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The group had to make a fundamental choice at this point. Two of the most respected preachers who had come to the Hawkesville Gospel Mission were Henry Jansen, a Russian Mennonite from Kitchener, and Frank Guthrie from the brethren assembly in Guelph. Should they become part of the Russian Mennonite organization, or should they follow the New Testament church pattern, as espoused by Frank Guthrie?
Though Israel Martin initially leaned toward affiliating with the Russian Mennonites, eventually the whole group decided upon the New Testament pattern, with the Word of God as their sole authority. But Mennonite customs were slow to disappear, the characteristic dress being one of these. The 1934 opening of the Guelph Bible Conference Grounds, 25 miles from Hawkesville, at which the main speaker was [[Henry Allan Ironside|Harry Ironside]], is remembered as having a major influence upon the Hawkesville Christians.
The number of those affiliating with the new assembly at the Hawkesville Gospel Mission grew, and Nathan Martin’s house was inadequate. Property was secured in the center of Hawkesville at the corner of Geddes Street and Hawk Street. The Hawkesville Gospel Hall had its opening in December 1939 with a series of meetings, at which a number were saved. John Martin, who with Sydney Hoffman had been commended to full-time work elsewhere, returned and was one of the speakers.
A few miles east of Elmira is the city of Guelph. In the early 1900s, an assembly was meeting in a house on Norwich Street in Guelph, apparently the first in that city. C. Ernest Tatham’s father was the leading brother in this meeting, which later moved to a hall over the old Royal Bank building on Wyndham Street. At that time, the meeting consisted mostly of the extended Tatham family and a few others.
In 1916, the Eramosa Road Gospel Hall was built, after some of the McAllister family moved to Guelph from the Clifford area. A ‘Grant exclusive’ meeting, Eramosa was apparently the subsequent meeting place of the earlier house meeting, for C. Ernest Tatham fellowshipped there as a young man. Many of the well-known preachers of the day came there, including John Bloore, Samuel Ridout, [[Henry Allan Ironside|H.A. Ironside]], and Alex Stuart. The leading brethren at Eramosa Road Gospel Hall were John McAllister, John Irvine, Frank Guthrie, and later Stuart Burnham. These were the years of amalgamation of the Grants with the ‘open’ assemblies, and it is fair to assume that Eramosa Road Gospel Hall became ‘open.’
In 1958, L.J. Harris, R.W. Farnworth, and others desired to see the work grow, and the present facility at 491 Waterloo Avenue was built in 1960 and the name changed to Guelph Bible Chapel. Elders were recognized beginning in 1973. In 1974, Murray McLeod, a retired missionary from India, was invited to be a part-time pastor, and continued until 1981, at which time David Booker became a full-time pastor, followed by Kirk Lithander and Jack Correll as full-time workers. Other elders, besides those named above, include Les Harris, R.K. Farnworth, Bill Bleach, Gordon Guthrie, Henry Thiessen, Lew Aubrey, Harry Hitchon, Norm Boyd, Jerry Earls, Jim Ritchie, Dave McCready, and Mr. Brewster.
In 1875, the evangelists Donald Munro and John Smith, arrived in Toronto. Not finding a suitable place for preaching, they rented a hall and preached there. They often stayed at the home of John Ironside, who met with the Christians at Elizabeth Street. In 1879, Donald Ross held meetings for at least three weeks at Elizabeth Street Hall, and it is thought that this was the beginning of the first identifiable ‘open brethren’ assembly in the city.
Later in 1879, Donald Ross and [[Thomas Donald William Muir|Thomas Donald William "T.D.W." Muir]] preached together in a tent on Yonge Street, and later Mr. Moyse of Australia joined them. The following year, Alexander Marshall conducted a Gospel campaign in the city; [[Henry Allan Ironside|Harry Ironside ]] was his co-worker for a time in these meetings.
During this period, Brock Street Temperance Hall, which stood on Brock Street at the corner of Little Richmond, emerged as the center championing ‘open’ principles. Brock Avenue Gospel Hall and Central Gospel Hall both have their roots in the Brock Street Temperance Hall.