West Fairview Mennonite Church (Beaver Crossing, Nebraska, USA)
Source: Mennonite Community Photograph Collection, The Congregation (HM4-134 Box 1 photo 010.6-9).
Mennonite Church USA Archives, Goshen, Indiana.
West Fairview Mennonite Church, located near Beaver Crossing, Seward County, Nebraska began as an extension Sunday school of the Fairview Mennonite Church prior to 1904, for the benefit of members who lived too far away from the church. These members met in various schools until 1905, when a meetinghouse was built about five miles from the East Fairview meetinghouse. An addition and basement were added to the building in 1919. A new church, 72 x 42 ft, was dedicated in 1956.
John Steckley appeared to be the first local minister for the congregation.[1]
Dale Oswald was among the bishops in the Iowa-Nebraska Conference who took a traditional approach to matters like cut hair for women, wearing jewelry, and ownership of televisions. This served to alienate West Fairview from the conference as more congregations accepted change in those areas. A final straw took place when the conference allowed the Parnell congregation to make its own decision on accepting previously divorced and remarried persons into membership. In 1968, when the Iowa-Nebraska Conference first recognized unordained delegates, the West Fairview congregation withdrew from the conference and became an independent Mennonite congregation.
Notes
- ↑ Steckley's address was Beaver Crossing, Nebraska by 1902. See the report of the Western Amish Mennonite District meeting of October 10-11, 1902 in Herald of Truth (1 December 1902): 363.
Bibliography
Roth, Ben. "Beaver Crossing, Neb." Gospel Herald 12, no. 29 (16 October 1919): 537.
Yoder, Holly Blosser. The same spirit: History of Iowa-Nebraska Mennonites. Freeman, S.D.: Central Plains Mennonite Conference, 2003: 166-170, 283.
Additional Information
Address: 597 350th, Beaver Crossing NE 68313
Phone: 402-761-2923
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Pastoral Leaders at West Fairview Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John Steckley (1857-1929) | 1902?-1909 |
| Joseph E. Whitaker (1867-1929) | 1907-1911? 1916?-1919? |
| Christian C. Steckly (1874-1944) | 1909-1912 |
| Frederick J. Gingerich (1878-1955) | 1913-1919 |
| William R. Eicher (1889-1959) (Bishop) |
1917-1932 1932-1959 |
| Jacob W. Oswald (1881-1958) | 1923?-1927 |
| Ezra Roth (1904-1950) | 1932-1950 |
| John R. Roth (1898-1955) | 1950-1955 |
| Lloyal J. Burkey (1923-2018) | 1956-2005? |
| Dale J. Oswald (1923-2015) (Bishop) |
1957-1958 1958-1993 |
| F. Dale Hostetler (1924-2009) | 1975-2005? |
| Gale E. Oswald (Bishop) | 1993-2008 |
| David A. Burkey (Bishop) | 2008- |
| Thaddeus Kremer | 2012- |
West Fairview Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 88 |
| 1920 | 134 |
| 1930 | 150 |
| 1940 | 143 |
| 1950 | 143 |
| 1960 | 103 |
| 1970 | 116 |
| 1980 | 82 |
| 1990 | 48 |
| 2000 | 64 |
| 2009 | 77 |
| 2020 | 76 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By William R. Eicher. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 111. All rights reserved.
West Fairview Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), located near Beaver Crossing, Seward County, Nebraska, was initially a member of the Iowa-Nebraska Mennonite Conference. It began as an extension Sunday school of the East Fairview Mennonite Church prior to 1904, for the benefit of members who lived too far away from the church. These members met in various schools until 1905, when a meetinghouse was built about five miles from the East Fairview meetinghouse.
Joe Whitaker from Parnell, Iowa, became the first minister. Other ministers who have served are John Steckley, Chris Steckley, Fred Gingerich, Jacob Oswald, John R. Troyer, Ezra Roth, Lloyal Burkey, Dale Oswald, and William R. Eicher (ordained as minister in 1916 and as bishop in 1932), the bishop-pastor in 1959. The membership in 1959 was 110. A new church, 72 x 42 ft, was dedicated in 1956.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | August 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "West Fairview Mennonite Church (Beaver Crossing, Nebraska, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2023. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=West_Fairview_Mennonite_Church_(Beaver_Crossing,_Nebraska,_USA)&oldid=177358.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (August 2023). West Fairview Mennonite Church (Beaver Crossing, Nebraska, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=West_Fairview_Mennonite_Church_(Beaver_Crossing,_Nebraska,_USA)&oldid=177358.
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