, and to itinerant ministry. Shoreacres Bible Chapel now has about 200 in attendance.
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In 1993, Forestview Bible Chapel in Burlington began in the north part of Burlington, a hive-off of Shoreacres. The group meets in a school with about 70 attendees.
Assembly testimony began in 1871 in the Niagara Peninsula, the same year as in areas to the west. The Lord blessed His people as they met in homes, stores, above a drive-shed, and even in a blacksmith’s shop. From an insignificant beginning, five assemblies are now in the Niagara Peninsula area. They meet in the Brockview Bible Chapel, Thorold South Gospel Chapel, Ridgeville Bible Chapel, Portal Village Bible Chapel, and Scottlea Gospel Chapel.
The assembly testimony in St. Catharines began in 1871 when a few Christians met in a home to Remember the Lord. In 1914, the growing assembly met in its new building known as the Queenston Street Gospel Hall. Located in the business district of the city, this building served well until 1966 when the Scottlea Gospel Chapel was built in a residential neighborhood in the northern part of St. Catharines, to accommodate the assembly that remained there after some had left to form the Brockview assembly. The evangelist Ernest Sprunt was in fellowship at Queenston Street/Scotlea.
On Easter Sunday morning in April 1966, the Scottlea assembly met for the first time in its new Chapel to Remember the Lord and with the prayer that the Lord would bless its presence in that growing area of the city. There are now 175 in fellowship.
Since its inception, the Scottlea Gospel Chapel has had a strong and consistent emphasis on the preaching of the Gospel and ministry of the Word, teaching in Sunday Schools, AWANA, Daily Vacation Bible Schools, and youth and camp work. Some believers take the Gospel into the Homes of Senior Citizens, and others to go door to door in tract distribution and personal visitation. For forty-four years the assembly has supported the Family Bible Hour’s world-wide radio broadcast financially and with personnel. The assembly has shown an interest in World Missions through its Ladies Missionary Work Class, short term missions involvement, and in other ways. The annual Spring and Fall Conferences present six messages beginning Saturday evening and running through Tuesday evening.
A number of the young men teach within this and other area assemblies. Over the years two brethren have been commended to the work of the Lord. Joe Sherlock serves the Lord from Summerside, Prince Edward Island; Arnot McIntee, who served with the Family Bible Hour Radio Broadcast for 42 years, continues to serve in a variety of ways.
The elders of all area assemblies meet annually for a time of fellowship and the sharing of relevant information. These times of fellowship are broadened on five occasions each year when believers in the five assemblies meet in alternate Chapels for a time of prayer, teaching and fellowship. Also, there is an Annual Picnic each Labor Day, which is always well attended.
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In 1959, the Pelham Road Gospel Hall in St. Catharines came into being with 95 in fellowship initially. A group of believers had come from the Queenston Street Gospel Hall to form the new assembly, in harmonious relationship with the parent assembly. The meeting place for the assembly is now called Brockview Bible Chapel, still on Pelham Road. Boyd Nicholson made that assembly his home base.
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Thorold is on the southern edge of St. Catharines. It was to that city that Ross McIntee and John Funk, both in fellowship at the Queenston Street Gospel Hall, came in 1949 for open-air Gospel meetings. There they made contact with Christians such as William Wilkie and his wife Lorene and her mother Mrs. Hughes, who had a small Sunday School there. These invited Messrs. McIntee and Funk to take over their work. They turned the work into a Thursday night children’s meeting. From that beginning, a Sunday School and Sunday night Gospel meeting developed, with many others helping; the Lord saved many during this time.
A building was constructed and in 1966 an assembly was formed, called Thorold South Gospel Chapel. The original elders were Gordon Bye, Ross McIntee, William Wilkie, and Jack Trotter. Others in leadership over the years include Ben Andress, Malcom Lowrie, and Larry Jane. The assembly has kept the same name and meets at the same location – 319 Davis Street – since its inception. Thorold South Gospel Chapel has commended workers to assembly planting and itinerant preaching in Canada and the U.S. About 75 persons are in the assembly.
