Marion Christian Fellowship (Shipshewana, Indiana, USA)
The Marion Methodist Church, located seven miles northeast of Shipshewana, Indiana, closed in 1941. The trustees of the 1889 building contacted Oscar S. Hostetler, bishop of the Shore Mennonite Church, about continuing services in the building. Local Mennonite ministers preached weekly in the building until 1942 when the Shore church decided to end the services.
In 1943, the Methodist District Board sold the building, contents, and land to the Mennonites for $4,000. The Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Mission Board became involved by providing pastoral leadership. Willard Sommers, from the Howard-Miami congregation, served as the first pastor in 1944.
The congregation organized the first Sunday school on 10 December 1944. It was formally organized on 10 June 1945 with 18 charter members and became an independent congregation in June 1950.
In 1949 the congregation dug a basement under the building with a furnace, bathrooms, and four small Sunday school rooms separated by curtains. It expanded the basement in 1956 and, in 1964, added an entrance and nursery area. A significant 1976 addition added a new kitchen, fellowship hall, restroom facilities, and women’s sewing storage room. After much discernment, the congregation built a new sanctuary in 2013.
Marion Mennonite suffered a significant division in 2003, resulting in the loss of many members. However, it rebounded well in the following decade.
In 2006, Marion Mennonite supported the Chicago Mennonite Learning Center and local ministries like Clothes and Food Basket. It also held a monthly breakfast for the community.
In June 2015, the Marion congregation withdrew from the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. This move was part of a larger realignment of Mennonite congregations in the 2010s that were formerly part of Mennonite Church USA. These congregations were unhappy with Mennonite Church USA's direction on issues of sexuality. Marion Mennonite Church became a member of the new Evana Network.
In 2017 the congregation changed its name to Marion Christian Fellowship.
Bibliography
"A bit of our history...." Marion Christian Fellowship. 2023. Web. 28 June 2024. https://marioncf.com/our-story/.
Denlinger, Rachel. "A vibrant and adaptive congregation." Gospel Evangel 95, no. 1 (January/February 2014): 2-3.
Lauver, Jan. "Marion Mennonite." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 6 (October 2006): 5.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 310.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 228.
Additional Information
Address: 5460 North 450 West, Shipshewana, Indiana 46565
Telephone: 260-562-2910
Website: https://marioncf.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 2015)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2015)
Evana Network (2016- )
Pastoral Leaders at Marion Christian Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Visiting Ministers | 1941-1942 |
| Willard Sommers (1903-1982) (Bishop) |
1944-1956 1956-1960 |
| Paul W. Haarer (1927-2022) | 1950-1956 |
| Jacob "Paul" Lauver (1923-2013) | 1957-1985 |
| Charles Cooper (Assistant) | 1978-1979 |
| Tim Lichti | 1979-1987 |
| Lay Leadership | 1987-1988 |
| Bradley A. Miller | 1988-1995 |
| Lay Leadership | 1995-1997 |
| Brian Arbuckle | 1997-2003 |
| Daniel Z. Miller (Interim) | 2003-2005 |
| Charlene Roth (Co-Pastor) | 2006-2020? |
| Ronald Roth (Co-Pastor) | 2006-2020 |
| Kenzie Intemann (Associate) | 2015-2019? |
| Larissa Willard | 2020- |
| Randy Willard | 2020- |
Marion Christian Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 18 |
| 1950 | 45 |
| 1960 | 95 |
| 1970 | 117 |
| 1980 | 126 |
| 1990 | 116 |
| 2000 | 142 |
| 2009 | 85 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Paul W. Haarer. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 485. All rights reserved.
The Marion Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located at 5460 North 450 West, Shipshewana, LaGrange County, Indiana, five miles (eight km) west of Howe, is a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. It began as a mission outpost of the Shore congregation, near Shipshewana, Indiana. On 10 December 1944 the Marion Sunday school was organized under the direction of the Indiana-Michigan District Mission Board, with 18 charter members under the leadership of Willard Sommers. In 1950 the group was organized as an independent congregation, and on 12 November 1950, Paul W. Haarer was ordained as minister to assist Sommers. The membership in 1955 was 78. The meetinghouse, built in 1903 by the Methodist Church and sold by them to the Mennonites, is a frame structure with a seating capacity of approximately 130.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Marion Christian Fellowship (Shipshewana, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2024. Web. 3 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Marion_Christian_Fellowship_(Shipshewana,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=179209.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (June 2024). Marion Christian Fellowship (Shipshewana, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Marion_Christian_Fellowship_(Shipshewana,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=179209.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.