Bethel Mennonite Church (Ashley, Michigan, USA)
The first Mennonites to move to Ashley, Gratiot County, Michigan, came from Illinois in 1918 in search of cheaper farmland. The Samuel Slagell family was the first. The new Ashley Mennonites organized a Sunday school in the Slagell home in December 1919 and began meeting in the Daggett schoolhouse southwest of Ashley in January 1920.
In 1920, Preacher George H. Summer moved with his family to Ashley and assumed pastoral leadership. A congregation was organized on 6 July 1920. In the winter of 1920/21, the young congregation began to meet in the Washington Center Evangelical Church before returning to the schoolhouse. In January 1922, the congregation began construction of a meetinghouse three miles west of the Daggett schoolhouse; it was dedicated on 8 October 1922.
In the 1950s and 1960s, students from Michigan State University in East Lansing made Bethel Mennonite their church home.
The Bethel Mennonite Church closed on 17 April 2022 after its pastor's declining health prevented its continuation. In 2024, the Redeeming Love Christian Fellowship occupied the former Bethel church building.
Bibliography
"Ashley, Mich." Gospel Herald 15, no. 31 (2 November 1922): 601, 604.
"Fifty years at Bethel, Ashley, Michigan." Gospel Herald 65, no. 49 (19 December 1972): 1033.
Oyer, D. S. "Ashley, Mich." Gospel Herald 13, no. 17 (22 July 1920): 329.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 307.
"Report Book for Annual Sessions 2022." Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Elkhart, Ind.: The Conference, 2022: 30.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 240-241.
Additional Information
Address: 9785 South Bagley Road, Ashley, Michigan
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Bethel Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| George H. Summer (1871-1937) | 1920-1937 |
| John "Kore" Zook (1894-1984) | 1937-1954 |
| Eli A. Bontrager (1861-1956) | 1938-1942 |
| Daniel S. Oyer (1882-1954)(Deacon) (Bishop) |
1923-1942 1942-1954 |
| John M. Landis (1914-2003) | 1954-1958 |
| Herman R. Weaver (1932-1973) | 1958-1961 |
| Allen "A. Lehman" Longenecker (1914-2005) | 1962-1970 |
| Calvin R. Kaufman | 1971?-1977 |
| H. James Martin (1923-1987) | 1977-1980 |
| Fred Gibbs (Interim) | 1980-1981 |
| Robert M. "Bob" McKelvey | 1981-1988 |
| Jason S. Martin (1927-2007)(Interim) | 1989-1990 |
| Gordon Myers | 1990-1992? |
| Lay Leadership | 1992-1994 |
| Joe Pendleton | 1994-2022 |
Bethel Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1921 | 26 |
| 1930 | 87 |
| 1940 | 130 |
| 1950 | 140 |
| 1960 | 140 |
| 1970 | 146 |
| 1980 | 157 |
| 1990 | 142 |
| 2000 | 116 |
| 2009 | 46 |
| 2020 | 18 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Daniel S. Oyer. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 313. All rights reserved.
Bethel Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located in Washington Township, Gratiot County, Michigan, Michigan, on U. S. Highway No. 27, 10.5 miles north of St. Johns, is a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. The congregation was organized on 6 July 1920, with 24 charter members, in the Daggett schoolhouse three miles east of the present location, with George H. Summer serving as first pastor until his death in 1937.
Kore Zook was minister after 1937, and D. S. Oyer bishop 1942-1954. In 1922 a new frame church was built. The 1953 membership was 137
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | April 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Bethel Mennonite Church (Ashley, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2024. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Ashley,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=178687.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (April 2024). Bethel Mennonite Church (Ashley, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Ashley,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=178687.
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