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Ridgeville is about 14 miles southwest of St. Catharines. The brethren who were exercised about an assembly in this area were James and Donald Pirrie, Wesley Payson, Lester Shoalts, Bob Shedden, Al Walker, and Don Steele. Most of the original group who formed Ridgeville Bible Chapel had been in fellowship at Pelham Road Gospel Hall. Bill Hillis, Jim Lenaghan, Al Nickel, and Tim Hartwick have shared leadership at Ridgeville with those mentioned above. One brother has been commended to the radio work in Ecuador. About 55 adults and younger people are in fellowship, plus more than 30 in the Sunday School. The Canadian headquarters of the Awana Clubs were established in nearby Fonthill by a brother who was in Ridgeville Bible Chapel at the time.
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Welland is a few miles southwest of Niagara Falls and south of St. Catharines. It was to that city that C. Pinches came with his tent in 1918 to preach the Gospel. The Gospel meetings were carried on for about two months. Mr. Norman Klager and Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Gladwin were among those who attended the meetings. Mr. Pinches came again in 1920, and this time the meetings were held in the Gladwin home at 12 Locust Street. The Gladwins and Klagers soon began Remembering the Lord in His death, meeting first in the Klager home on Church Street, and later back at the Gladwin home. Just five persons comprised this first Welland Assembly. The Gladwins moved to the east side of Welland in 1944. The assembly continued to meet in the Gladwin home at 33 Scholfield Avenue for over 40 years.
In 1946, the Welland Assembly was back to five people in fellowship – Mr. Gladwin and his wife, Mrs. Ronald St. Clair, Mrs. E. Garner, and Miss Clara Doan. Within a few years, Mr. St. Clair, the two St. Clair daughters, and their husbands Lorne Yade and William Montean, were in fellowship. Baptisms were held at the Willmott Street Gospel Hall in Niagara Falls, ON.
The Niagara Falls assembly gave much help to the Welland Assembly in conducting open-air meetings. Mr. G.P. Taylor came from Deseronto for a 13-week series of meetings in 1954, at which 25 souls professed salvation. The basement of the Gladwin home was converted into a meeting place for the growing fellowship. In 1959, the William Monteans, Lorne Yades, and G. Hannigans started a Sunday School work. In 1960, a building fund was begun, and the assembly moved to rented space above the Martin Dairy on Burgar Street, and in 1964 to the Winstonville Hall for two years. In 1965, a lot was purchased and the Welland Gospel Hall was built, which could seat 90 in addition to a basement for children’s meetings. Lorne Yade, William Montean, and Lanny Brown were the elders at that time. Others who joined the assembly in the 1960s were the James Smiths, Stan Booths, and Reg Lawsons, and Mr. Booth was added to the oversight. The hall has been expanded three times since its initial construction, and over 100 adults and youngsters are associated with the assembly.
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Port Colborne is on Lake Erie, just south of Welland. Portal Village Bible Chapel in Port Colborne started in 1986, growing out of Ridgeville Bible Chapel. With a special ministry to seniors, many of whom have been saved as a result, the assembly met for a time in a senior’s apartment block before they erected a chapel next to it in 1999, with the expectation of reaching out to a younger generation while maintaining the older contacts. Ken Brady, Gordon Bye, Peter Kay, William Duncan, Lewis Shedden, and Lester Shoalts were among those who initiated the assembly. Mahlon Martin, Lewis Shedden, and Lester Shoalts have been the elders. Portal Village Bible Chapel has commended workers to the Lord’s service in England and the United States, and has about 40 adults and children in attendance.
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In the early 1920s, some of the pioneer evangelists arrived in the town of Barrie and held Gospel meetings. As a result, several families were saved and formed an assembly, meeting in the homes of the believers. After a few years, under the leadership of Walter Cameron, John W. Gossling, and Walter Havercroft, the Christians decided to have a permanent meeting facility. In 1928, Grace Gospel Hall at 37 Mary Street in downtown Barrie was opened with approximately 40 to 50 in fellowship.
