Item - Photograph of W.J. Stonehouse

The origins of the Holiness Movement Church in Canada can be traced back to the rise of Wesleyan holiness revivalism in late nineteenth century Canada. The church's founder, Ralph Cecil Horner (1854-1921), had been a Methodist clergyman but was deposed on disciplinary grounds in 1895. Having already established a following in Ottawa Valley and eastern Ontario, Horner formed a group that would incorporate as the Holiness Movement Church in Canada in 1900. By the time of its incorporation, the church had expanded to western Canada and New York State and carried out successful missionary work overseas. The church continued to grow until 1916 when many of its members, including Horner, left to form the Standard Church of America. By 1958, the church had dwindled to approximately 800 members and chose to merge with the Free Methodist Church in Canada. The merger of the two churches came into effect on January 1, 1959.