Beech Mennonite Church (Louisville, Ohio, USA)
The Beech Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), formerly called Buchenland (Beechland), and formerly Amish, is located near Louisville, Stark County, Ohio. The first settlers came from Alsace near the border of Switzerland but seem originally to have emigrated from the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Original deeds indicate that John King purchased a farm in 1819. Michael Schloneger and Jacob Conrad, Jr., purchased farms in 1822. Jacob Conrad, Sr., father of the above, who had been ordained for the Montbeliard congregation in Alsace, was the first minister. According to tradition the first settlers were joined in 1823 by others from the canton of Bern. In 1825 the congregation organized and about 1830 erected a small log meetinghouse, John Schloneger was the first minister ordained by the new congregation and later served as the first resident bishop. Michael Schloneger, a younger brother, was ordained as minister soon after 1860 and a year later as bishop. John Schloneger had died at a comparatively early age. About 1884 the congregation organized a Sunday school under the superintendency of Jacob Schmucker and Michael Maurer, but for some reason this Sunday school was discontinued. The Sunday school effected a permanent organization in 1888 with John Sommers, one of the ministers, and Daniel Schmucker, the deacon, serving as superintendents. Other outstanding Sunday-school workers have been Jacob Meyer, David Schloneger, Harvey H. Sommers, and Mahlon O. Krabill. In 1925 the congregation called Otis N. Johns to serve as bishop. He was a minister at the Canton Mission at that time and was ordained bishop for the Beech congregation before he left. The membership in 1953 was 364. In 2008 the membership was 250; the pastor was Dan King.
Additional Information
Address: 10037 Easton St., Louisville, Ohio
Phone: 330-875-1133
Website: Beech Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Ohio Conference of the Mennonite Church
| Author(s) | John S Umble |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Umble, John S. "Beech Mennonite Church (Louisville, Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Beech_Mennonite_Church_(Louisville,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=54378.
APA style
Umble, John S. (1953). Beech Mennonite Church (Louisville, Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Beech_Mennonite_Church_(Louisville,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=54378.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 261-262. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.