In 1932, only four years after the beginning, a split occurred, with about 75% of the people leaving to form a new assembly (see below). From 1932 to 1945, Grace Gospel Hall continued with Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cameron, Ida Cameron, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Cameron, John W. Gossling, Walter Havercroft, Ben Knapp, Mary Brook, Mr. and Mrs. Garnet Soules in fellowship.
However, the Sunday School work was very large and well run by Ida Cameron and Mary Brook, who sent taxi cabs around the town to bring in the children at their own expense. Donald Cameron and his wife brought two and three car loads of children in from the country. There were always 60 to 75 children in attendance. The Gospel meetings on Sunday evenings were sparsely attended.
After 1945, the assembly grew, reaching 24 in fellowship in 1958. The downtown location was no longer suitable, so the assembly purchased property in 1959 at Peel and Gunn Streets in the north end of the city, and built the Northside Gospel Chapel. A one-day Conference in 1960 brought in 100 people to Remember the Lord. In 1981, a new auditorium was added. The new addition accommodates the 165 adults and children who attend the assembly now.
Leadership over the years has been born by Donald Cameron, George Bishop, Archie Gavin, Jack Greaves, Gord Benner, and James Cummingham. A number of full-time workers have been sent overseas by the assembly. An Awana program at Northside Gospel Chapel has about 100 children in it.
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The Christians who left Grace Gospel Hall in 1932 met at first in a home on Bradford Street, then moved into the second floor of a drug store on the corner of Owen Street and Dunlop Street East in Barrie, where they remained until 1938. Because this location had stairs too steep for the older folks, the group moved across the street for a time, then in 1939 purchased a livery stable on Parkside Drive and renovated it into a meeting hall, known as Parkside Gospel Hall. The meeting grew rapidly for a time, but has declined over the years to about six in fellowship today.
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In 1885, Thomas and Jane French, immigrants from England, donated a parcel of land from their farm near Waverley, north of Barrie, for the erection of the Waverley Gospel Hall. The evangelist Alexander Marshall is credited with initiating the assembly, and for a time the people attending the Hall were called Marshallites by the local folks. An assembly was started in nearby Vasey at about the same time.
Others in the Waverley assembly in the early days were the John McCaw, Robert Anderson, Sam French, Joseph Mertz, Ed Grexton, William Herbert, Minnie Campbell, Robert Anderson, John Isaac, John Farquharson, Sarah Truax, Brolley, Stamp, Minnie Blackmere, Emma Draper, Herb Sweezie, Adrian Isaac, Elmer Isaac, Sterling MacDonald, and Bowden Mertz families. The Mertz and Isaac families are remembered as being the leading families. George Benner, as well as Alexander Marshall, came often in the early days to preach at Waverley Gospel Hall.
After some years, Waverley Gospel Hall became small, with just Mr. Mertz and a few women at the Remembrance Meeting. The Christians from the Vasey Assembly joined with them at that time. When Mervyn Paul came to preach, he often stayed at the Blackmere’s near Wyevale and walked to Waverley. He is remembered for his ability to teach the children. Ernest Sprunt is another who preached at Waverley Gospel Hall and was loved by the young people. Many of the well known traveling preachers came to Waverley. After the days of the traveling preachers had largely passed, Adrian and Elmer Isaac, Sterling MacDonald, Ferguson Blackmere, and Bowden Mertz were those who kept the assembly going when attendance was low.
In about 1950, a small room was added at the back of the old Hall for Sunday School classes. Not many years later, further growth resulted in a decision to build a new Hall, which was completed in 1964. Today about 40 adults and youngsters attend Waverley Gospel Hall.
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Strongville is a village near Stayner, near Barrie. The families from which the future Strongville Assembly developed moved into the area in about 1885, cutting down the trees of the virgin forest to make homes for themselves. These families typically had religious backgrounds but many knew little of their need of a Savior. Mr. Duncan MacColeman, a Mennonite, was one of the early settlers. He preached among his neighbors, and many came to the Lord. Among them were the families of Andrew Johnston, Robert Armstrong, Thomas Armstrong, and Donald MacKinnon.
