The Calvary Evangelical Mennonite Church (until 2009 Calvary Mennonite Church), Washington, Illinois, was first known as the East Washington Church. It held its first services in May 1866, when Jonathan Yoder began to preach for those Amish families of Woodford and Tazewell counties who did not have church privileges in their community. The people worshiped in private homes until 1869. A 30x40 ft. church was built a few miles east of Washington in 1869. This was replaced in 1906 by a new frame building, and in 1925 by a brick building in the town of Washington. At that time the name of the church was changed from East Washington Church to Calvary Mennonite Church. In 1952 there were 540 members. In 1892 a language difference caused a division of the congregation; the pastor, Michael Kinsinger, and a group of people sympathetic to his views organized the South Washington Church. In 2007 its membership was 325, and the pastor was David Dillon.

For most of its history the congregation was affiliated with the Central Conference Mennonite Church and later the Central District of the General Conference Mennonite Church. Calvary's relationship to the conference became more distant over the years, partly over theological differences with the direction of the Central District. In August 2008 Calvary Mennonite withdrew from the conference and joined the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (formerly known as the Evangelical Mennonite Church). In 2010 the senior pastor was Ken Sistrunk.

Bibliography

Additional Information

Address: 115 East Jefferson Street, Washington, Illinois

Phone: 309-444-2722

Website: Calvary Evangelical Mennonite Church

Denominational Affiliation: Fellowship of Evangelical Churches

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 494-495. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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