Bloomingdale Mennonite Church (Bloomingdale, ON)

Title: Bloomingdale Mennonite Church fonds

Dates of creation: 1879-2005-

Physical description: 100 cm. of textual material

Administrative history: Bloomingdale was known as the Snyder Mennonite Church until 1960. The name derived from pioneer Jacob Snyder, an 1806 immigrant. The first meetinghouse was built in 1826 on land conveyed by Jacob Snyder the same year. It was likely destroyed by fire in 1872. The present brick building was erected in the 1870s. The congregation suffered a division and the group that came to be known as the Mennonite Brethren in Christ possessed the building from 1874-1879. A family also left at the time of the Old Order Mennonite division in the late 1880s.

Pastors have included Henry Weber, Moses Erb, Jesse Martin, Howard Stevanus, John W. Snyder, Harold Groh, Earl Myers, J. Laurence Martin, John Shearer,Orland Gingerich, Bertha Landers, Arthur Boers, Maurice Martin (Interim), Glenn Zehr (Interim), and Mary Mae Schwartzentruber.

Custodial history: Accessions from the Bloomingdale congregation have been received at various undocumented times.

Notes:
For photographs related to this congregation search the Mennonite Archival Image Database.

For sound recordings related to this congregation see, see Hist.Mss.9.25.

An encyclopedia entry for this congregation may be found in GAMEO

For further information see L.J. Burkholder, A brief history of the Mennonites in Ontario (Mennonite Conference of Ontario, 1935), p. 89-90; Bloomingdale Mennonite Church, 1806- 1996 (Bloomingdale, Ont. : The Church, 1996); Sam Steiner, "Effects of the 1870s New Mennonite division on Bloomingdale Mennonite Church," Ontario Mennonite History 15 (April 1997), p. 28-31.

Original archival description created by Sam Steiner

Series 1: Formal records

1. Property records.
   "Conveyance: John Snider et al w/ the Trustees of Sniders Meeting House Mennonite Congregation", 1879
   "Josiah Snider et al to Jacob S. Snider, Daniel Shantz and Albert Snyder Trustees of Snider's Meeting House Mennonite Congregation: Convenance", 1882
   "Victor R. Reist and Elizabeth Reist to the Trustees of Snider's Meeting House Mennonite congregation: Quit Claim Deed", 1975 
   "In the matter of the Title to Lot No. part lot 7... : Deposit", 1975 
   Minor Variance Application, 1985 
2. Sunday school financial records, 1951-1960
3. Sunday school offering, attendance and organizational records, 1947-1964 "Constitution and by-laws of the Bloomingdale Mennonite Sunday School" [n.d.]
4. Congregational meeting and cash book, including records for cemetery, 1927-1947
5. Constitutions, 1956, 1969, 1982, 1990, 1997
6. Membership lists, 1960; bulletin mailing lists, 1962, 1969; Directories 1990, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2005
7. Financial reports, 1955-1961; Sunday school reorganization lists, 1957-1961
8. Annual meeting reports, 1960-1977
9. Annual meeting reports, 1978-2003
10. Church Council minutes, 1971-1983 (few random minutes from 1960s)
11. Church Council minutes, 1984- Feb. 1988
12. Church Council minutes, Mar. 1988-Mar. 1992
13. Church Council minutes, 
         1992-1994
         1995-1996
         1997-1998
         1999-2000
         2001-
14. Mennonite Youth Fellowship minutes, 
         1950-1958, 1973-1980
15. Worship Committee minutes
         1985-1999
16. Christian Education minutes
         1992-1999
17. Shepherd Ministry minutes
         1994-1999
18. Elder Ministry minutes
         1997-1999
19. Facilities Committee minutes
         1995/96
20. Fellowship Ministry minutes
         1992-1995
21. Gift Discernment minutes
         1996-1999
22. Stewards and Trustees
         1995-1999
23. Community Life Ministry
         1996-1999
24. Enrichment Leave Planning Group
         1998-1999
25. Photo Directory Planning Group
         1998
26. Anniversary Committee, 1996
27. Congregational Profiles, 1983, 1991, 1992, 2002

Series 2: Informal records

1. Questionnaires, copies of vows, obituaries, birth announcements and membership transfers, 1950s-1961
2. Misc. programs and announcements, 1920-1963
3. Summer Bible School records, 1953-1974
4. Correspondence, 1955-1963, 1989-1997
5. Religious Film Fellowship information, 1959-1961
6. Photo album created for 1961 celebrations
7. Dorothy Sauder, Trail's end: the Oxbow (Bloomingdale : The Church, 1972)
8. Sunday school lesson picture cares, 1902-1932 (most 1915-1916, 1928)
9. Historical materials gathered at time of 1972 centennial celebration.
10. Calendar of Events, 1994-1999
11. BMC Prayer Matters, 1998
12. News & Notes, 1995-2002, 2004-2007
13. Handbooks
    Handbook, April 23, 1997
    Guidelines, May 1998
    Newcomer Packet, 2001
14. 200th Anniversary, 2005-2006. Including a copy of Gratitude for the Journey: a future with hope, 1806-2006/ by Sally Warrington and Les Warrington [eds.] Bloomindale : [the Church], 2006 ; a script for Journey, a play by Bertha Landers about early Mennonite settlers at Bloomingdale performed by the congregation in 2006.
15. Bible Survey Course : Sunday School Teacher Training of the Mennonite Church; Unit III : New Testament Studies - 2nd ed. / by Chester K. Lehman. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, [1940]. [Removed]
16. Stewardship for Mission Program, 1964
17. Newspaper clippings featuring members of the congregation
18. Historian's reports

Series 3: Bulletins

1. Bulletins, 1955-1970, Sept. 1971-1981, 1982 (partial), 1983-2003