Kempsville Amish Mennonite Church (Kempsville, Virginia, USA)
The Kempsville Amish Mennonite Church (Beachy Amish) is located a half mile (1 km) northeast of Kempsville, Virginia, in the southeastern part of the state. An Old Order Amish community had been established here near the beginning of the twentieth century by settlers, many of whom came from Somerset County, Pennsylvania. In 1940 some of the later arrivals in the community led a movement to allow ownership of automobiles by members of the congregation. This produced a schism and the formation of the Kempsville church. After this event, most of the Old Order who did not join the progressive group moved out of the community. In 1955 the congregation had 150 members, with Jacob J. Hershberger and Ezra N. Troyer serving as ministers and Paul Brenneman as bishop. The congregation operated a parochial school, fully organized in 1946. A Conservative Mennonite church was organized here in 1952, with Simon Coblentz as bishop.
Some 15 families left the community in 1953 to found a new congregation at Montezuma, Georgia.
In 2014 the congregation was served by Bishop Donnie Brenneman, Ministers Marcus Kauffman and Raymond Kauffman, and Deacon Daniel Brenneman. The church had 55 members.
Bibliography
Beachy, Alvin J. "The Rise and Development of the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches," Mennonite Quarterly Review 29 (April 1955): 118 ff.
Mennonite Church Directory 2014. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2014: 42.
Additional Information
Address: 3261 North Landing Road, Virginia Beach, VA
Phone: 757-427-0375
Denominational Affiliation:
Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship
| Author(s) | Melvin Gingerich |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Gingerich, Melvin. "Kempsville Amish Mennonite Church (Kempsville, Virginia, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kempsville_Amish_Mennonite_Church_(Kempsville,_Virginia,_USA)&oldid=117324.
APA style
Gingerich, Melvin. (1957). Kempsville Amish Mennonite Church (Kempsville, Virginia, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kempsville_Amish_Mennonite_Church_(Kempsville,_Virginia,_USA)&oldid=117324.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 165. All rights reserved.
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