The 175th Anniversary of Mapleton Church of Christ

This sermon was preached by Sarah Leitch, a seminarian from Mapleton Church of Christ, in Aylmer, Ontario, on the occasion of its 175th anniversary celebration.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an

apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Welcome on this auspicious day of celebration and reflection. Today, we gather to honour the 175 years of this congregation: stories of faith, courage, and community. Stories are powerful they share our past, shape our identity, and guide our future. As people of faith, our lives are part of a much larger story, rooted in the stories of the Old and New Testaments - the living Word of God.

In today’s scripture, Paul’s letter to Timothy offers us a glimpse into his personal story – one full of encouragement, gratitude, and faith. Paul reminds Timothy to “rekindle the gift of God within you.” That invitation is extended to each of us to continue the story of God’s love in our time.

I invite you to look around.

These walls, these windows, this sanctuary, have been witness to stories long forgotten by us but still known by God. These are stories of resilience and tragedy, of joy and sorrow, misunderstanding and cooperation, humour, humility, grace, and compassion. These stories are the threads that connect one generation to the next … stretching back through time and reaching forward beyond us. Each in, its own way, fueled by the desire to nurture the good within us. To live in Christ-like thought and action, be the neighbour we wish to have, share our talents and time to lift each other up.

Photo by Jean-Daniel Ó Donncada

But the story of this place began long before this congregation’s formation in 1850. For countless generations, Indigenous peoples stewarded this part of Turtle Island. This land was expansively home to Anishinabe , Attiwonderonk, Haudenosaunee, and Mississauga nations long before the signing of the McKee Treaty 2 in 1790, and the Between the Lakes Purchase and the Collins Purchase, known as Treaty 3 in 1792.

Their communities carried deep stories of creation, belonging, and stewardship demonstrating faith and land are inseparable. When the founders of this congregation settled here, Indigenous peoples still lived and travelled these lands. Some of today’s roads began as ancient footpaths dense through Carolinian forest.

This land, once rich with massive elm trees, maples, hickories, and ash, carries stories of both growth and loss, beauty and harm.

To celebrate this milestone, we must also reflect on the truth: that progress was not share equally among all of God’s creation. Our story is joined with theirs, so we must learn and tell the whole story moving forward recognizing the harms done and be rooted in reconciliation, humility and respect for all of God’s creation.

My own family’s story is woven into this narrative.

My ancestors journeyed here on a long voyage by sea and over land, families in tow, purchasing land sight unseen from a British officer’s widow in New York. Like so many immigration stories, they are stitched with challenge and resilience, uncertainty and perseverance, survival, anticipation and determination for something better for the next generation.

Like an invisible string, my DNA has been present in this congregation from the beginning. I have heard many stories about my family’s history in Canada, and compared to our lived experience today, life was hard.

This area was covered in thick forests, with roads adjacent to property maintained only by the property owner - to varying standards. My great, great, great, great grandfather Cline is told to have trekked to Niagara to have his wheat milled into flour. On foot… barefoot...every time. My family often mused his feet must have been tougher than leather!

Every landowner was required to clear a certain acreage of trees each year. The original Cline homestead is just down the road … where my father grew up. Even in the 1950s, he remembered farmland still being cleared of stumps to make it workable. Like so many families here, my ancestor’s story became part of the foundation of this congregation. These stories reveal grit and determination, persistence and generosity; faith is lived out through ordinary, daily experiences.

In 1850, with the leadership of Edmund Sheppard and the founding elders, early immigrants gathered around a table in a candlelit log cabin.

This flickering light marked the first chapter of this congregation’s story. This early congregation brought together a living blend of Christian traditions, backgrounds, and languages, including German, Gaelic, and English … united in its desire to grow in faith, hope, and community.

