Zion Mennonite Church (Vestaburg, Michigan, USA)
By the fall of 1913, four Mennonite families from other parts of Michigan lived near Vestaburg, Richland Township, Montcalm County, Michigan. The first Mennonite worship services occurred on 1 December 1913 in the Church of the Brethren meetinghouse.
The Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Mission Board ordained John M. Yoder to provide pastoral leadership to the Vestaburg group, initially known as the Oak Grove Mennonite Church. The congregation purchased and remodeled a former schoolhouse and used it for worship until 1919 when it built a meetinghouse on land donated by Abram Snyder. It began using the building in September and dedicated the meetinghouse on 7 December 1919.
In early 1920, the congregation changed its name to Zion Mennonite Church. It explained that its new meetinghouse, four miles southwest of Vestaburg, was two miles from Oak Grove Corner. The church's name implied it was at that location, so it had become misleading.
The Zion Mennonite Church closed in 1970; it was last listed in the 1970 Mennonite Yearbook.
Bibliography
"The name of the Oak Grove Church...." Gospel Herald 12, no. 52 (25 March 1920): 983.
"Our Mennonite churches." Gospel Herald 57, no. 28 (21 July 1964): 622. [with photo]
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 312.
Schloneger, R. J. "Vestaburg, Mich." Gospel Herald 7, no. 15 (9 July 1914): 241, 244.
Switzer, Susanna. "Vestaburg, Mich." Gospel Herald 12, no. 28 (9 October 1919): 520.
"Vestaburg, Mich." Gospel Herald 6, no. 38 (18 December 1913): 604.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 154-155.
Additional Information
Address: Vestaburg, Michigan
Telephone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Zion Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Visiting Ministers | 1913-1914 |
| John M. Yoder (1878-1967) | 1914-1920 |
| Royal A. Buskirk (1888-1981) | 1917-1928 |
| Erie E. Bontrager (1896-1993) | 1928-1965 |
| Lloyd R. Miller (1920-2011) | 1965-1969 |
Zion Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1914 | 18 |
| 1920 | 38 |
| 1930 | 16 |
| 1940 | 19 |
| 1950 | 35 |
| 1960 | 25 |
| 1970 | 21 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Melvin Gingerich. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1032. All rights reserved.
Zion Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), Vestaburg, Michigan, is located several miles south of the town. Under the Indiana-Michigan Conference, the congregation was organized in 1914. Erie E. Bontrager was pastor of its 25 members in 1959.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | September 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Zion Mennonite Church (Vestaburg, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Mennonite_Church_(Vestaburg,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179560.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (September 2024). Zion Mennonite Church (Vestaburg, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Mennonite_Church_(Vestaburg,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179560.
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