Bellwood Mennonite Church (Milford, Nebraska, USA)
The Bellwood Mennonite Church, Milford, Nebraska, USA, began out of dissension within the East Fairview Mennonite Church. The use of television and changing practices at weddings created issues in some of the more conservative Nebraska congregations. A portion of the East Fairview congregation withdrew and organized itself in November 1957 and began meeting separately along with some dissident members of the West Fairview congregation. The fallout of the conflict meant the Iowa-Nebraska Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC) did not admit Bellwood to the conference until 1970.
The new group met initially in the Beaver Crossing Evangelical United Brethren building. It broke ground for its own building in mid-1958 and began meeting in the new basement in October 1958. It dedicated the new meetinghouse on 5 March 1959.
In 2023 the congregation was part of the Central Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
"Ground has been broken...." Gospel Herald 51, no. 26 (1 July 1958): 624.
"History." Bellwood Mennonite Church. Accessed 10 July 2007. [Broken link]
Yoder, Holly Blosser. The same spirit: History of Iowa-Nebraska Mennonites. Freeman, S.D.: Central Plains Mennonite Conference, 2003: 160-166, 280.
Additional Information
Address: 520 B Street, Milford, Nebraska
Phone: 402-761-2709
Website: Bellwood Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Bellwood Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Ivan R. Lind (1910-1970) | 1958-1965 |
| John M. Landis (1914-2003) | 1965-1969? |
| Herbert L. Yoder (1929-2021) | 1970-1982 |
| Ronald King | 1982-1985? |
| Stanley Weaver | 1985-1987? |
| Noah S. Kolb | 1987?-1994 |
| Albert H. Epp (1931-2019)(Interim) | 1995-1996 |
| Marlin Kym | 1996-2005 |
| Betta Kym (Assistant) | 1996-2005 |
| David M. Miller | 2007?-2018 |
| Taric L. Leichty (Associate) | 2013-2022 |
| Gordon Scoville (Transitional) | 2018-2019 |
| Gene Miller (Interim) | 2019-2020? |
| Stephen P. Griffin | 2020- |
Membership at Bellwood Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 61 |
| 1960 | 130 |
| 1970 | 156 |
| 1980 | 209 |
| 1990 | 246 |
| 2000 | 241 |
| 2009 | 206 |
| 2020 | 182 |
Maps
Map:Bellwood Mennonite Church (Milford, Nebraska)
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Melvin Gingerich. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1064. All rights reserved.
The Bellwood Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), Milford, Nebraska, was organized in November 1957 by approximately 13 families of the Milford Mennonite community. After meeting in a grocery store, school house, and in homes, the congregation purchased land in the Bellwood section of Milford, Nebraska, from which came the name Bellwood Mennonite Church. The new building, begun in 1958, was dedicated in March 1959. The 1959 membership was 70, with Ivan R. Lind serving as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Bellwood Mennonite Church (Milford, Nebraska, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2023. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bellwood_Mennonite_Church_(Milford,_Nebraska,_USA)&oldid=175321.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2023). Bellwood Mennonite Church (Milford, Nebraska, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bellwood_Mennonite_Church_(Milford,_Nebraska,_USA)&oldid=175321.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.