Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Cedar Grove Mennonite Church (Markham, Ontario)
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1824-1986
History
Located on the west side of 10th Line of Markham Township north of Steeles Avenue, the congregation began services in 1867, and formally organized in 1912. The grounds were used as a cemetery from as early as 1824. The first building was erected in 1861. At that time it was primarily used for funerals. Samuel Reesor is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through immigration from Pennsylvania.
Samuel Hoover was the first minister to preach in English (about 1882). The first Sunday school was held in 1896. Ministers prior to 1950 included Samuel Hoover, John G. Hoover, L. J. Burkholder (for fifty years) and A. Lorne Burkholder. Samuel G. Reesor, a deacon, died in the pulpit in August 1913 while leading in prayer.
The congregation was a member of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec, and participated in the Markham Mennonite Council. Cedar Grove merged with the Steeles Avenue Mennonite Church in 1986 to form the Rouge Valley Mennonite Church.