The Bethel Mennonite Church (Mountain Valley Mennonite Churches, formerly Mennonite Church) four miles (6.5 km) north of Cootes Store, Rockingham County, Virginia, was a member of the Virginia Mennonite Conference before withdrawing from the conference in 2002 over doctrinal concerns. It then became a member of the Mountain Valley Mennonite Churches, a group of churches unwilling to join the then new Mennonite Church USA.

About 1915 a Sunday school was started by two Baptist girls under a tree near this place. It was later moved to an old store building near by. The Mennonite Church was invited to take the work over and the store building was purchased in 1918 and used for services until around 1925 when it was torn down, moved to its present location, and enlarged. The membership was 110 in 1953 and the pastor was M. D. Emswiler. In 2009 the pastor was Stephen R. Estep; the membership was 65.

Additional Information

Address: 18425 Runions Creek Road, Broadway, Virginia 22815

Phone:

Denominational Affiliation: Mountain Valley Mennonite Churches

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 311. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2009 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

MLA style: Showalter, Timothy. "Bethel Mennonite Church (Broadway, Virginia, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/B486405.html>

APA style: Showalter, Timothy. (1953). "Bethel Mennonite Church (Broadway, Virginia, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/B486405.html>