East Goshen Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA)
Source: Photo courtesy of John Yoder.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/119297727.
During the 1941-1942 school year, Goshen College students conducted a survey of the East Goshen area of Goshen, Indiana. This survey led to the formation of the Sunday school, which began later that year. Early participants included students who were part of the Young People's Christian Association and persons from the North Goshen Mennonite Church who lived in the area. Theology students from the College often led the short worship services. The first service was held on 18 October 1942, in a 16' X 24' building owned by Chris Schrock.
Paul M. Miller became the first East Goshen minister in March 1947, though he had provided leadership to the mission a year earlier. The congregation formally organized on 6 December 1947.
In 1948, the congregation left its basement church and built a new brick facility on nearby donated land, which it dedicated on 17 October 1948. At that time, it had 63 members. Several additions have been made to the building since then, most recently in the 2000s.
By the early 1990s, the congregation had two worship services, one of them more liturgical in nature. The congregation also hosted a food pantry in support of the lower-income community in which it existed.
In the 2020s, East Goshen supplied office space to the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference.
Bibliography
"The East Goshen Mennonite Church...." Gospel Herald 41, no. 43 (26 October 1948): 1013.
"East Goshen's History." East Goshen Mennonite Church.
Graber, Millard and Sheila Graber. "East Goshen Mennonite." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 8 (December 2006): 6.
Litwiller, Beulah. "Goshen College." Gospel Herald 35, no. 48 (25 February 1943): 1032-1033.
Powell, David. "Contemplative worship." Gospel Evangel 93, no. 5 (September-October 2012): 5.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 148, 308.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 217-218.
Additional Information
Address: 2019 East Lincoln Ave., Goshen, Indiana 46528
Phone: 574-533-7161
Website: https://eastgoshenmc.org/
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at East Goshen Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Students & Visiting Ministers |
1942-1946 |
| Paul M. Miller (1914-1998) | 1946-1960 |
| Ray Keim (1926-2013) | 1954-1961 |
| Irvin Detweiler | 1961-1967? |
| Vernon E. Schertz (1925-2013) | 1967?-1972? |
| John H. Rudy (1924-2020) | 1967?-1970 |
| Moses A. Beachy (1925-2019) | 1970-1972 |
| Roy S. Koch (1913-2010)(Bishop) (Interim) |
1972-1975 1988 |
| Clifford C. Miller | 1973-1986 |
| David B. Miller | 1982-1984 1988-1993 |
| Ritch Hochstetler (Assistant) | 1985-1987 |
| Frank Byler (Interim) | 1987 |
| Robert E. Keener | 1988-1997 |
| Mary Grove (Interim) | 1994-1996 |
| David Helmuth | 1996-1998? |
| Steve E. Slagel | 1998-2015 |
| Merle Hostetler | 2000- |
| Sherm Kauffman (Interim) | 2016 |
| Naomi Yoder | 2016- |
East Goshen Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 106 |
| 1960 | 215 |
| 1970 | 227 |
| 1980 | 245 |
| 1990 | 225 |
| 2000 | 219 |
| 2009 | 235 |
| 2020 | 190 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Paul M. Miller. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 122. All rights reserved.
East Goshen Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) was organized 6 December 1947, and was admitted to the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference on 2 June 1948. A new brick meetinghouse was dedicated 17 October 1949. The congregation began in 1946 as an extension Sunday school of the Goshen College Young People's Christian Association.
Its membership in 1954 was 180, the bishop-pastor was Paul M. Miller, and the minister was Ray Keim.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "East Goshen Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=East_Goshen_Mennonite_Church_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178821.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2024). East Goshen Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=East_Goshen_Mennonite_Church_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178821.
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