Mission 72 (Goshen, Indiana, USA)
Amos Bauman, a "visiting brother" layperson in the East Goshen Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana, believed the congregation should maintain an outreach in the community in which it had been located originally. In 1950 he launched an outreach in that community. He placed a light on top of a building and called it The Lighthouse. When he turned on the light, activities for young people were being offered at this local community center.
In 1954, a concrete-block building was constructed which offered Sunday school, crafts, hobbies, and a recreation center. It was called the The Lighthouse or East Goshen Lighthouse. Students from Goshen College assisted with the work. By 1960, the East Goshen Lighthouse began to have congregational members.
Later in the 1960s, it became known as the Gospel Lighthouse after Claude Beachy guided the congregation into membership in the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC).
In about 1980, the congregation changed its name to Twenty-Seventh Street Chapel, but in the 1990s reverted to Gospel Lighthouse.
In the fall of 2002, Gospel Lighthouse merged with the Family Worship Center (FWC). FWC had its roots with Foundation Ministries, a Charismatic Anabaptist family of churches. The merged group, under the name Family Worship Center at the Lighthouse, remained a member of both Foundation Ministries and the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
In 2021, the Family Worship Center at the Lighthouse merged with a group known as The Movement, which had a Brethren background. The new congregation was called Mission 72. In 2023, Mission 72 withdrew from its affiliation with the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 308.
"Report Book for Annual Sessions 2023." Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. (9-10 June 2023): 29.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 218.
Additional Information
Address: 306 South 27th Street, Goshen, Indiana 46528
Phone: 574-533-6778
Website: https://www.mission-72.com/
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 2023)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2023)
Pastoral Leaders at Family Worship Center at the Lighthouse/Mission 72
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Lay Leadership | 1950-1962 |
| Claude R. Beachy (1927-2020) | 1962?-1968 |
| Amos S. Bauman (1911-1989) | 1968-1970? |
| Stanley Miller | 1973-1977 |
| P. J. John | 1978-1980 |
| Eli S. Schmucker (1923-2010) | 1980-2008 |
| James Hochstetler | 2009?- |
| Kyle Koch | 2021- |
Family Worship Center at the Lighthouse Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 8 |
| 1970 | 22 |
| 1980 | 25 |
| 1990 | 25 |
| 2000 | 25 |
| 2009 | 85 |
| 2020 | 50 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Mission 72 (Goshen, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2024. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mission_72_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178855.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2024). Mission 72 (Goshen, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mission_72_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178855.
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