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Mennonite Church of Waterloo Region Ontario by Barbara Draper Mennonite History

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Mennonite Church of Waterloo Region Ontario by Barbara Draper Mennonite History The Effect ofRevivalism on Worship in the (Old) Mennonite Church of Waterloo Region Ontario by Barbara Draper Mennonite History THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MENNONITE HISTORICAL The original Floradale Mennonite Church building erected in 1896 . SOCIETY OF ONTARIO My congregation, Floradale Mennonites. During this time they began Mennonite, celebrated an anniversary in holding revival meetings, Bible studies 1996. As I was comparing the building and Sunday School conferences . It was they erected in 1896 with those of other also during this time that they began congregations, I was intrigued to find that using some English for worship and for VOLUME XVII at the turn of the 20th century the (Old) conference sessions. Mennonite congregations ofWaterloo Why did these changes happen, and NUMBER 1 Region were tearing down their meeting why did they happen when they did? My houses and building churches . This was explanation is that the (Old) Mennonites of also a time of significant change in Ontario were increasingly attracted to the MAY 1999 hymnody and sermon style. The revivalism popularized by evangelists such Mennonites of this area switched from as Charles Finney and D. L. Moody. For singing unison songs in German to singing most of the 19th century the Mennonite in four parts from a new English hymnal. leaders rejected revivalism and those who ISSN 1192-5515 In the twenty-year period from 1895 to promoted it were forced to leave the 1915, nearly all of the fifteen Mennonite denomination . By the 1880's there was so congregations of Waterloo Region rebuilt much pressure to adopt revivalist methods or remodeled their church buildings. that tension among those in leadership was Those that were remodeled replaced the very high. The result of this tension was a old benches with pews and moved from a major split in the denomination with the U-shape to an auditorium style. The new anti-revivalist conservatives forming their buildings that were erected, especially own Old Order denomination. After 1890 after 1901, resembled the churches of the forces opposing change were gone and other Protestant groups, at least on the out- the (Old) Mennonites of the Waterloo area side. Using a toned-down version, the enthusiastically adopted the revivalist the- Mennonites copied aspects of the Gothic ology so predominant in Ontario at the revival style that was popular in the sec- time. They built new churches and devel- ond half of the 19th century oped new patterns of worship to express In the midst of these architectural their new piety. The rapid and profound changes, the (Old) Mennonites of Ontario changes at the turn of the 20th century adopted a new hymnal, the Church and were the result of the adoption of a new Sunday School, which was first printed in revivalist theology. 1902. This hymnal was in English rather Historians have assumed that when the than in German, it had musical notation in Mennonites began their own revivals in four parts and included many gospel songs the late 1800's under the leadership of written in the late 1800's. The 1890's were John S. Coffman of Indiana, it was a a time of profound change for the (Old) rebirth of Mennonites spirituality. They Pace assume that the Mennonite norm through the fact that the back four benches all dialect in their homes . The Pennsylvania the 17th and 18th centuries was withdraw- around the room are also raised in a kind Dutch dialect is different enough from al and separation from society and that of bleacher style. In many early Ontario written High German that without addi- pietism and revivalism was a return to the Protestant churches, the pulpit was raised tional instruction, the Bible and hymnbook way of the early Anabaptists . I would high above the people so that everyone are difficult to read and understand. argue that Mennonite revivalism was not could see and hear. The Mennonites A typical worship service before 1890 simply a small course correction. The followed the Quakers who emphasized was two hours in length. Two sermons Mennonites at the turn of the 20th century equality and community rather than were preached by two different ministers adopted a theology different from the one elevating a minister. using the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect. At they had, and it changed their self-image Just as the Old Orders do today, the the end of each sermon the congregation profoundly. The new churches and new men of the 1880's sat on the side of the knelt for prayer. Ministers did not use hymnbook of this time express their new meeting house to the minister's left, the written notes since it was expected that the ideas about