Naubinway Christian Fellowship (Naubinway, Michigan, USA)
The Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Mission Board, through the efforts of Clarence Troyer and others, began a mission at Naubinway, Michigan, in 1942. Naubinway was a fishing village of 250 people on the northernmost point of Lake Michigan. In December 1945, the Board ordained Ora C. Wyse to provide pastoral leadership.
Wyse first used a former store building for services. Later, in 1946, the Mission Board purchased a derelict 1868 Presbyterian building. After remodeling with the help of summer volunteers, the mission occupied the space in 1947 but did not dedicate the building until 11 July 1948.
Ora Wyse was traditional in his theological orientation; in 1969, he wrote that he would not give a good letter of membership transfer to any woman who cut her hair.
For many years the small Naubinway and Rexton congregations shared a pastor.
In about 2004, the Naubinway Mennonite Church changed its name to Naubinway Christian Fellowship.
In 2015 the Naubinway 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 that expressed openness to the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons.
The nearby Rexton Mennonite Church also withdrew from the conference in 2015. In 2016, the two churches agreed to "meld," and in 2017, they began operating as the Christian Fellowship Churches of Mackinac County, with two locations. They considered themselves a non-denominational church. The Rexton location subsequently closed.
Bibliography
"About Us." Christian Fellowship Churches of Mackinac County. 2017. Web. 5 July 2024. https://www.cfcmi.com/about-us.
Miller, Tim. "Naubinway Christian Fellowship." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 2 (March/April 2016): 4.
"An old building at Naubinway, Mich." Gospel Herald 41, no. 37 (14 September 1948): 863.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 259, 310
Troyer, Clarence. "Curtis, Mich." Gospel Herald 35, no. 32 (5 November 1942): 681.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 253.
Wyse, Ora C. "Naubinway, Michigan." Gospel Herald 39, no. 32 (5 November 1946): 702.
Additional Information
Addresses: W16121 Main St., Naubinway, Michigan N7970 Church St., Rexton, Michigan
Phone: 906-477-6553
Website: https://www.cfcmi.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 2015)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2015)
Pastoral Leaders at Naubinway Christian Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Visiting Ministers | 1942-1946 |
| Ora C. Wyse (1919-1999) | 1946-1974 |
| Keith R. Swartz (1950- ) | 1973-1982 |
| Paul F. Weaver (1910-1996) | 1983-1985 |
| Eli Stoltzfus | 1984-1985 |
| Lay Leadership | 1985-1990 |
| Ed Swartley | 1990-1996 |
| Craig Lambright | 1996-1997 |
| Timothy O. Miller | 1998- |
Naubinway Christian Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 4 |
| 1950 | 7 |
| 1960 | 22 |
| 1970 | 18 |
| 1980 | 15 |
| 1990 | 7 |
| 2000 | 5 |
| 2009 | 24 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ora C. Wyse. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 814. All rights reserved.
The Naubinway Christian Fellowship (formerly Naubinway Mennonite Church) (Mennonite Church USA) is located at the northern tip of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula on Main Street in Naubinway. The congregation was originally sponsored by the Indiana-Michigan District Mission Board. Work was begun there in 1943 by Clarence Troyer from a neighboring mission station. In 1946 Ora C. Wyse and family came from Midland, Michigan, to carry on the work. In 1947 an old Presbyterian church was bought, remodelled, and repaired with the help of a service unit and others. The membership in 1956 was 12, with O. C. Wyse as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | July 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Naubinway Christian Fellowship (Naubinway, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2024. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Naubinway_Christian_Fellowship_(Naubinway,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179255.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (July 2024). Naubinway Christian Fellowship (Naubinway, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Naubinway_Christian_Fellowship_(Naubinway,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179255.
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