Maple River Mennonite Church (Brutus, Michigan, USA)
The Maple River Mennonite Church (named for the township in which it was located), near Brutus, Michigan, began in 1883 when local Mennonite settlers from Waterloo County, Ontario. Among the first settlers were Abraham and Barbara Detweiler; Abraham had already been ordained as a minister in Ontario and served as the first minister of the congregation.
In 1886 the congregation was divided by the Old Order Mennonite division led in Indiana and Michigan by Bishop Jacob Wisler. Wisler ordained Jonathan Gehman as a minister in 1886, and Gehman led a majority of the Maple River congregation into the Old Order. In the 1890s, Abraham Detweiler also joined the Old Orders, likely after he was silenced by John F. Funk because of a conflict with a tenant on Detweiler's property.
It appears the two groups initially shared the meetinghouse since they each met every other week. The meetinghouse was called "Union" during these years.
In 1920 the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Mission Board ordained Clyde X. Kauffman as minister and supported a renewed mission effort in Brutus.
On 10 July 2007, the congregation's recently installed pastor, Rudy Kuyton, died in an automobile accident.
One of Maple River's special annual events has been a "Harvest Auction" to raise money for missions, an event supported by the community.
Bibliography
Brubacher, Pat. "Maple River Mennonite." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 2 (March/April 2006): 4.
"Conference mourns loss of pastor." Gospel Evangel 88, no. 4 (July/August 2007): 8.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 320.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 140-142.
Additional Information
Address: 3834 Euclid Street, Brutus, Michigan
Telephone: 231-529-6720
Website: https://www.facebook.com/maplerivermennonitechurch/
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Maple River Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Abraham W. Detweiler (1828-1912) | 1883-1896 |
| Christian W. Detweiler (1845-1917} | 1887-1917 |
| Clyde X. Kauffman (1890-1980) | 1920-1963 |
| Earl W. Hartman (1914-1995) | 1955-1962 |
| William A. Wickey (1929-2022) | 1963-1977 |
| James L. Gerber | 1978-2003 |
| Lay Leadership | 2003-2006 |
| Rudolf "Rudy" Kuyten (1932-2007) | 2006-2007 |
| Lay Leadership | 2007-2010 |
| Todd Thompson | 2010-2012 |
| Lay Leadership | 2012-2014? |
| Chris Rasper | 2014?-2015? |
| Steven E. Slagel (Transitional) | 2015-2017 |
| Lay Leadership | 2017-2022 |
| Michelle Merchant | 2022- |
Maple River Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1890 | 30-40 |
| 1908 | 15 |
| 1920 | 4 |
| 1930 | 31 |
| 1940 | 83 |
| 1950 | 79 |
| 1960 | 53 |
| 1970 | 38 |
| 1980 | 36 |
| 1990 | 38 |
| 2000 | 49 |
| 2009 | 46 |
| 2020 | 41 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Clyde X. Kauffman. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 475. All rights reserved.
The Maple River Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), one mile west of Brutus, Michigan, and 14 miles northeast of Petoskey, was organized in 1883, when the meetinghouse was built by settlers who had come from Waterloo County, Ontario, in 1879 (Abraham Detwiler and Jonas Brubacher families). Abraham Detwiler and Jonathan Gehman were the first preachers. The Wisler Old Order Mennonite schism occurred here in 1886 and seriously handicapped the congregation, since both ministers withdrew with the Wisler group (which later died out). Christian Detwiler, who was ordained after the schism, served until his death in 1917. The congregation, a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, was revived by the action of the conference mission board, which located Clyde X. Kauffman as a minister here in 1921; the congregation was reorganized that year. In 1955 the membership was 64, with Kauffman still serving as pastor, assisted by Earl Hartman.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Maple River Mennonite Church (Brutus, Michigan, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2024. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Maple_River_Mennonite_Church_(Brutus,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179201.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (June 2024). Maple River Mennonite Church (Brutus, Michigan, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Maple_River_Mennonite_Church_(Brutus,_Michigan,_USA)&oldid=179201.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.