First Mennonite Church (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA)
First Mennonite Church in Fort Wayne began as a mission upon the authorization of the Ohio Mennonite Conference in 1902, after the repeated requests of John B. Federspiel and wife, Mennonite residents of the city. M. S. Steiner was appointed to open the work, which began at 1921 South Hauna Street, in 1903. In 1904 the mission was moved to 2237 Oliver Street and from there to St. Mary's Avenue. Two years later a church was constructed at 1209 St. Mary's Avenue. In 1915 the present chapel was built on the adjoining lot. The following pastors were in charge of the work at Fort Wayne up to 1955: J. F. Bressler 1903-1905, Ben B. King 1905-1930, Frank Martin 1930-1934, Newton Weber 1934-1941, Allen Ebersole 1941-1952, Rudy Bontrager, beginning service in 1952. Others have served for shorter periods of time. In the early 1920s the Fort Wayne Mission became an organized self-governing congregation, but with limited support from the mission board, which was continued until September 1953, when the congregation became entirely independent of the mission board and called itself First Mennonite Church. The membership in 1955 was 136.
As an urban congregation, First Mennonite was one of the first in the conference to allow wedding rings.
The congregation closed in 2015; it held its last service on 22 November 2015.
Bibliography
Janzen, Peter. "First Mennonite, Fort Wayne Wants to Donate Hymnals." Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. 10 November 2015. Web. 5 June 2017. http://im.mennonite.net/2015/11/10/first-mennonite-fort-wayne-wants-to-donate-hymnals/.
_____. "First Mennonite of Fort Wayne." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 6 (October 2006): 3-4.
King, B. B. "Our Mission Work at Ft. Wayne, Indiana." Youth’s Christian Companion. (27 September 1925): 1, 2
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 140, 231, 309.
Sevits, Esther. "History of the Fort Wayne Mission." Mennonite Historical Bulletin (January 1947): 1, 4.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 118-121.
Additional Information
Address: 1213 Saint Marys Avenue, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at First Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John F. "J. F." Bressler (1881-1949) | 1903-1905 |
| Ben B. King (1881-1963) | 1905-1930 |
| Frank J. Martin (1879-1944)(Deacon) | 1930-1934 |
| Newton S. Weber (1897-1981) | 1934-1941 |
| Allen B. Ebersole (1906-1994) | 1941-1952 |
| Rudy S. Borntrager (1910-1978) | 1952-1959 |
| John R. Smucker (1932-2006) | 1960-1965 |
| John C. King (1932-2017) (Bishop) |
1967-1969 1969-1977 |
| Howard E. Dunlap (1921-2014) | 1979-1985 |
| William E. Raines (1937-2011) | 1985-1994 |
| Mark L. Vincent | 1983-1992 |
| Paul D. Leichty | 1992-1997 |
| Dwayne Beggs | 1993-1994 |
| Brenda Isaacs (Interim) | 1997-1998 |
| Gary E. Martin (Interim) | 1999-2001 |
| Kathy Colliver | 2001-2004 |
| Peter Georg Janzen | 2005-2015 |
First Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1920 | 75 |
| 1930 | 76 |
| 1940 | 84 |
| 1950 | 91 |
| 1960 | 150 |
| 1970 | 144 |
| 1980 | 94 |
| 1990 | 83 |
| 2000 | 54 |
| 2009 | 73 |
| Author(s) | Melvin Gingerich |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | May 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Gingerich, Melvin and Samuel J. Steiner. "First Mennonite Church (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2024. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=First_Mennonite_Church_(Fort_Wayne,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178872.
APA style
Gingerich, Melvin and Samuel J. Steiner. (May 2024). First Mennonite Church (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=First_Mennonite_Church_(Fort_Wayne,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178872.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 356. All rights reserved.
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