Ebenezer Mennonite Church (Bluffton, Ohio, USA)
The Ebenezer Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite), located two miles (three km) east of Bluffton, Ohio, was a member of the Middle District Conference (later Central District Conference). This congregation formed one of the two centers of the original Swiss community between Bluffton and Pandora. A meetinghouse was built near the site of the present building in 1846, enlarged in 1883, and again in 1928. After Pandora in 1904, and Bluffton in 1918 had organized separate congregations, Ebenezer and St. Johns remained united as one congregation under the ministry of William Gotschall, the last of the ministers to serve the united Swiss community. In 1923 this union was dissolved, and Elmer Neuenschwander became the first minister of the separate congregation. The 1953 membership was 507, with Howard T. Landes as pastor.
In February 1986 Ebenezer withdrew from the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Central District Conference. The church cited doctrinal and ethical differences, including sanctuary [refugees], abortion and peace. The congregation continued as an independent Mennonite church.
Bibliography
Weidner, Mark. "Ebenezer Church Withdraws from Conferences." The Mennonite, Central District Edition (22 April 1986): A-8.
Additional Information
Ebenezer Mennonite Church website
Author(s) | C. Henry Smith |
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Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Smith, C. Henry. "Ebenezer Mennonite Church (Bluffton, Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 1 Sep 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ebenezer_Mennonite_Church_(Bluffton,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=87177.
APA style
Smith, C. Henry. (1956). Ebenezer Mennonite Church (Bluffton, Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 1 September 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ebenezer_Mennonite_Church_(Bluffton,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=87177.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 136. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.