North Main Street Mennonite Church (Nappanee, Indiana, USA)
The North Main Street Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), located at 504 North Main Street, Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana, is a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. The early Mennonite families began to settle in Locke and Union townships in Elkhart County about 1853-1863. Services were held in a nearby schoolhouse every four weeks. About 1878 a small building was purchased in Nappanee. A Sunday school was organized, which apparently created new interest. On 15 May 1880 David Burkholder was ordained minister, which sets the date when the congregation was organized. In 1893 a new brick building was built by the 43 members of the congregation. Preaching services were now held every two weeks. The first evangelistic meetings were held by John S. Coffman in 1894. The membership in 1906 was 117. The meetinghouse was enlarged in 1912, 1921, and 1952. It had a seating capacity of 450.
In 1923, when a division occurred in the church, Ezra Mullet (then pastor) withdrew with a group to the West Market Street Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church). Members of the West Market Street Church who desired to stay with the conservative group adhering to the conference transferred their membership to the North Main Street congregation. The West Market Street congregation later united with the General Conference Mennonite Church. D. D. Troyer was responsible for the worship services until Homer F. North was ordained as minister on 1 August 1926. North was ordained bishop in 1954.
Bishops who served in the congregation were David Burkholder, Jacob Christophel, Ray F. Yoder, and Homer F. North; ministers were Frank Hartman, Noah Metzler, Ezra Mullet, and D. D. Troyer. In the fall of 1952 the church sponsored the opening of a mission Sunday school in Osceola, just west of Elkhart, and Maurice Long was ordained in 1954 as minister for the work in Osceola. In 1955 the membership was 372, with Homer F. North as pastor.
| Author(s) | Homer F North |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
North, Homer F. "North Main Street Mennonite Church (Nappanee, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=North_Main_Street_Mennonite_Church_(Nappanee,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=76446.
APA style
North, Homer F. (1957). North Main Street Mennonite Church (Nappanee, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=North_Main_Street_Mennonite_Church_(Nappanee,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=76446.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 921. All rights reserved.
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