Pine Grove Mennonite Church (Battle Creek, Michigan, USA)
The Heath Street Mennonite Church in Battle Creek, Michigan, began in 1952 as an outpost of the Bowne Mennonite Church in Clarksville, Michigan. Services began in a private home. By 1953, the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Mission Board had taken over oversight of the work and, by December 1953, was planning on building a meetinghouse in Battle Creek. The building at 27 Heath Street was dedicated on 24 July 1955.
In the early 1980s, the church became crowded under the leadership of Thomas Schwartz, a former Amishman. The congregation purchased land about a mile from the original location and built a new meetinghouse on Wattles Road. It dedicated the new building on 11 July 1982 and changed the name of the church to Pine Grove Mennonite Church. In 2020, the former Heath Street building served a Church of Christ congregation.
In 2019, the Pine Grove Mennonite Church changed its name to Wattles Park Faith Fellowship.
In July 2020, the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference received a letter stating the Wattles Park Faith Fellowship wished to be removed from all conference-related involvement according to a congregational decision made in January 2019. It appears the congregation then became an independent community church.
Bibliography
Eash, Sanford and Orpha. "Pine Grove: where they teach the Bible." Gospel Herald 75, no. 33 (17 August 1982): 557-558.
"The Heath St. Mennonite Church,..." Gospel Herald 48, no. 32 (9 August 1955): 757.
Hoover, Helene. "Wattles Park Faith Fellowship withdrawal." Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference Annual Sessions 2021. 2021. Web. 22 July 2024. https://im.mennonite.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-Congregational-Updates.pdf.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 311.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 250.
Additional Information
Address: 1195 North Wattles Road, Battle Creek, Michigan 49014
Telephone: 269-964-6937
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 2019)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2019)
Pastoral Leaders at Wattles Park Faith Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Daniel E. Zook (1907-1974) | 1952-1955? |
| John M. Snyder | 1955-1958 |
| Harold M. Christophel (1912-1995) | 1958-1977 |
| Thomas L. Schwartz | 1976- |
Wattles Park Faith Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 16 |
| 1970 | 23 |
| 1980 | 38 |
| 1990 | 45 |
| 2000 | 45 |
| 2009 | 45 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | July 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Pine Grove Mennonite Church (Battle Creek, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2024. Web. 23 Jul 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pine_Grove_Mennonite_Church_(Battle_Creek,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179321.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (July 2024). Pine Grove Mennonite Church (Battle Creek, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 July 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pine_Grove_Mennonite_Church_(Battle_Creek,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179321.
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