My great, great, great grandparents came with different traditions; The Cline’s were Quaker’s and Sherk family were Mennonite. Edmund Sheppard, a Scotsman by birth, was introduced t the Disciples of Christ in England prior to his immigration. He encouraged communities of faith throughout Southwestern Ontario to form and grow, beginning their own stories, yet connected to ours. This was his epicentre … A community where hope and faith took root in a challenging but promising new land. He invited people of differing traditions to gather, studying the Bible, and draw strength, hope and love from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

The Latin root of the word ‘disciple’ means “student” - “one who is taught of the Lord.” The very first disciples were learners, followers of God’s message of love for all. As Disciples of Christ, we remain committed to that call: learning, questioning, growing in faith.

We read the Scripture with open hearts, seeking shared meaning across faith traditions. In this new land there was freedom to practice religion as they chose. This first congregation met in a log cabin on what is now the cemetery, reading scripture, breaking bread and sharing wine, as we do today. Every time we gather at the Communion Table, we retell the story of Christ’s love, and we renew our commitment.

The wider story of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is one of unity and inclusion. A denomination that resisted becoming a denomination until the late 1960s, existing in covenant together, believing unity through relationship mattered more than institutional boundaries. But to continue to remain active in broader ecumenical work, became a formal denomination but never losing that spirit of inclusivity. Our story has always been about connection and relationship – a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.

At our root is God’s message of faith, love, inclusion, grace, compassion, kindness, peace, and co-operation. Across the denomination and in this congregation every story matters – lay and clergy alike. Each voice valued, each gift recognized, every act of service honoured, adding another page to the book of Mapleton’s faith.

This church’s story as been shaped by many strong women, my own family among them. I’ve been told the women in my family possessed a certain tenacity, in other words, a stubborn streak. I may have inherited this trait too. My great grandmother, Agnes May (Cline) Rohrer, born in 1885, was one of the many determined, hardworking women. She gave what she could at a time when women were not yet officially recognized as persons in many parts of Canada.

Aggie was the backbone of her immediate family and extended kin. To help pay the mortgage she bought a Singer sewing machine by mail order on a payment plan, making gloves from old work clothes to sell. In March 1929, months before the stock market crash, she gave $5 “to help with Mr. Stephens salary” … equivalent to about $100 today… This was likely earned from those gloves, selling milk to the local cheese factory, or her geese at the Covent Garden Market in London at Christmas. Money was very tight, yet she still gave because supporting the minister in his work mattered deeply.

Through attitudes like this, the MVB Bible Study began as a Bible study group which took on fundraising to assist Mabel Violet Brown on her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Their fundraising spirit blossomed into our current “Pie Ladies,” with many men peeling the fruit alongside them. Over the years, the mission evolved. Bazaars were held for many years to raise funds to assist in the operation of this church and to contribute to missions beyond these walls. This generosity has made a difference for many through support of local non-profit organizations supporting those facing significant challenges in our community and beyond. Every pie, every fundraiser, every act of service tells a story: one of faith expressed through hands and hearts.

Through the decades, Mapleton’s story has been written by its people – those who served quietly, those who led boldly, and those who simply showed up. This church has made it to this 175th year because of a shared spirit – a commitment to one another. We are all made in God’s image. Value of an individual is not diminished by the body it inhabits.

I think of the Church Board that hired Rev. Janet 20 years ago. Their attitudes were shaped by the strong, determined, capable women who raised them. They recognized the leadership qualities our first female pastor brought to the table. She carries the legacy of this church forward, serving or having served locally, nationally, and globally. A valued voice of our local, regional, and general denomination, she has been and continues to be active on many ecumenical faith boards locally, regionally and globally…like the dynamic, faithful ministers before her, she leads by example, widening the table and embracing difference as strength.

This small, yet mighty congregation, faithfully engages in the wider church and local community. This ecumenical spirit, modeled by ministers and lay leaders alike, reminds us that meaningful change begins at home and flows outward. It is not only the ministers’ job, even though it is modelled so well by Rev. Janet, but it is a task and the responsibility of each of us to reach across difference and find common needs and goals.

Mission trips, have extended our hearts and hands far beyond these walls. In my youth, I was amazed that Ken and Margaret McNeil would travel to the Dominican Republic to share their skills – sewing, cooking, farming, and construction - to help impoverished communities build their own skills to assist them in lifelong success. Examples like theirs plant the seed for others to consider helping. An enthusiastic group travelled to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating flooding to help rebuild a community space through collaboration with Aylmer Baptist Church members.

