Bethel Mennonite Church (Pekin, Illinois, USA)
Bethel Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), 18443 Illinois Route 9, Pekin, Illinois, was established through extension work of the East Washington Church in about 1890, when D. D. Augspurger held services at the Railroad schoolhouse, four miles (6.5 km) east of Pekin. The congregation was organized in 1905, with Allen Miller as minister. It continued to worship at the Railroad schoolhouse until 1910, when a new church was built about three miles (5 km) east of Pekin. In 1952 the membership was 70 (in 2005, 34). It was a member of the Central Conference (now Central District Conference).
The congregation's membership numbers slowly dropped as their members aged. The congregation voted in fall 2008 to bring its congregational life to an end. On 4 January 2009 it held its final worship service. The interim minister in 2008/09 was Maurice Yordy.
Bibliography
Kaufmann, Lois Johns. "Bethel Holds Final Worship." Central District Conference Reporter (January 2009): 4.
Rich, Elaine Sommers, ed. Walking Together in Faith: The Central District Conference, 1957-1990. Bluffton, Ohio: The Conference, 2003: 39, 48.
Additional Information
Address: 18443 State Rt. 9, Pekin, Illinois (1 mile East of Pekin on St. Rd. 9)
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Central District Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Bethel Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| David D. Augspurger (1853-1935) | 1890-1892 |
| Peter Schantz (1853-1925) | 1892-1898 |
| Valentine Strubhar (1853-1941) (Bishop) |
1892-1898 1905-1914 |
| Moses D. Ropp (1851-1913) | 1898-1900 |
| Peter W. Ropp (1845-1921) | 1900-1907 |
| Allen H. Miller (1870-1950) (Bishop) |
1905-1914 1914-1930 |
| Frank R. Mitchell (1896-1972) | 1924 1946-1947 |
| Benjamin Esch (1887-1971) | 1930-1931 |
| Vernon Strubhar (1894-1964) | 1930-1931 |
| Joseph H. King (1861-1935) | 19331-1932 |
| Emil A. Sommer (1884-1957) | 1933-1934 |
| Samuel Ummel (1892-1969) | 1934-1946 |
| Ernest Hostetler (1894-1968) | 1947 |
| Paul DeMuth | 1948-1949 |
| Benno Toews (1903-1986) | 1948-1949 |
| Lloyd W. Gundy (1926-2008) | 1949-1954 |
| William B. Weaver (1887-1963) | 1953-1954 |
| Roy W. Henry (1916-1995) | 1954-1957 |
| Samuel T. Moyer (1893-1972) | 1957-1967 |
| Grant G. Noll (1932-2002) | 1967-1974 |
| Paul Dahlenburg (1915-2009) | 1974-1979 |
| Lawrence Reel (1944- ) | 1979-1980 |
| Mel D. Friesen (1945- ) | 1980-1985 |
| Lotus E. Troyer (1915-1994) (Interim) | 1985 |
| Steven R. Estes (1956-2009) (Interim) | 1986 |
| Terry Rediger (Interim) | 1987-1988 |
| Jack Stalter (Transition) | 1989 |
| Robert R. Coon (1931-2021) | 1989-1993 |
| Arlin G. Claassen | 1993-2001? |
| Ralph Ogden | 2002?-2008? |
| Maurice Yordy (Interim) | 2008?-2009 |
Membership at Bethel Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 56 |
| 1960 | 67 |
| 1970 | 63 |
| 1980 | 68 |
| 1990 | 60 |
| 2000 | 42 |
| 2009 | 34 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Bethel Mennonite Church (Pekin, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2023. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Pekin,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=174520.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2023). Bethel Mennonite Church (Pekin, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Pekin,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=174520.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 312. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.