Iglesia Menonita de Muscatine (Muscatine, Iowa, USA)
The Iglesia Menonita de Muscatine in Muscatine, Iowa, USA, had its roots in the outreach first by Gladys Widmer, missionary to Puerto Rico, and later by Margarito "Mac" and Mary Bustos beginning in 1963 in the Quad Cities area. The Iowa-Nebraska Mennonite Mission Board and the Illinois Mennonite Mission Board sponsored their work, initially located in Davenport, Iowa, but also extending to Muscatine, a small city 30 miles west of Davenport. Simon Rada served as the first minister.
Initially, the group met in the basement of the First Methodist Church on Sunday afternoons. It purchased its first building and organized as a congregation in late 1969. In the Spring of 1978, the congregation purchased land in northeastern Muscatine and constructed a new building. It moved to a new building on West Park Avenue in 1991.
For many years the congregation was commonly known as the Muscatine Mennonite Church or the Spanish Mennonite Church.
In 2009 the congregation was no longer listed in the Mennonite Directory. It is unclear if the congregation withdrew from the Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA or whether it closed. A church called Templo Cristo la Roca still used the building in 2022.
Bibliography
"New building for Hispanics." Gospel Herald 84, no. 14 (2 April 1991): 12.
"New Spanish Ministry." Gospel Herald 57, no. 18 (12 May 1964): 408-409.
Yoder, Holly Blosser. The same spirit: History of Iowa-Nebraska Mennonites. Freeman, S.D.: Central Plains Mennonite Conference, 2003: 273.
Additional Information
Address: 3510 Park Ave. West, Muscatine, Iowa 52761
Phone:
Website: https://www.facebook.com/IglesiaElBalsamo/
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Iglesia Cristiana El Balsamo
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Simon Rada (1938-2016) | 1970-2014 |
| Cruz Rada | 2000?-2008? |
Membership at Iglesia Cristiana El Balsamo
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 8 |
| 1980 | 29 |
| 1990 | 42 |
| 2000 | 34 |
| 2007 | 45 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | April 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Iglesia Menonita de Muscatine (Muscatine, Iowa, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2023. Web. 26 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Iglesia_Menonita_de_Muscatine_(Muscatine,_Iowa,_USA)&oldid=175387.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (April 2023). Iglesia Menonita de Muscatine (Muscatine, Iowa, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 26 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Iglesia_Menonita_de_Muscatine_(Muscatine,_Iowa,_USA)&oldid=175387.
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