Liberty Christian Fellowship (Clarklake, Michigan, USA)
The Liberty Christian Fellowship (originally Liberty Mennonite Church), located in Liberty Township, Jackson County, Michigan, was a mission outreach of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Mission Board in 1946. It purchased a former Methodist church built in 1867 with a seating capacity of about 150. The Methodist church had been closed since 1936.
The first pastor was Oscar Leinbach; the congregation formally organized in March 1950.
In about 2005, the congregation changed its name to Liberty Christian Fellowship.
In November 2021, Liberty Christian Fellowship asked the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference to stop sending written materials. In 2023, the Conference declared Liberty Christian Fellowship to have withdrawn from the conference.
Bibliography
McClintic, David. "Liberty Christian Fellowship." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 5 (September 2006): 4.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 310.
"Report Book for Annual Sessions 2023." Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. 9-10 June 2023: 28.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 246.
Additional Information
Address: 100 West Liberty Road, Clarklake, Michigan 49234
Telephone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 2023)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2023)
Pastoral Leaders at Liberty Christian Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Oscar L. Leinbach (1914-1988) (Bishop) |
1946-1962 1962-1984 |
| Dwaine Swartzentruber | 1969-1975 |
| Dean L. Stoll | 1982-1987 |
| Lay Leadership | 1988-1989 |
| Linnford R. Otto | 1989-1992 |
| Lay Leadership | 1992-1995 |
| David McClintic | 1995-2013? |
| Brian Wills | 2013?-2020s |
Liberty Christian Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 7 |
| 1960 | 23 |
| 1970 | 38 |
| 1980 | 39 |
| 1990 | 46 |
| 2000 | 22 |
| 2009 | 22 |
| 2020 | 10 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Oscar Leinbach. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 334. All rights reserved.
Liberty Mennonite Church is located in Liberty Mills, 11 miles (18 km) south of Jackson, Michigan, on Route 127. The meetinghouse is a former Methodist church built in 1867 with a seating capacity of about 150. It was closed in 1936, but was opened in 1946 under the direction of the Indiana-Michigan Mission Board. The congregation was organized in March 1950 with 13 charter members under the leadership of T. E. Schrock, bishop, and Oscar Leinbach, minister. In 1956 the membership was 21, mostly rural.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Liberty Christian Fellowship (Clarklake, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2024. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Liberty_Christian_Fellowship_(Clarklake,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179153.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (June 2024). Liberty Christian Fellowship (Clarklake, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Liberty_Christian_Fellowship_(Clarklake,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179153.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.