The Randolph CMC was the original Chortitzer church in Canada. The first church building was constructed at Chortitz (now known as Randolph) in 1876 and replaced in 1896 by the building that still stands today. For many years, the church at Chortitz was the central church of the conference, which is how the conference become known as the "Chortitzer" church.
The current church building is one of the oldest churches of its kind still in use in Canada. Services are still conducted in German and singing is done without musical instruments. However, as times have changed and the membership has dwindled, the CMC has announced that the final Sunday service at Randolph will take place later in 2010. The cemetery is being transformed into a heritage cemetery in order to help preserve the site for future generations. If you wish to donate to this project, please contact the CMC office.
More history of the Chortitz church and the Chortitzer Mennonite Conference can be found in the CMC History Book (1874-1990). The book can be purchased through the conference office.
