Rosedale Bible Church (Bakersfield, California, USA)
Rosedale Mennonite Brethren Church, located 10 miles west of Bakersfield, California, a member of the Pacific District, traces its origins to a group of mid-western Mennonite Brethren families that had moved to Kern County in the autumn of 1909 to settle on land north of Bakersfield that had been offered for sale by Mennonite Brethren land agent Henry J. Martens. By early 1910 a small town, called Martensdale, had been built. The Martensdale Mennonite Brethren Church was established on 23 January 1910.
A few months later it was discovered that Martens had not actually completed the purchase of the land that he had made available to his clients. The residents of Martensdale found themselves homeless when the true owners of the land evicted them in the spring of 1910. Some families moved to Reedley and other moved to Delano. Most moved south to the Rosedale area west of Bakersfield. The congregation met in a local school for a year until they were able to move the original Martensdale church building to Hageman Road in Rosedale, where it was remodeled and completed.
Rosedale Mennonite Brethren Church was organized in November 1911. The church was the host church of the first conference session of the Pacific District in the late fall of 1911. The first pastor of this church was John Boese from Colorado.
In 1923 the original building was sold and a new one was built on Rosedale Highway. A new sanctuary was completed in 1968.
Ministers who have served this church were John Boese, John Berg, Henry Kohfeld, K. G. Neufeld, J. D. Hofer, H. D. Wiebe, Walter L. Penner, and P. N. Hiebert, who was still serving in 1957, with a membership of 173. The first missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Elrich, of this church were sent to the foreign field in 1955.
The congregation changed its name to Rosedale Bible Church in 1986.
Archival Records
Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Fresno, CA: Rosedale Bible Church (Bakersfield, Cal.). Records, 1910-1979. Record Group CB504.
Additional Information
Address: 16000 Rosedale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93314
Telephone: 661-589-3305
Website: Rosedale Bible Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Pacific District Conference of M. B. Churches
U. S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
| Author(s) | P. N Hiebert |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hiebert, P. N. "Rosedale Bible Church (Bakersfield, California, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rosedale_Bible_Church_(Bakersfield,_California,_USA)&oldid=138914.
APA style
Hiebert, P. N. (1959). Rosedale Bible Church (Bakersfield, California, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rosedale_Bible_Church_(Bakersfield,_California,_USA)&oldid=138914.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 359. All rights reserved.
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