Rehoboth Mennonite Church (St. Anne, Illinois, USA)
Camp Rehoboth, St. Anne, Illinois, USA began in 1949 when James H. Lark bought ten acres of land and built a cabin near St. Ann to serve as a summer camp for African American Mennonites from the Bethel and Dearborn Street congregations in Chicago, about 60 miles away. The name came from an Old Testament place name. The camp was located in an area with a significant African American population and soon developed into a congregation. In 1949, 32 children from Chicago participated in the camp. Rowena Lark began a Bible study for adults in the first year that attracted nine participants.
By 1951, Camp Rehoboth had four regular Sunday school classes, considered an extension of the Bethel church.
In September 1953, the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities agreed to take over Camp Rehoboth's property. It established a board to administer the program and placed Robert Stoltzfus in charge of the program. The mission board also established a Voluntary Service program at the camp.
After Mark and Pauline Lehman arrived in 1955, the camp's worshipping community began using the name Rehoboth Mennonite Church. On 20 March 1956, Bishop James Lark formally organized the Rehoboth Mennonite Church as an independent congregation.
The congregation began erecting a new church building in 1962 and dedicated it on 14 July 1963.
Bibliography
"The attendance at the Rehoboth Mennonite Church,..." Gospel Herald 48, no. 13 (29 March 1955): 301.
Heinzekehr, Hannah. "SOOPers, staff lend a hand for harvest: Blueberry patch could draise over $35,000 annually for Illinois church." theMennonite 13, no. 1 (January 2010): 39.
Graber, J. D. "Camp Rehoboth at Hopkins Park, Illinois now a General Mission Board project." 46, no. 47 (24 November 1953): 1126.
Heisey, Dean and Rose Covington. "Rehoboth 60th anniversary celebrates lives changed." Missional Crossroads (September 2009): 2.
Lark, James H. "Colored Missions." Gospel Herald 43, no. 27 (4 July 1950): 672-673.
Lehman, Pauline. "The Rehoboth Mennonite Church." Gospel Herald 53, no. 32 (16 August 1960): 716-717.
"New building to serve children of Hopkins Park." Gospel Herald 49, no. 7 (14 February 1956): 158-159.
"The Rehoboth Mennonite Church,..." Gospel Herald 49, no. 23 (5 June 1956): 541.
Smith, Willard H. Mennonites in Illinois. Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, 24. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1983: 427-429, 549-550.
"St. Anne, Ill." Gospel Herald 56, no. 30 (30 July 1963): 659.
Stoltzfus, Robert. "Camp Rehoboth." Gospel Herald 47, no. 6 (9 February 1954): 134.
Additional Information
Address: 15729 E. 3000 S. Road, Pembroke Township, Illinois 60958
Phone: 815-348-9601
Website: https://rehobothmennonite.wixsite.com/rehoboth-menonite
Denominational Affiliations: Illinois Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Rehoboth Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| James H. Lark (1888-1978) | 1949-1952 |
| Robert Stoltzfus | 1953 |
| Ray Yoder | 1954 |
| Mark N. Lehman | 1955-1973 1978-1992 |
| Richard Yoder | 1974-1977 |
| Larry Teague | 1987?-1992? |
| Clarence W. Glover | 1994-1996? |
| Rose Covington | 1997- |
Rehoboth Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 36 |
| 1960 | 34 |
| 1970 | 93 |
| 1980 | 38 |
| 1990 | 47 |
| 2000 | 39 |
| 2009 | 25 |
| 2020 | 25 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Melvin Gingerich?. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 275. All rights reserved.
Rehoboth Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), St. Anne, Illinois, was established in 1953. It had a membership of 20 in 1958, with Mark Lehman as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Rehoboth Mennonite Church (St. Anne, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rehoboth_Mennonite_Church_(St._Anne,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=178298.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2024). Rehoboth Mennonite Church (St. Anne, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rehoboth_Mennonite_Church_(St._Anne,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=178298.
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