Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Gainesville, Florida, USA)
The Southeast Mennonite Conference established the Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Gainesville, Florida, USA, as a church plant in 1983. Gainesville is the home of the University of Florida, a primary attraction for this outreach. The initial group included seven families; prior efforts to launch a church in Gainesville had gone on for five years.
The group met in numerous locations, beginning at the Disciples and Presbyterian Student Center. It later met in the chapel of the University Methodist Church and several other locations. In about 2008, an elderly member left the congregation a legacy that enabled it to buy a house and convert it into a meeting space.
The congregation has always been socially active, holding joint worship services with a local Quaker group, partnering with the Iglesia Bautista El Cordero de Dios church in El Salvador in the 1990s, marking the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, adding a member serving a life sentence in prison, and holding vigils during the war in Iraq.
When the Southeast Conference voted to leave Mennonite Church USA in 2018, Emmanuel Mennonite changed its affiliation to the Central District Conference in order to maintain its MC USA connection.
In 2023 the congregation was part of the Central District Conference.
Bibliography
"A Mennonite church...." Gospel Herald 76, no. 37 (13 September 1983): 644.
"[Annual Conference] Minutes." Central District Conference. 21-23 June 2018.
Ehst, Krista and Eve MacMaster. "Emmanuel Mennonite Church." TheMennonite 9, no. 18 (19 September 2006): 16-17.
Hockman, Cathleen. "Procession with cranes marks 50th anniversary of bombings." Gospel Herald 88, no. 33 (22 August 1995): 12.
Sollenberger, Lynn. "Gainesville, Fla.--birth of a congregation." Gospel Herald 77, no. 14 (3 April 1984): 246-247.
Weaver, Valerie. "Florida church welcomes inmate into fellowship." Gospel Herald 90, no. 24 (17 June 1997): 11.
Wert, Katrina. "Links to other congregations adds vibrancy to life of Emmanuel church." Gospel Herald 90, no. 27 (8 July 1997): 15.
Additional Information
Meeting Address: 1236 NW 18th Avenue Gainesville, Florida 32609
Phone: 352-377-6577
Website: https://gainesvillemennonites.org/
Denominational Affiliations: Central District Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Emmanuel Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Philip L. Kniss | 1983-1990 |
| John & Miriam Beachy (Interim) | 1990-1991 |
| Heidi Regier Kreider | 1991-2000 |
| Eve B. MacMaster | 2001-2022 |
| James Rissler (Interim) | 2022- |
Membership at Emmanuel Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 15 |
| 1990 | 25 |
| 2000 | 36 |
| 2009 | 45 |
| 2020 | 40 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Gainesville, Florida, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2023. Web. 25 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Emmanuel_Mennonite_Church_(Gainesville,_Florida,_USA)&oldid=175089.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2023). Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Gainesville, Florida, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Emmanuel_Mennonite_Church_(Gainesville,_Florida,_USA)&oldid=175089.
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