Mr. MacColeman preached sinless perfection, and this soon became a problem with the new believers. News of the new group of babes in Christ reached a small assembly of ‘exclusive’ brethren in Stayner, nine miles away, and a Mr. John Rodgers came to visit them, explaining the Scriptures. The believers from the Johnston, Arnstrong, and MacKinnon families subsequently sought fellowship with the Stayner assembly, and were accepted by them. Traveling to Stayner was very difficult, and the assembly there gave consent for the six new believers to have their own meeting in the log home of the Johnstons.
Some little time later, W.P. Douglas and John Haliburton, both associated with the ‘open’ brethren, held a long series of Gospel meetings in a tent in Bethel, four miles from Strongville. One Saturday they walked over to Strongville, met the believers, and said they would like to Remember the Lord with them, also pointing out that the Stayner ‘exclusive’ brothers may not be comfortable with that. However the Strongville Christians could see no reason not to accept them, and did, having many weeks of fellowship with them, and traveled to the tent meetings when they could. When it was clear that the Strongville group desired to maintain fellowship with Messrs. Douglas and Haliburton, whom they had grown to respect, the Stayner assembly refused further fellowship with the Strongville brothers.
It was at about this time, 1890, that the Strongville Assembly built the Strongville Gospel Hall, ON on a lot near the Johnston home. That location has served the assembly continuously since then, though a new hall was built on the same lot in 1990 and the old one moved off.
Others that came into the assembly in the early days were the Cole, Fleming, McLeish, Black, Smith, Lincoln, George Johnston, and Partridge families. Preachers who held meetings there include George Pinches Sr., George Garret, Albert Joyce, and Herbert Harris. The assembly held its first conference in 1906, and many since then. The Strongville Gospel Hall has had as many as 40 in fellowship, has commended workers to the Lord’s service, and now has about 40 adults and children in attendance.
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The original Orillia Assembly was established in 1881 after Gospel meetings by Alexander Marshall, recently arrived from Scotland. The Gospel meetings were held in the YMCA building, and then in an upstairs hall in the Kennedy building at the corner of Peter and Mississaga Streets. Many were saved and others were established. A baptism for eleven converts was held in April that year in Lake Couchiching near Cedar Island. and on April 17, the believers (as elsewhere, nicknamed “Marshallites” by the townspeople) gathered to Remember the Lord – the establishment of the first assembly in the area. The first meeting was in Quinn’s Hall. Some 60 gathered in fellowship at the assembly in May. Evangelists Alexander Marshall and Richard Irving, along with John Hutson and George Calverley were among those who initiated the assembly. During that year, over 200 believers were baptized in this area.
Later, the Orillia group met in Shaftesbury Hall on Mississaga Street. Robert Telfer had gospel meetings at that time in the nearby Dominion Hall. In September 1907, the West Street Gospel Hall that had been built at 56 West Street North was opened, and this served as a gathering place for 71 years.
Many traveling preachers visited the assembly, including C. Ernest Tatham, Charles Innis, Richard Irving, Sam Taylor, and Ross McConkey. The whole district around Orillia was stirred by the Gospel preached with power. The movement was given publicity by the press in censure and commendation, and this brought the people from far and near to hear what was regarded as ‘the new doctrine.’ Assemblies were formed in that period at Foxmead, Warminster, and Severn Bridge.
Shortly after this, a division took place among members of the Orillia Assembly, and part of the company returned to the Dominion Hall at 9 Andrew Street North. Later, that group acquired a small piece of property a half block south at 30 Andrew Street South and erected a new building, which they called Dominion Gospel Hall in memory of the previous place of gathering. The building opened in 1938 and is still in use today. Extensive renovations were made in 1986.
Elders at the Gospel Hall in the 1930s to the 1950s were Cecil Clark, Norman Clark, Charles Canning, William Polk, Charles Rankin, Joseph Stubbs, and a Mr. White. In the 1960s and 1970s, the leaders were George Clark, Reuben Pears, John Stubbs, and Raymond Stubbs. From the 1980s and on, the elders have been Andrew Adams, Earl Pears, and Douglas Stubbs.
