Bethel Community Mennonite Church (Brewton, Alabama, USA)
The Bethel Community Mennonite Church, southeast of Brewton, Alabama, USA, began as an outreach of the Itinerant Evangelism Committee (IEC) of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The IEC's first exploration took place in 1943. J. Wilbur and Ada Martin led Summer Bible School programs in the old largely unused Haveard Church facility beginning in 1947. They held Sunday school classes there on Saturday evenings beginning in 1946.
Wilbur was released as pastor of the East Brewton church in 1950. He then led Sunday morning services and Sunday school in the Haveard meetinghouse. Paul and Verna Shelly joined the work in 1950, serving both at Bethel and at the Cobbtown Mennonite Church. After Paul was ordained in December 1951, he took over pastoral leadership at Bethel, and Wilbur served at Cobbtown.
The congregation used the Haveard facility until 1969. Some repair work sustained the building over the years. In 1969 the congregation built a new church about one mile from the Haveard church. It added an addition in 1976.
In 2000 the Lancaster Mennonite Conference "released" the 14 churches it had established in the southeast United States to form a new network called Good News Fellowship (GNF). Bethel Community Mennonite became part of this new fellowship.
Bibliography
"A closer look ... at Bethel Mennonite Church." The Good News Messenger (November/December 2003): 2.
Dagen, Paul L. Seedtime and Harvest, 1942-1987: History of Alabama Northwest Florida District Mennonite Churches. [Atmore, Alabama]: P. L. Dagen, 1987: 28-31.
Additional Information
Address: 4100 Fuqua Road, Brewton, Alabama 36426
Phone:
Website: https://www.facebook.com/BethelCommunityMennoniteChurch/
Denominational Affiliations: Lancaster Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Bethel Community Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Jacob Wilbur "J. Wilbur" Martin (1919-2002) | 1946-1951 |
| Paul Z. Shelly (1919-2010) | 1951-1986? |
| Marion "Braxton" Rhodes (1935-2003) | 1979-2003 |
| John Kemp | 1999- |
Bethel Community Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 5 |
| 1960 | 12 |
| 1970 | 7 |
| 1980 | 12 |
| 1990 | 13 |
| 2000 | 25 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Bethel Community Mennonite Church (Brewton, Alabama, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2023. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Community_Mennonite_Church_(Brewton,_Alabama,_USA)&oldid=178027.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (November 2023). Bethel Community Mennonite Church (Brewton, Alabama, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Community_Mennonite_Church_(Brewton,_Alabama,_USA)&oldid=178027.
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