LAST LOVE FEAST IN MARKHAM DISTRICT

The last Love feast held in a barn in Markham district was held in David Byer's barn in the spring of 1877 under the supervision of Bishop Peter Cober and Bishop Samuel Snider of Vaughan township. The Saturday forenoon session was opened with singing and prayer, one minister would pray and the other minister would follow up with the Lord's Prayer which was practiced in all their services. A testimony was expected of each one to express his desire to commune if no one had any objection. If anyone was not in order they could not go to the communion. The meeting was then dismissed and they had dinner. The brethren sat at one table and the sisters at another table. The afternoon service was conducted by reading examination Scripture and they preached on how the ordinances were conducted and were then dismissed by prayer. The supper was prepared on three tables, one for the brethren, one for the sisters and one for outsiders. No outsider could eat with the brethren and sisters. They sang a hymn then the blessing was asked, sometimes in German and sometimes in English. The meat was mutton, they always had soup and everybody dipped out of the closest dish. They all kept their seats at the table until feetwashing and the communion was over. The fermented wine which was used was made by Elder John Byer. This represented the blood of Christ. Then they preached as long as a half hour admonishing what our life should be. It was very impressive and had a great influence on the outside people who largely attended from far and near. The Sunday morning service was from nine o'clock till twelve; then dinner was prepared for all, which made it a real sociable day.

At that time the ministers and bishops were chosen by casting lots. This was changed later for voting out of the congregation.

Up until 1879 the church in Ontario held her own conferences, then they united with the church in the United States and had one conference. The first was held in Markham in 1880. Markham district was blessed with a lot of talented men. They could supply their own district and also supplied other districts of which I have already mentioned and also a number of ministers went to the United States. One was Joseph Stump who married Catherine Lehman. Witnesses were Samuel Lehman and Catherine Stump. They were married by Rev. Mr. Jenkins of Richmond Hill in 1838 and went to Nappanee, Indiana. His son, John Stump, was elected bishop of that place and also Martin Hoover, brother of Samuel Hoover, minister of the Old Mennonite Church who also was one of the first bishops of that place. Later, Daniel Heise and Thomas S. Doner went to Clarence Centre, N.Y., and John Eyer and Daniel Steckley went to Kansas. There were more bishops and ministers and deacons out of the church than at any other period of the church which was a great asset to their official staff. They had very little education and most of them stood steadfast to the principles of the church. Later, Jonathan Lyons went to Michigan and became bishop of that place.

I will try and tell how members were taken into the church in those days. There were no special meetings, they usually made a start either at Love feast time or at prayer meeting and sometimes at a house meeting. It was not long until you saw a change, they at once conformed to the rules of the church in dress and got rid of their pride. I have an article written in this book written by Bishop John Winger of Black Creek, one of the founders of the church which explains what he wrote to a young convert of Waterloo district in 1825. Bishop Peter Cober used to be much interested in the young converts. He used to say "Dig deep and get on the rock and bring forth fruit meet for repentance and also count the cost" which would often take months. After they were willing to observe all things and testify that they had found peace and were willing to deny themselves and suffer for Christ they were taken into the church on their testimony and then our bishop baptized them and at that time they made their baptizmal vows in the water. Most of the converts testified to the new birth and were led by the Holy Spirit and endured to the end and remained steadfast until death. Their end was peace. That old German hymn was sung a good many times. Jesu, Jesu, Brunn des labens, Stell ach stell dich bei uns ein. Which seemed to be a favorite among the older people. Peter Baker was the last minister to preach in German.

The house meetings were discontinued first by Elder John Byer in 1892, then by David Byer in 1894 and Jonathan Baker in Vaughan in 1896 and John Cober in Pickering township in 1904. So today we are living in an altogether different age than in our father's day.