Another mission trip to Cuba, included many young people, providing assistance at an orphanage doing small, meaningful tasks to make it a better place for the children living there. Still others have ventured out into the world to share their unique skills. Dr. Russ Moncrief has participated with a veterinary mission to Central America.

The chairperson of this church, Carrie Shea, represents us at the national level, also the area level, and is the vice-moderator of the Canadian Disciples national executive.

Many in this congregation were impactful volunteers at the Disciples Conference Grounds, over its 70 years of camp programming. This helping mindset has extended beyond these walls with many in this congregation contributing outside of the church to the local community through public service. A tradition modeled from the beginning by Jacob Cline as the first Reeve of South Dorchester and a member of the inaugural Elgin County Council. Many in our congregation have followed in those public service footsteps.

Every generation adds a chapter to our story - some written in ink, others in quiet acts of faith and kindness that only God records. Now, the pen is in our hands. Each of us carry a portion of the story of this place and its people. While some of the stories have been recorded, I encourage you to share the stories that you know after service today, or during the meal later. This is one of the ways we build a community of witness and strengthen our relationships.

This 175th year milestone has been accomplished by - YOU - the people filling this building with life, heart, soul, and conscience, exhibiting love, patience, and grace for one another. Welcoming all to the table as Jesus has welcomed us. Respecting we each have different origin stories and perspectives but are still choosing to move forward together. This expansive welcome extends beyond these walls to our community and our world.

As Paul tells Timothy in our scripture:

“Rekindle the gift of God … for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:6-7

Our challenge is to keep that story alive – live it beyond these walls. When we work ecumenically -across differences of thought, tradition, and culture, - we set in motion even more profound change that empowers all of God’s creation to their fullest potential. It starts with one of us and builds to include all of us. Together we are stronger and able to accomplish more.

The version of us that worships every Sunday, learning the stories and example of Jesus, must live beyond the walls of this place. The Mapleton Church of Christ (Disciples) is experienced by who we are outside of these walls. We can choose how we show up as individuals, a congregation and in our community. While God is the divine author of each of our stories, we are the co-writer. Each of us holds a pen ready to compose the next chapter of Mapleton’s story.

What stories will be told of this congregation in the next 25, 50 or, God-willing, the next 175 years?

Who will we show up as?

Like the first congregation gathered by candlelight to study and come together nurturing hope in difficult yet exciting times, may this current congregation tell the stories, be the light, and continue to spread hope and God’s love. Love one another as we love ourselves, love and accept our neighbour -when it is easy AND when it is not-do good because it is the right– not because it will gain favour.

Keep a little humility and sense of humour along the way … Board meetings. You should come to one of our board meetings. For a place to exist this long it must be meaningful. Mapleton Church of Christ (Disciples) has been relevant and impactful. A hopeful, spiritual home that restores and renews us. Though the landscape of faith may change, the story of God’s love continues – we are part of that page-turning story.

For the Mapleton Church of Christ (Disciples), this is an opportunity to evolve, to write new chapters in our shared story, to embrace meaningful change that adds spiritual value, to welcome all who seek God’s expansive love, to be Christ-like in recognizing the divinity and humanity of every person, and to work with our ecumenical neighbours for a more just, compassionate world.

So learn and tell your stories. Imagine new ones. Find connection. And like the candle that once lit the first gathering of this congregation, may your light continue to shine brightly - a beacon of hope and love in a complicated world.

Many of us may remember our Sunday School song This little light of Mine. If you know the actions, I encourage you to do them as you sing.

This Little Light Of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine.
This Little Light Of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine.
This Little Light Of Mine, I’m Gonna Let It Shine.
Let It Shine, Let It Shine, Let It Shine!

Hide It Under A Bushel, No! I’m Gonna Let It Shine…
All Around The Neighborhood, I’m Gonna Let It Shine…
Don’t Let Satan (blow) it Out! I’m Gonna Let It Shine…
Let It Shine ‘Til Jesus Comes. I’m Gonna Let It Shine…