Cullom Mennonite Church (Cullom, Illinois, USA)
The first Mennonite settlers near Cullom, Illinois, USA included four families from Virginia, soon followed by others from Grundy County, Illinois. Henry Baer, who had been ordained as a minister earlier, moved to Cullom around 1860 and served as the first minister of the small congregation. It held services twice a month in schoolhouses, moving from schoolhouse to schoolhouse to accommodate all the members.
The Cullom congregation became a charter member of the Illinois Mennonite Conference when it was first organized in 1872. Sunday school began in about 1880, usually held in conjunction with the worship service.
In 1882, Samuel Graybill donated an acre of land for a church building that was dedicated on 24 September 1882. It was remodeled in 1914 with a modern furnace. A sewing circle began in 1919.
John F. Funk and John S. Coffman seemed to favor the Cullom congregation. It was frequently mentioned in the Herald of Truth, and Coffman considered serving as its pastor around 1880.
Cullom struggled over the years, as it had difficulty retaining pastoral leadership long enough for stability. It finally closed in about 1962.
Bibliography
Smith, Willard H. Mennonites in Illinois. Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, 24. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1983: 194-198, 219, 543.
Weber, Harry F. Centennial history of the Mennonites of Illinois, 1829-1929. Goshen, Ind.: Mennonite Historical Society, 1931:: 107, 135-136, 147, 167-173. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/centennialhistor00webe.
Additional Information
Address: Cullom, Illinois
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Illinois Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Cullom Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Henry Baer (1815-1870) | 1860-1870 |
| Peter Y. Lehman (1836-1925) | 1870-1874 |
| Emanuel M. Hartman (1849-1912) | 1873-1874 |
| Benjamin F. Hamilton | 18786-1882 |
| Peter Unzicker (1859-1938) | 1882-? |
| Peter B. Snyder (1864-1948) | 1889-1894 |
| Lewis J. Lehman (1871-1950) | 1892-1908 |
| Alvin K. Ropp (1878-1973) | 1905-1908 |
| Samuel Honderich (1878-1971) | 1909-1913 |
| John W. McCulloh (1860-1923) | 1916-1923 |
| Daniel W. Slagel (1864-1947) | 1923-1926 |
| S. Jay Hostetler (1901-1978) | 1926-1928 |
| Lay leaders & Visitors | 1928-1930 |
| Joseph W. Davis (1895-1984) | 1931-1934 |
| A. Hershey Leaman (1878-1950) | 1934-1939 1946-1949 |
| Noah Roeschley (1896-1975) | 1939-1946 1949 |
| Paul McElfresh | 1948 |
| Theodore Wentland (1917-2003) | 1949-1954 |
| Arthur Reeb (Lay leader) | 1955-1962 |
Cullom Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1914 | 48 |
| 1920 | 54 |
| 1930 | 34 |
| 1940 | 18 |
| 1950 | 17 |
| 1960 | 13 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By A. Hershey Leaman. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 745. All rights reserved.
The Cullom Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) was located in the town of Cullom, Livingston County, near Pontiac, Illinois. The congregation belonged to the Illinois Conference. It was first organized as a congregation about 1860. The church was built in 1882 and remodeled in 1914. The 1954 baptized membership was approximately 16.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Cullom Mennonite Church (Cullom, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cullom_Mennonite_Church_(Cullom,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=178541.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2024). Cullom Mennonite Church (Cullom, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cullom_Mennonite_Church_(Cullom,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=178541.
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