Marion Christian Fellowship (Shipshewana, Indiana, USA)
The Marion Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), located at 5460 North 450 West, Shipshewana, LaGrange County, Indiana, five miles (eight km) west of Howe, is a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. It began as a mission outpost of the Shore congregation, near Shipshewana, Indiana. On 10 December 1944 the Marion Sunday school was organized under the direction of the Indiana-Michigan District Mission Board, with 18 charter members under the leadership of Willard Sommers. In 1950 the group was organized as an independent congregation, and on 12 November 1950, Paul W. Haarer was ordained as minister to assist Sommers. The membership in 1955 was 78. The meetinghouse, built in 1903 by the Methodist Church and sold by them to the Mennonites, is a frame structure with a seating capacity of approximately 130. In 2005 the membership was 75.
In June 2015 the Marion congregation withdrew from the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. This move was part of a larger realignment of Mennonite congregations in the 2010s that were formerly part of Mennonite Church USA. These congregations were unhappy with Mennonite Church USA's failure to take stronger disciplinary actions against area conferences and congregations who expressed openness to inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
In 2017 the congregation changed its name to Marion Christian Fellowship.
Bibliography
Additional Information
Address: 5460 N 450 W, Shipshewana, Indiana
Phone: 260-562-2910
Website: http://marionmennonite.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
| Author(s) | Paul W Haarer |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | June 2017 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Haarer, Paul W and Samuel J. Steiner. "Marion Christian Fellowship (Shipshewana, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2017. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Marion_Christian_Fellowship_(Shipshewana,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=165929.
APA style
Haarer, Paul W and Samuel J. Steiner. (June 2017). Marion Christian Fellowship (Shipshewana, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Marion_Christian_Fellowship_(Shipshewana,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=165929.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 485. All rights reserved.
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