Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship (New York, New York, USA)
The Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship, New York, New York, USA, had its roots in the late 1970s when several efforts launched a Mennonite fellowship group in Manhattan for the 150 or so Mennonite students and young professionals that lived in the city. A Peace Mennonite Fellowship began to meet in the late 1970s, including Mel Lehman, Ardis Grosjean, Gloria Leinbach, Lin Garber, and Arthur Berk. Michael and Alice Bender were contact persons for the formal Peace Mennonite Fellowship that began in 1981 and included 15-20 people. It affiliated with the Eastern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church, with Ross Lynn Bender identified as a leader. The group was very diverse and transient.
By 1982 the group began to change. It was organized as the Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship in 1983, with Mary Classen Born and Mel Lehman providing pastoral leadership. The congregation maintained the link with the General Conference Mennonite Church and joined the Mennonite Church (MC). Soon the 20 core participants moved from meeting at the Broadway Presbyterian Church to a Sunday evening service at the Friends Meeting House.
Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship called its first paid minister in October 1989. John D. Rempel had been the chaplain at Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ontario. In 1997 it purchased Menno House from Eastern Mennonite Missions when that board wanted to divest itself of a building it had purchased in 1958 to provide a center for Mennonite men performing alternative service in New York City. The Fellowship had a close relationship with Menno House, locating its office and some activities there.
By 1993 the congregation related to the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA in addition to a "Council" of Anabaptist-related churches in the New York metropolitan area.
Bibliography
MacMaster, Richard K. Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches of New York City. Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora Press, 2006: 340-345.
Rempel, John and John Plummer. "New York City congregation buys Menno House." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 18, no. 4 (July-August 1997): 3.
Williamson, Denise. "Manhattan Fellowship seeks 'the welfare of the city.'" Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 14, no. 6 (November-December 1993): 4.
Additional Information
Meeting Address: Friends Meeting House, 15 Rutherford Place, New York, New York 10003
Phone:
Website: https://manhattanmennonite.org/
Denominational Affiliations: Atlantic Coast Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Informal leadership | 1981-1989 |
| John D. Rempel | 1989-2000 |
| Phyllis Bristow-Johnson (Sabbatical Interim) | 1998 |
| Arlene S. Pipkin (1942?-2002) | 2000-2002 |
| Miles Reimer (Interim) | 2002 |
| E. Stanley Bohn (Interim) | 2002-2003 |
| Peter Emery (Interim) | 2004 |
| Lay leadership | 2004-2006 |
| Sylvia E. Shirk | 2006-2017 |
| Jason A. Storbakken | 2017-present |
Membership at Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 34 |
| 2000 | 28 |
| 2007 | 35 |
| 2020 | 62 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship (New York, New York, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2021. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Manhattan_Mennonite_Fellowship_(New_York,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=172742.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2021). Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship (New York, New York, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Manhattan_Mennonite_Fellowship_(New_York,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=172742.
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