First Mennonite Church of New Bremen (Lowville, New York, USA)
In 1941, sixty-seven of the Croghan Conservative Amish Mennonite Church withdrew and formed the First Mennonite Church of New Breman. Sunday school superintendent Samuel Lehman refused to wear the plain coat prescribed by the community's Ordnung. It's thought limited financial resources may have impacted his position. Other persons were also unhappy with church restrictions.
Ministers from the Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference and the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (S. C. Yoder and D. A. Yoder) tried unsuccessfully to find a resolution. On 11 November 1941, the new First Mennonite Church of New Breman was organized. Later research showed that many of the First Mennonite Church men worked in occupations other than farming and were more resistant to dress regulations. The new congregation did not require women to wear cape dresses or prayer coverings.
The congregation built a meetinghouse in 1941. J. Lawrence Burkholder was ordained as the first pastor in 1942. S. C. Yoder and Simon Gingerich, Wayland, Iowa, served as bishops of the congregation. The congregation was independent until 1959, when it joined the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference because of the earlier history with that conference. When the New York Mennonite Conference was formed, First Mennonite Church joined that body in 1973.
Bibliography
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 309.
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 255-256.
Yoder, Nathan E. Together in the Work of the Lord: a History of the Conservative Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2014: 176-177.
Additional Information
Address: 8383 NY-812, Lowville, NY 13367
Phone: 315-376-6379
Website: https://www.facebook.com/FirstMennoniteNewBremen/
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 1959)
New York Mennonite Conference (1959- )
Pastoral Leaders at First Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Lay Leadership | 1941-1942 |
| John Lawrence "J. Lawrence" Burkholder (1917-2010) | 1942-1944 |
| Gordon Schrag (1906-1999) | 1945-1956 |
| Donald D. Jantzi (1918-2001) (Bishop) |
1957-1961 1961-1965 |
| Abram P. Clemens (1921-2018) | 1965-1972 |
| Bruce W. Lyndaker | 1972-1974 |
| Randy Schweitzer | 1974 |
| Lester B. Bauman (1932-2018) | 1974-2002? |
| Gordon Scoville (Interim) | 2002?-2004? |
| Kenneth R. Landis | 2004?-2011? |
| Nathaniel T. Barker (Associate) | 2006-2009 |
| Bruce Chartrand | 2010?-2019? |
| Edward F. Steckly | 2019?- |
First Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 67 |
| 1950 | 140 |
| 1960 | 200 |
| 1970 | 256 |
| 1980 | 342 |
| 1990 | 281 |
| 2000 | 265 |
| 2009 | 275 |
| 2020 | 220 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By B. F. Zehr. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pp. 860. All rights reserved.
The First Mennonite Church of New Bremen (Mennonite Church USA) in New York was established on 11 November 1941, with 76 charter members, most of whom had been members of the Amish Mennonite Church of Croghan, New York. The congregation was originally not affiliated with any Mennonite conference. D. A. Yoder, Goshen, Indiana; S. C. Yoder, Goshen, Indiana; and Simon Gingerich, Wayland, Iowa, served as bishops of the congregation. J. Lawrence Burkholder, Goshen, Indiana, was the first pastor (1942-1944). The 1955 membership was 190; Gordon Schrag was the pastor 1945-1956. A new meetinghouse was built one mile (1.5 km) north of New Bremen on Route 812.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "First Mennonite Church of New Bremen (Lowville, New York, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=First_Mennonite_Church_of_New_Bremen_(Lowville,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=178941.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2024). First Mennonite Church of New Bremen (Lowville, New York, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 May 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=First_Mennonite_Church_of_New_Bremen_(Lowville,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=178941.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.