Bethesda Mennonite Church (St. Louis, Missouri, USA)
The Bethesda Mennonite Church, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, began in 1957 as an African American mission project in the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis. James and Rowena Lark led the initial work. Hubert and June Schwartzentruber came from Ontario, Canada, as long-term leaders in 1957. The congregation initially affiliated with the South Central Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC).
Services were first held in a storefront on Howard Street. The congregation then moved to a former three-story residence, with worship facilities on the main floor and children's activities in the basement. Major renovations and expansion of the facility took place in 1968.
The mission was located in a lower-income area with significant levels of crime that sometimes impacted the church and its members. In the 1960s, the congregation became deeply involved in community development through a community agency known as Jeff-Vander-Lou.
In about 2002, at the time the Mennonite Church (MC) and the General Conference Mennonite Church merged in the United States, the Bethesda congregation changed its district conference affiliation to the Illinois Mennonite Conference.
Bibliography
Adams, James E. "Mission in St. Louis." Gospel Herald 65, no. 20 (16 May 1972): 438.
Groff, Anna. "A light for racial justice." TheMennonite 6 May 2015. Web. 3 January 2024. https://anabaptistworld.org/a-light-for-racial-justice/
"The Hubert Schwartzentrubers...." Gospel Herald 50, no. 48 (26 November 1957): 1021.
"Mennonites respond to St. Louis need." Gospel Herald 62, no. 2 (14 January 1969): 43-44.
Schrag, Menno. "St. Louis Mission: a frontier in social and spiritual concerns." Gospel Herald (11 April 1967): 320-321.
Schwartzentruber, Hubert. "Let's get acquainted." Gospel Herald 51, no. 16 (22 April 1958): 378; 51, no. 17 (29 April 1958): 403-404.
"St. Louis teenager dies in shooting incident." Gospel Herald 61, no. 19 (14 May 1968): 437-438.
"Team ministry operating in St. Louis." Gospel Herald 66, no. 15 (10 April 1973): 316-317.
Zuercher, Melanie. "Full circle back to Bethesda." TheMennonite 2, no. 25 (6 July 1999): 16-17.
_____. "A place of healing." TheMennonite 2, no. 25 (6 July 1999): 15-16.
Additional Information
Address: 2823 Dayton Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63106
Phone: 314-535-5336
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: South Central Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Bethesda Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| James H. Lark | 1957 |
| Hubert Schwartzentruber | 1957-1972 |
| Eugene Gentry | 1972-1974 |
| Bill Helmuth | 1972-1974 |
| Helen Robinson | 1972-1974 |
| John Gochnauer | 1974-1976 |
| Jonas I. Miller | 1976-1983 |
| Jerry Martin | 1984-1986? |
| Rick Maclin | 1987-2000 |
| Jesse Dunigans | 1999- |
| Janace Maclin (Associate) | 1999-2000 |
| James Long (Assistant) | 2004-? |
Bethesda Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 17 |
| 1960 | 26 |
| 1970 | 97 |
| 1980 | 114 |
| 1990 | 62 |
| 2000 | 62 |
| 2009 | 74 |
| 2020 | 45 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Bethesda Mennonite Church (St. Louis, Missouri, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2024. Web. 27 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethesda_Mennonite_Church_(St._Louis,_Missouri,_USA)&oldid=178085.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2024). Bethesda Mennonite Church (St. Louis, Missouri, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethesda_Mennonite_Church_(St._Louis,_Missouri,_USA)&oldid=178085.
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