Calvary Mennonite Fellowship (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA)

The Calvary Mennonite Fellowship, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA began in 1990 through the initiative of George R. Brunk II (1911-2002).

In 1988 Brunk, a long time evangelist, writer, and seminary professor at Eastern Mennonite College, withdrew from the Mennonite Church (MC). For many years he believed there had been increased apostasy in the Mennonite Church, reflected in a de-emphasis in Biblicism and an erosion in visible signs of separation from the world. For Brunk the “last straw” came when the Virginia Mennonite Conference approved the ordination of women for ministry.

For two years Brunk was part of the independent Timberville Mennonite Church, but planning soon began for formation of a new congregation that would theologically stand between the Virginia Conference and the Southeastern Mennonite Conference that had itself divided from the Virginia Conference in 1972.

On 21 January 1990, 55 people met in the Eastern Mennonite Seminary chapel to form the new Calvary Mennonite Fellowship. George R. Brunk, then 78 years of age, served as pastor of the congregation until 1998. During his leadership membership peaked at 55 in 1993. Attendance dropped into the 30s and 40s later in the decade as internal tensions affected the congregation. One issue was the effect of contemporary Christian music on Calvary Mennonite Fellowship. By the end of 1998 membership had dropped to 20.

In 1998, Paul Emerson, one of the founders of the Biblical Mennonite Alliance (BMA), was invited to take leadership, and in February 1999 the congregation joined BMA.

Subsequent growth led the congregation to purchase an old public school in Mount Clinton. They took possession of the facility in January 2001. Part of the building was used as the sanctuary; the older part became the home for Calvary Christian Academy, which opened with 37 students in August 2001.

By 2004 attendance had reached 170. In 2006 small “discipleship groups” were established to strengthen relationships within the congregation. That same year the one-week Shenandoah Christian Music Camp was established to support music literacy and a cappella singing.

In 2012 a second Calvary campus was opened in Staunton, Virginia, where Calvary preached Sunday afternoons in a rented church to a small group of worshippers.

Bibliography

Biblical Mennonite Alliance. "BMA Congregational Directory with Pastors." August 2015.

Biblical Mennonite Alliance. "Directory of BMA Congregations." Web. 2 May 2012. http://www.biblicalmennonite.com/congregations.html.

Emerson, Paul and Gail. “History of Calvary Mennonite Fellowship.” 2010. Web. 15 August 2016. http://www.cmfva.org/home/180012864/180012864/docs/Calvary%20History%20edited%20by%20JIB.pdf?sec_id=180012864

Hershberger, Brenda. Anabaptist (Mennonite) Directory 2012-13. Harrisonburg, VA: The Sword and Trumpet, 2012: 37.

Additional Information

Address: 6083 Mt. Clinton Pike, Harrisonburg, VA 22802

Phone: 540-867-9444

Website: Calvary Mennonite Fellowship

Denominational Affiliation:

Biblical Mennonite Alliance

Leading Pastors at Calvary Mennonite Fellowship

Name	Years of Service
George R. Brunk II	1990-1998
Paul M. Emerson	1998-2012
Stephen Byler	2012-present

Membership at Calvary Mennonite Fellowship

Year	Members
1993	55
1998	20
2007	122
2015	190

Map

Map:Calvary Mennonite Fellowship (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA)

Author(s)	Sam Steiner
Date Published	August 2016

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Sam. "Calvary Mennonite Fellowship (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2016. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Calvary_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Harrisonburg,_Virginia,_USA)&oldid=137679.

APA style

Steiner, Sam. (August 2016). Calvary Mennonite Fellowship (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Calvary_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Harrisonburg,_Virginia,_USA)&oldid=137679.

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