The Fairview Street Mennonite Mission (Mennonite Church (MC), Reading, Pennsylvania, grew out of a need for more room at the Twelfth Street Mission. A small number of families who had been attending the Mennonite services at the Twelfth Street Mission moved to the southeast end of Reading. Since there was no church of any denomination in the immediate area, and many children wanted to attend Sunday school, a dwelling was rented for that purpose in 1932.

The Fairview Street Mission was opened under J. B. Gehman, who was then in charge of the mission work in Reading with its center at Twelfth and Windsor streets.

After the work had grown a few years preaching services and congregational life were established. The double house in which the Sunday school had been held was bought and renovated. It now had a roomy chapel in the first floor, Sunday-school rooms, and living quarters for mission workers. Luke L. Horst, minister, his family, and two workers, Elsie Gehman and Ireta Gassman, lived here and assisted regularly at all three of the missions in Reading.

The Sunday school was the largest regular activity, usually about 125. The summer Bible school had the largest attendance, usually reaching 200.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 290-291. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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