Boulder Mennonite Church, 2010. Photo by H. Unrau

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, a small informal group of four or five Mennonite families known as the Boulder Mennonite Fellowship began meeting in homes for worship, study, and fellowship. By December 1964 the group, most of whom were members and active participants at Arvada Mennonite Church, and about 15 University of Colorado students, was meeting every other Sunday evening at the Home Savings and Loan Association building in Boulder. In March 1965, after considerable discussion, the Boulder Mennonite Fellowship decided not to establish a formal congregation.

A Mennonite church was started in Boulder, Colorado, in September 1984 after David Habegger, church planter for the Western District Conference (then General Conference Mennonite Church), conducted a study of the area, noting the university setting, the interest people had in justice and peace issues, and the number of Mennonites who drove long distances to attend Mennonite churches in Arvada and Denver. The conference called Marilyn Miller as church planter, and a small group of people from the Arvada and First Mennonite (of Denver) churches joined in establishing a congregation.  With substantial support from the Western District Conference they purchased a building across from the University of Colorado in January 1985. Rooms were rented out to various peace and justice groups to help pay the mortgage. On 24 November 1985 the church had a charter service with 30 persons covenanting to membership.

Steve Goering, later joined in co-ministry by his wife Susan Ortman Goering, began as the church’s second full time pastor in October 1989. The congregation’s membership and average attendance was about 60 in 1989.  By late 1994 average Sunday morning worship service attendance had grown to 80-85, and in 1999 the congregation’s membership was 78, with an average Sunday morning attendance of 95.  Under the pastoral leadership of the Goerings a Voluntary Service unit and a Victim Offender Restoration Program office were added to the church.  In 2004 the church building was sold and a structure almost twice as large was purchased at 3910 Table Mesa Drive in Boulder.  In 2005, Karen Cox was called out of the congregation to become pastor. The congregation, which became a charter member of the Mountain States Mennonite Conference (MCUSA) in 2006, is dually-affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. In 2007 the congregation’s average Sunday morning attendance was 70.

Bibliography

Additional Information

Address:  3910 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder, Colorado 80305

Telephone:  303-443-3889

Website:  www.bouldermennonite.org/

Denominational Affiliations:
Mountain States Mennonite Conference

Mennonite Church USA

Church of the Brethren

Boulder Mennonite Church Ministers

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