Choctaw Christian Church (Louisville, Mississippi, USA)
The Choctaw Christian Church began in 1973 when David Z. Weaver, who had been pastoring the Mashulaville Mennonite Church, agreed to start a new church among the Choctaw People at Crystal Ridge in Winston County, Mississippi.
In 1973 the group was already raising money for a church with four classrooms. On 18 May 1975, Choctaw Christian Church held a dedication service for its new sanctuary, five miles north of Crystal Ridge on J Williams Road. Choctaw Christian Church initially was part of the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC). In 1979 it became part of the new region Gulf States Mennonite Conference.
After David Weaver moved to Alabama, various laypersons took leadership, including Will Wallace and, later, Kim and Louis Ferris. James Metzler worked for the Gulf States Mennonite Conference. The Mennonite Yearbook listed him as the pastor from 1990-1993. By the time Ethan Good served as occasional pastor, the church only regularly had between five and 15 attendees, with most of them being children. The Mennonite Directory listed Good as pastor until 2002.
Sixty percent of delegates in the Gulf States Mennonite Conference voted to withdraw from Mennonite Church USA in November 2014. This percentage fell short of the two-thirds vote that was required. Choctaw Christian Church was among the congregations that then withdrew from the Gulf States Mennonite Conference in 2015. It subsequently joined the Good News Fellowship, a regional denomination with roots in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference.
Bibliography
"Choctaws invite Weaver to found new church." Gospel Herald 66, no. 26 (26 June 1973): 525.
Kanagy, Jordan. "The history of Choctaw Christian Church." Faithlife. Web. 23 October 2023. https://faithlife.com/posts/3466188
Additional Information
Address: 668 J Williams Road, Louisville, Mississippi 39339
Phone: 662-803-9184
Website: https://www.choctawchristianchurch.com/
Denominational Affiliations: Good News Fellowship
Pastoral Leaders at Choctaw Christian Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| David Z. Weaver (1922-1997) | 1973-1985? |
| Lay leadership | 1985?-1989 |
| James E. Metzler | 1989-1993 |
| Gary Tubby | 1993-1998? |
| Ethan Good | 1998-2002 |
| Lay leadership | 2002-2017 |
| Jordan Kanagy | 2017- |
Choctaw Christian Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 32 |
| 1990 | 37 |
| 2000 | 0? |
| 2009 | 3 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | October 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Choctaw Christian Church (Louisville, Mississippi, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2023. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Choctaw_Christian_Church_(Louisville,_Mississippi,_USA)&oldid=177710.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (October 2023). Choctaw Christian Church (Louisville, Mississippi, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Choctaw_Christian_Church_(Louisville,_Mississippi,_USA)&oldid=177710.
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