Herb Harris, Russell Harris, and George Heidman were commended to the Lord’s work in the Canadian Maritimes (which see). The size of the assembly at the Gospel Hall has varied from about 50 to 70 in fellowship, with about 55 at this time.
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The Christians who stayed at the West Street Gospel Hall changed the name to West Street Gospel Chapel in April 1960 and remained there until September 1978. These believers then constructed a new building on Highway 12 West at Fairgrounds Road, calling it Hillside Bible Chapel, the current location of that assembly.
Roland Jutson, A. Gurton, G.V. Hartshorn, Hilliard Orton, Farnak Calverley, and Mr. Irwin have been active in leadership at Hillside. About 230 adults and youngsters attend the assembly, which has commended full-time workers to Zambia, Ontario, Newfoundland, and ministry in Maine and Florida.
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In 1966, a Sunday School work was begun in the South Ward of Orillia by the West Street assembly. By 1971, another congregation formed in that area and is today known as Simcoeside Bible Chapel.
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The Severn Bridge assembly began at about the same time as that in Orillia. The Severn Bridge Gospel Hall was located on Southwood Road, Severn Bridge, a few miles from Gravenhurst, and is still at that location. Alexander Marshall is credited with starting the assembly, but other details of the early days have not been uncovered. Since about 1950, leadership has included Bernard Mitchell, Larry Babineau, and Aubrey Dellandrea. In 1987, the Christians changed their name to Severn Bridge Christian Assembly. About 30 people are in the assembly today.
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Brampton is on the western side of the Toronto metropolitan area. It was there that the assembly known today as Bramalea Bible Chapel began in 1964 in Parkway Public School, with the attendance of perhaps six believers. It was named Brampton Bible Chapel at first, and did not derive from any of the area assemblies. Two or three families who had been transferred to the area for business reasons were exercised to start the assembly in that location. Fred Clarke, from the Turner Road Chapel in Windsor, and Robert Saynor from the Sarnia area, were among the first to commence the work.
The work grew and in 1971 the assembly moved to a new building at 725 Balmoral Drive, Brampton, and took the name Bramalea Bible Chapel. Leadership has included Robert Dickson, William Dickson, James Dodds, Phil Lee, Fred Clarke, Bob Saynor, Richard Upfield, and Bruce Greenstreet. The work prospered and in 1979 an addition to the chapel was constructed. Work among children and young people was strong at that time.
In the 1990s, the work declined and the chapel was sold. The assembly now meets at 10 Bramhurst Avenue, Unit 13, Brampton, and has about 70 in overall attendance. Leadership is now in the hands of Ian McNeil, Harry Schienke, Ken Veale, and James Dodds. Missionaries in the Philippines and Malaysia are being supported by the assembly.
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As early as 1866, an ‘exclusive’ assembly was meeting in Toronto on Alexander Street between Yonge and Church Streets. Another ‘exclusive’ assembly was meeting on Albert Street by 1873, and was called ‘The Tabernacle.’ Lord Cecil, prominent in the split of the Grant brethren from other ‘exclusive’ groups, met at Albert Street.
Elizabeth Street Hall was begun by Walter McKenzie in that period. Mr. McKenzie had been converted under the preaching of John Darby in Toronto, but soon disagreed with Mr. Darby on questions of local discipline.
In 1875, the evangelists Donald Munro and John Smith, arrived in Toronto. Not finding a suitable place for preaching, they rented a hall and preached there. They often stayed at the home of John Ironside, who met with the Christians at Elizabeth Street. In 1879, Donald Ross held meetings for at least three weeks at Elizabeth Street Hall, and it is thought that this was the beginning of the first identifiable ‘open brethren’ assembly in the city.
Later in 1879, Donald Ross and T.D.W. Muir preached together in a tent on Yonge Street, and later Mr. Moyse of Australia joined them. The following year, Alexander Marshall conducted a Gospel campaign in the city; Harry Ironside was his co-worker for a time in these meetings.
