Bishop Clayton F. Derstine

Clayton F. Derstine, a Bishop in the Illinois Conference of the Mennonite Church, was the youngest Bishop in America. He came to the First Mennonite Church, Kitchener, in 1924, where he demonstrated spiritual integrity and wisdom for more than forty years. He was Bishop in the Ontario Conference from 1925. He was internationally known as an evangelist, teacher, writer and lecturer.

Bishop Derstine was an instructor in the Ontario Mennonite Bible School; taught public speaking at Waterloo College; was editor of the Christian Monitor for twenty-five years; compiled a book of 300 hymns and meditations and wrote fifteen books. He started the first Community Bible School in Canada; launched and served the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship; and was Chairman of the Board of the House of Friendship for twenty-five years. His work took him through Canada and to forty-five states of the USA. He had the privilege of preaching to and serving three generations of the Mennonite Church.