God and about life. women on the right. Men entered using Holy Spirit would provide the words to Worship Before 1890 the doors on their side and hung their hats speak. The ministers, deacons and bishops The Martin's meeting house in north on pegs attached to racks suspended from were unpaid and there were no weekly Waterloo was one of the early permanent the ceiling above the benches. On the offerings . Small collection boxes at the meeting houses built in Waterloo Region. It women's side of the meeting house there men's doors were used whenever funds stands today appearing very much as it did was a cloakroom where they could hang were needed for such things as support for when it was built in the 1830's. Old Order their coats and leave their bonnets. widows and orphans. The ministers were meeting houses, even those built within the In 1836, H. W. Peterson of Berlin, untrained and chosen from among the con- past ten years all use the same style; they Ontario published a collection of German gregation. When a minister was needed, are very similar to the original style outside hymns in a book called, Die the presiding bishop asked for nomina- and inside. Photos, sketches and descrip- Gemeinschaftliche Liedersammlung . It was tions. If more than one person was nomi- tions of the meeting houses replaced by used until the arrival of the first official nated, the individual was chosen from First Mennonite, Erb Street, Breslau and Mennonite hymnal in the English language among the nominees by lot. In describing Preston all describe a style similar to pre- in 1902. The Liedersammlung is still used the preaching style of this period, J . C. Wenger says, "the sermon was preached sent-day Old Order meeting houses. When by the Old Order Mennonites today and it the Mennonites moved to Waterloo from many with few gestures if any, with dignity and has gone through printings. sincerity, sometimes with tears but never Pennsylvania in the early 19th century, Before the 1840's the Mennonites of their first places of worship were often log own schools with a loud voice or with exuberance that Waterloo organized their would have been considered poor taste in buildings that were also used as schools. where children learned to read and write When they began to erect more permanent Even with the arrival of the exposition ofGod's Word."' Sermons High German. involved lots of scripture references and structures, they patterned them after those public education in Ontario in the 1840's, the Quakers. The simple, gabled, rectan- retained often told the story of salvation. Most min- of many of the local schools instruc- ister preached by ; they tended to gular building has two doors on the longer tion in German. Many non-Mennonite rote The windows, often with 15 panes, to repeat phrases and often they spoke in a side. German-speaking people had moved or chanting style. Some are positioned all around the building to the Waterloo area by the 1850's and some kind of sing-song the effect. The larger meeting instruction until Old Order ministers still use this chanting balance schools retained German preach, pray or read a houses also have doors at each end. at least the 1870's . By the late 1800's, style when they first the Mennonites built was hymn. Congregations were not closely At Waterloo when most education in English, it century. frame buildings, but soon they were also was becoming more difficult for people to defined in the 19th A body of brick. The interiors of these German. ministers served the district and each year using stone or read the hymns and the Bible in which buildings were also plain. The Martin's An additional problem is that German is after 1836 a booklet was published meeting house has unstained wainscoting written in Gothic script which is difficult indicated where services would be held on on the lower walls while the upper walls for a person accustomed to the Roman a given Sunday. Each meeting house had are painted white. There are no pictures on script used in English . services every two or four weeks. the walls or any other ornamentation. In The Mennonites of Waterloo Region, Mennonites in the 1800's attended Sunday the Martin's meeting house the benches on the whole, were descended from Swiss morning services usually once every two are made of unvarnished pine planks. Anabaptists who had migrated to the weeks or so. On the other Sundays they The benches are arranged in a U-shape, German Palatinate where they adopted the often visited neighbours and relatives. all facing the pulpit along the long side, local dialect. This unwritten dialect came The Influence of Revival opposite the doors. to be known as "Pennsylvania Dutch" and The Mennonites were profoundly influ- The pulpit is slightly raised, but a good was the language of conversation of enced by the revivalism that had spread to view from the rear benches is assured by Mennonites.
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