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The Avon Mennonite Church in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, began with a Summer Bible School sponsored by the Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference in July 1951. In 1963 this conference dropped "Amish" from its name, and became the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference. In 1987 this conference decided to disband their separate organization in favour of becoming a part of Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada (MCEC) which was created by an inter-Mennonite Conference that also included the Conference of United Mennonite Churches in Ontario and the Mennonite Conference of Ontario. With the creation of MCEC, all the congregations that were not already members of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada (CMC), became CMC associate members. Avon Mennonite Church was one of these, and along with other churches originating in the Western Ontario Mennonite Conference, became a full CMC member congregation in 1995.

A frame church building was erected in the town of Baden in 1913 by Peter Moyer, a member of the Steinmann Amish Mennonite congregation. Baden was a mission post until 1945. Beginning in 1930 a minister was supplied by the Mennonite Mission Board of Ontario (Noah Hunsberger, Newton S. Weber). In 1940 it was agreed that the Sunday-school staff should be supplied by First Mennonite Church. In 1945 Baden organized as a formal congregation of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario. James Martin was the first pastor. Subsequent pastors were Urie Bender, Elmer Grove, Arnold Cressman and David Groh.

The congregation remained small in terms of membership , but held a very large Vacation Bible School program, with up to 300 pupils a year.

In 1966 Pastor David Groh left. Lester Bauman, pastor of the Geiger congregation, was invited to serve Baden as well. Many activities were then held jointly with Geiger. In 1971 Stanley Shantz served as pastor of both. The two congregations agreed to have Sunday services together, using the Geiger building because it was larger. In 1975 the congregations agreed to become one in all but name and membership. In late 1975 the Geiger building burned, and services were held in a renovated Baden building.

In September 1977 the congregations merged and became the Wilmot Mennonite Church at the Geiger location. In 1979 a new building was erected at the Geiger site.

Samuel Bechtel (1791-1861) was the son of Rev. Joseph and Magdalena (Allebach) Bechtel. He married Barbara Bauman (1799-1871) in 1819. They lived on a farm along the Speed River adjoining what became Hespeler, Ontario. In 1830, Samuel donated a small piece of the property for a union meetinghouse, school and burial ground. After Samuel's death, the farm passed from son to son for several generations, including Samuel's son Solomon (married to Hester Clemens), Solomon's son Jesse (married to Rebecaa Cober), and Jesse's son Nelson (married to Martha Snyder). Nelson was the last owner of the intact farm. In 1956 it was annexed for the town of Hespeler.