First Mennonite Church (Shafter, California, USA)
Shafter First Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite Church) a member of the Pacific District, had its beginnings with the migration of Mennonites to the area in 1918-19, stimulated by H. J. Krehbiel of Reedley. Meetings were held in homes, the Santa Fe school, and later in a small church erected on Scaroni Avenue. Herman Janzen was the first leader. When some of the Mennonites moved away, those remaining joined other denominations for a time, but when Krehbiel returned to Shafter in 1935, the congregation reorganized and joined the General Conference Mennonite Church in August 1935 with 24 members.
In 1937 the congregation built the present church at the corner of Golden West and Wall Streets. The congregation had 56 members in 1957, with Ramon H. Jantz as pastor.
Bibliography
Krehbiel, H. P. The history of the General Conference of the Mennonites of North America, 2 vols. Canton, OH; Newton, KS: The Author, 1898-1938: v. 2, 550.
| Author(s) | John Bartel |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bartel, John. "First Mennonite Church (Shafter, California, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=First_Mennonite_Church_(Shafter,_California,_USA)&oldid=102943.
APA style
Bartel, John. (1959). First Mennonite Church (Shafter, California, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=First_Mennonite_Church_(Shafter,_California,_USA)&oldid=102943.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 509. All rights reserved.
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