Calvary Community Church (Washington, Illinois, USA)
The Calvary Evangelical Mennonite Church (until 2009 Calvary Mennonite Church), Washington, Illinois, was first known as the East Washington Church. It held its first services in May 1866, when Jonathan Yoder began to preach for those Amish families of Woodford and Tazewell counties who did not have church privileges in their community. The people worshiped in private homes until 1869. A 30x40 ft. church was built a few miles east of Washington in 1869. This was replaced in 1906 by a new frame building, and in 1925 by a brick building in the town of Washington. At that time the name of the church was changed from East Washington Church to Calvary Mennonite Church. In 1952 there were 540 members. In 1892 a language difference caused a division of the congregation; the pastor, Michael Kinsinger, and a group of people sympathetic to his views organized the South Washington Church. In 2007 its membership was 325, and the pastor was David Dillon.
For most of its history the congregation was affiliated with the Central Conference Mennonite Church and later the Central District of the General Conference Mennonite Church. Calvary's relationship to the conference became more distant over the years, partly over theological differences with the direction of the Central District. In August 2008, Calvary Mennonite withdrew from the conference and joined the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (formerly known as the Evangelical Mennonite Church).
In the late 2010s the congregation again changed its name to Calvary Community Church.
Bibliography
Central District Conference Reporter (July 2009): 2, 5.
Reimer, Kristi. "Calvary Mennonite Church, Washington, Illinois" FEConnections (Fall 2008): 3.
Rich, Elaine Sommers, ed. Walking Together in Faith: The Central District Conference, 1957-1990. Bluffton, Ohio: The Conference, 2003: 55-57, 61, 65, 77.
Smith, Willard. Mennonites in Illinois. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1983: 534-535.
Weaver, William B. History of the Central Conference Mennonite church. Danvers, Ill.: The author, 1926.
Additional Information
Address: 112 Calvary Way, Washington, Illinois 61571
Phone: 309-444-2722
Website: https://calvarywashington.org/
Denominational Affiliation: Fellowship of Evangelical Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Calvary Community Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Joseph Stuckey (1826-1902)(Bishop) | 1864-1875 |
| Peter Stuckey (1844-1929) (Bishop) |
1868-1875 1875-1889 |
| Peter Guengerich (1825-1898) | 1868-1880 |
| Jacob Unzicker (1808-1893) | 1869-1893 |
| Michael Kinsinger (1849-1912) (Bishop) |
1890-1892 1892-1894 |
| David D. Augspurger (1853-1935) | 1890-1892 |
| Valentine Strubhar (1859-1941) (Bishop) |
1893-ca. 1900 ca. 1900-1935 |
| Benjamin Esch (1887-1971) | 1911-1951 |
| Harry Yoder (1904-2003) | 1951-1955 |
| Heinz D. Janzen (1927-2011) | 1956-1965 |
| Ward W. Shelly (1914-1997) | 1965-1979 |
| Walter H. Dyck (1908-1996) | 1979-1980 |
| Gary G. Stenson (1934- ) | 1980-1990 |
| Robert Sprunger (1956- )(Associate) | 1981-1989 |
| Ed King | 1990-1995 |
| Eric Musser (Youth) | 1989-1994? |
| Jeffrey D. Ressler (Youth) | 1995?-2002? |
| Milo D. Nussbaum (1924-2016)(Interim) | 1995-1997 |
| Verle A. Brubaker | 1997-2004? |
| David Dillon (Interim) | 2004?-2008? |
| Paul Scott (Youth) | 2004?-2010? |
| Kenneth R. Sistrunk | 2008-2016 |
| Clayton Tinervin | 2010- |
| Ben Henderson (Associate) | 2017?- |
Membership at Calvary Community Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 553 |
| 1960 | 470 |
| 1970 | 512 |
| 1980 | 508 |
| 1990 | 452 |
| 2000 | 402 |
| 2007 | 325 |
| Author(s) | Grace Miller |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | January 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Miller, Grace and Samuel J. Steiner. "Calvary Community Church (Washington, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2023. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Calvary_Community_Church_(Washington,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=174527.
APA style
Miller, Grace and Samuel J. Steiner. (January 2023). Calvary Community Church (Washington, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Calvary_Community_Church_(Washington,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=174527.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 494-495. All rights reserved.
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