During this period, Brock Street Temperance Hall, which stood on Brock Street at the corner of Little Richmond, emerged as the center championing ‘open’ principles. Brock Avenue Gospel Hall and Central Gospel Hall both have their roots in the Brock Street Temperance Hall.
When Little Richmond Street was renamed Farley Avenue, the Christians at Brock Street Temperance Hall began referring to their center as the Farley Avenue Hall.
In the course of time, the two groups – Elizabeth Street and Farley Avenue – followed divergent lines. Also, a son-in-law of Walter McKenzie built a new hall on Buchanan Street, which he called Beulah Hall. This grew to be a very large meeting. When the Christians built a new hall at 25 Charles Street, they retained their Beulah Hall designation.
During this period, there was a degree of interaction of these ‘open’ brethren with some denominational churches and with the‘exclusive’ brethren. For example, J.W.C. Fegan, the well known ‘open’ brother who started the Boy’s School in England, preached at Farley in 1884 and at the Queen Street Baptist Church in 1886. In 1892, T.D.W. Muir preached at the ‘Assembly Rooms’ at Yonge and Maitland, where F.W. Grant attended before moving to Plainfield, NJ. Donald Munro and John Smith preached for a time at a Methodist church in Bolton.
In 1886, Donald Munro married and established his home in Toronto. He was an active evangelist in the city, and was responsible for the first Conference at Farley Avenue Hall. The Conference became an annual event that served to launch the activities for the year. Many of the well known pioneers were speakers at these Conferences.
Among those remembered at Farley Avenue Hall are the families of George Watson, Tom Holmes, George Ironside, John Berrie, W. Dewsbury, and J. Tough. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Skeeles joined with the Christians at Farley in 1872; their daughter, Jennie May, began keeping assembly records in 1890. Her record shows 128 on the roll for the Sunday morning meeting that year at Farley. William Beers came around 1890 and is remembered as a real shepherd to the flock at Farley.
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Two other small meetings had sprung up in Toronto by the late 1880s, but were of short duration. One was at Walton Street at Yonge, and the other in the Red Lion Hall on Yonge, above Bloor Street.
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The Christians at Brock Street Temperance Hall/Farley Avenue Hall desired to start an assembly in the east end of the city, so Donald Munro started Bible Readings in a rented hall there. He was followed the next year by James Kay from England. As a result, a testimony began in 1891 at 639 Queen Street East. James Lynn, a letter carrier, is remembered as one of the real servants in this east-end assembly. Robert Telfer was married in 1892 and took up residence in the area and became associated with this assembly. The Christians called their group simply Christians in the East-End of the City. The growing work needed larger quarters, so the Christians moved to Queen and Bolton Avenue, and used the name East-end Gospel Hall. At the end of 1901, they moved to 194 Broadview Avenue where they still meet as the Broadview Avenue Gospel Hall. The Pape Avenue Gospel Hall in Toronto hived off from Broadview in 1921.
Early leaders at Broadview include Thomas Breckles, James Roy, William Dobbin, John Clarke, James Mahaffey, and Adam Ross. Elders since 1950 include John Virgin, Robert Boam, Joe Higgins, Don Jennings, Cyril Lallion, and Andrew Wilson. Broadview Avenue Gospel Hall commended Albert Joyce and Fred Nugent to ministry in Canada and the U.S. and others to Venezuela and ministry in the Toronto area.
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Farley Hall was in the central part of Toronto. At the same time that interest in the east end began among some of the believers at Farley, others became exercised about the west end. John Grimason conducted meetings in the area in 1891; in November 1892 eleven persons sat down to Remember the Lord at 1180 Queen Street West, including Mr. and Mrs. George Watson, Mr. and Mrs. William Stubbs, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Skeeles, Minnie Watson, and May Skeeles. The number rose to 17 the following Sunday. In July 1898, the group moved to a hall on Brock Avenue, south of Dundas Street. In 1928, the present Brock Avenue Gospel Hall was built north of Dundas Street, at 311 Brock Avenue.