Bethel Mennonite Church (West Liberty, Ohio, USA)
The Bethel Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), West Liberty, Ohio, had its inception in 1889, when 12 Amish Mennonite young men and women confessed Christ in revival meetings held at the South Union Church by John F. Funk and Daniel J. Johns. The following summer John M. Shenk baptized them in Riley Creek near Bluffton, Ohio. John S. Coffman, John F. Funk, and other visiting Mennonite ministers served the group until 1895 when it built a meetinghouse in West Liberty and David H. Hilty of Bluffton became pastor.
The congregation, with English services from the beginning, was the means of saving several scores of Amish Mennonite young people for the Mennonite Church and hastened the change from German to English in the Logan and Champaign County Amish Mennonite congregations. In January 1896 revival meetings by Bishop John Blosser brought 17 young people, chiefly Amish Mennonites, into the congregation. Bethel has provided a church and Sunday-school home for workers and children in the West Liberty Orphans' Home. Ministers who served the congregation prior to 1953 included: C. H. Byler, J. B. Smith, John Y. King, Frank Byler (grandson of C. H. Byler), Newton Weber, and Edward Stoltzfus. The congregation has sent out an unusually large number of Christian workers—ministers, missionaries, and teachers. In 1953 it had a membership of 125 (175 in 2006).
Additional Information
Address: 416 Washington Street, West Liberty, Ohio
Phone: 937-465-4587
Website: Bethel Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA
Maps
Map:Bethel Mennonite Church (West Liberty, Ohio)
| Author(s) | John S Umble |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Umble, John S. "Bethel Mennonite Church (West Liberty, Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(West_Liberty,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=136613.
APA style
Umble, John S. (1953). Bethel Mennonite Church (West Liberty, Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(West_Liberty,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=136613.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 313. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.