Fish Lake Mennonite Church (Walkerton, Indiana, USA)
In 1949, members of the Crumstown Mennonite Church held a Summer Bible School in a conservation clubhouse in the community at Fish Lake, Walkerton, Indiana. Verl Lehman of the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church heard of this effort and his congregation to become involved. Thus, in 1950, Yellow Creek held Summer Bible School and launched a Sunday school.
In October 1950, Yellow Creek began work on a basement church for Fish Lake. It was completed in 1951 but not dedicated until 20 July 1952.
In December 1955, Fish Lake organized as a congregation and began work on completing the church building. It dedicated the finished building on 9 September 1956. It became part of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC).
Fish Lake Mennonite Church withdrew from the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference in 1995. The congregation requested this action because it felt the conference was no longer following Mennonite beliefs and practices.
Fish Lake continued as an unaffiliated Mennonite church. It appeared to close before 2007, as it was no longer listed in any of the major Mennonite congregational directories at that time.
Bibliography
Peachey, J. Lorne. "Indiana-Michigan Conference asks congregations to reaffirm Purdue 87 statement on homosexuality." Gospel Herald 88, no. 29 (18 July 1995): 10.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 309.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 229-230.
Additional Information
Address: Fish Lake, Indiana
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Fish Lake Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Verl O. Lehman (1917-2010) | 1951-1955 1973-1979 |
| John R. Martin (1928-2021) | 1955-1956 |
| James L. Christophel (1932- ) | 1956-1967 |
| Simon Gingerich | 1967-1968 |
| Samuel Moyer | 1968-1973 |
| James S. Riley (1946-2012) | 1979-1983 |
| Paul Sidall | 1984?-1987 |
| John P. Crothers | 1988-1991 |
| Lay Leadership? | 1991-? |
Fish Lake Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 13 |
| 1960 | 19 |
| 1970 | 20 |
| 1980 | 21 |
| 1990 | 33 |
| 1995 | 33 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Fish Lake Mennonite Church (Walkerton, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2024. Web. 17 Jun 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fish_Lake_Mennonite_Church_(Walkerton,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=179036.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2024). Fish Lake Mennonite Church (Walkerton, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 17 June 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Fish_Lake_Mennonite_Church_(Walkerton,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=179036.
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