Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church (Ashley, Indiana, USA)
Beginning in 1849, Mennonite families began to move to DeKalb County, Indiana from various places in Ohio. The only worship services took place when Mennonite preachers occasionally visited the area. In 1867, John M. Brenneman baptized two members of the young congregation, bringing the membership to seven. The group met in a local schoolhouse.
On 28 June 1868, George Brenneman from Delphos, Ohio, led an ordination service for a minister. Fifteen of the sixteen members nominated Eli Stofer, but Stofer nominated James Coyle. The lot fell on Coyle, who had great difficulty serving in the role. Stofer was then ordained in 1871.
In 1883, the small congregation built a meetinghouse, which it dedicated on 16 September 1883, and named it Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church. By the 1890s, it hosted a union Sunday school.
In 1914, the congregation began sharing its meetinghouse with the Church of the Brethren, which had been meeting in the Putt Schoolhouse. Sometime between 1917 and 1921, the Mennonites sold the meetinghouse to the Church of the Brethren, who renamed it the Pleasant Chapel Church of the Brethren. The Mennonites met every four weeks, with Silas Weldy providing leadership from a distance. The Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church was last listed in the 1921 Mennonite Year-Book and Directory.
Bibliography
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 311.
Prentice, Sheryl. "Ashley congregation celebrates centennial milestone." KPCNews.com. 9 July 2021. Web. 25 July 2024. https://www.kpcnews.com/features/article_26bb09b4-117b-56cf-915a-a0b43e509ebb.html.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 123-127.
Additional Information
Address: 1993 County Road 8, Ashley, Indiana
Telephone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Visiting Ministers | 1860s-1868 |
| James Coyle (1826-1906) | 1868-1871 |
| Eli Stofer (1836-1915) | 1871-1915 |
| Henry Huber (1849-1923) | 1882-1885? |
| Reuben R. Ebersole (1878-1960) | 1906-1907 |
| Silas L. Weldy (1877-1955) | 1914-1921? |
Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1868 | 16 |
| 1906 | 35 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1920 | 7 |
| Author(s) | Herbert L Osborne |
|---|---|
| Date Published | July 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Osborne, Herbert L. "Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church (Ashley, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2024. Web. 25 Jul 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pleasant_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Ashley,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=179350.
APA style
Osborne, Herbert L. (July 2024). Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church (Ashley, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 July 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pleasant_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Ashley,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=179350.
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