Bethany Church was formed as part of the
Ponsonby Circuit
- 1878 - 1925
In 1878, the Bethany church was setoff from the Elora
Circuit and the Ponsonby Circuit was
formed of Bethany, Mount Pleasant and Marden. The Mount Pleasant Church was
situated on the
eighth concession of Nichol Township and the services were held in the school
at Marden.
Rev. John Stewart was the first minister for this Circuit.
In 1897, with Rev. Judson Truax as minister, it was decided to build a
parsonage and a lot
was purchased at Ponsonby f from Mr. John Maitland. The trustee Board at this
time was John
Metcalfe, John Crosby, B.H. Lyons, Henry Martin, John McCullough, William
Kirby, John
Metcalfe Jr., John Elliott, William Thacker, Frank Martin, George Wallace,
Ebenzer Aitchison
and Henry Hall. A Parsonage Board was appointed to look after the building of
the parsonage.
From Bethany - Henry Hall, Jabez Bettchen, Frank Martin, David Larter,
Edgarton Fyfe, George
Wallace; from Mount Pleasant - Hugh Cook, John McCullough, Michael Metcalfe,
William Kirby;
from Marden - John Crosby, Archibald Dunbar and John Metcalfe Jr. The red
brick, one and a
half story eight room parsonage was finally built in 1899 with Rev. H.J.
Harnwell the first
minister to live in it.
In 1907 the services at Marden were withdrawn and the Ponsonby Circuit was
changed to
Bethany and Mount Pleasant only. Rev.W.A. Terry was the last minister to have
the three
charges and was followed by Rev. Jabez Dyke. Then followed Revs. Thomas
Voaden, Fred W.
Crowle, William Walker, Austen W. Guild, Roscoe H. Smith and Albert E. Millen
when Ponsonby
became United.
 On June 25th, 1923, Bethany Church was in the path of a great windstorm which
swept this
community. The roof was blown off and the pulpit, organ and communion table
were broken. The
church was repaired by James Brown and assisted by Joseph Dunbar. Visitors to
the wrecked
church were amazed to find the old clock still ticking away on the wall.
Trustees at this
time were Thomas and Robert Bye, Thomas and Spencer Hall, Stanley Royce,
William Fasken,
Peter Dunbar, and William Thacker with Rev. Roscoe Smith as minister.
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