Beth-El Community Church (Milford, Nebraska, USA)
The Beth-El Mennonite Church, Milford, Nebraska, USA began on 6 September 1959 when a group of members from the Milford Mennonite Church met for worship in the Milford Rest Home. These members had supported the Myron Augsburger revival meetings held in Milford that summer. The leadership of the Milford Mennonite Church had not supported the Augsburger meetings since they were sponsored by an ecumenical group of city churches. Warren Eicher, one of the pastors at Milford, was part of the new group that became Beth-El. The Iowa-Nebraska Conference leadership tried to achieve reconciliation but failed.
Beth-El built its first meetinghouse in 1962 and dedicated it on 26 August 1962. It applied for membership in the Iowa-Nebraska Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC) in 1961 but was not accepted until 1963 because of the ongoing tension between Beth-El and Milford Mennonite.
As part of the realignment of the Mennonite Church (MC) and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA, Beth-El Mennonite was among the congregations that joined the new Central Plains Mennonite Conference in 2000.
In August 2014, Beth-El Mennonite Church withdrew from the Central Plains Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. It subsequently changed its name to Beth-El Community Church and became a nondenominational community church.
Bibliography
"Dedicated on Aug. 26...." Gospel Herald 55, no. 35 (4 September 1962): 786; [photo of the building] 55, no. 44 (6 November 1962): 972.
Yoder, Holly Blosser. The same spirit: History of Iowa-Nebraska Mennonites. Freeman, S.D.: Central Plains Mennonite Conference, 2003: 161-166, 280.
Additional Information
Address: 115 North F Street, Milford, Nebraska 68405
Phone: 402-761-3610
Website: https://www.bethelmilford.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
Pastoral Leaders at Beth-El Community Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Warren A. Eicher (1893-1977) | 1959-1970 |
| John Willems (1933-2022) | 1966-1973 |
| Robert McKelvey | 1973-1981 |
| Edward J. Wenger | 1981-1990 |
| John C. King (1932-2017) | 1990-1998 |
| Marlin E. Thomas (1940-2007) | 1998?-2002? |
| Audrun Siebert | 2003-2012? |
| James Hight | 2016-2020? |
| Joshua Jones | 2021- |
Beth-El Community Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 65 |
| 1970 | 119 |
| 1980 | 130 |
| 1990 | 114 |
| 2000 | 138 |
| 2009 | 181 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | August 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Beth-El Community Church (Milford, Nebraska, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2023. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Beth-El_Community_Church_(Milford,_Nebraska,_USA)&oldid=176412.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (August 2023). Beth-El Community Church (Milford, Nebraska, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Beth-El_Community_Church_(Milford,_Nebraska,_USA)&oldid=176412.
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