First Mennonite Church
Beatrice, Nebraska
Beatrice, Nebraska
The history of First Mennonite Church.
| First Mennonite Church Purpose Statement God calls us to: Follow Jesus Mature in Faith Carry the good news. God calls us to be a transformed people as we: (Romans 12:1-2) Follow Jesus in our daily lives *by accepting him as Savior and joyfully responding to his love *by abiding in him through prayer, Bible study and worship *by acting with kindness, mercy and justice toward everyone (John 3:16, John 15:8-11, Eph. 4:32, Micah 6:8, Matt. 22:37-39) Mature in faith through a Spirit-filled community *by nurturing and supporting all ages in their faith journeys *by inviting, welcoming and including others into our family of faith *by discovering and developing spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:11. Luke 19:5-6, 9-10, Philemon 1:15-17) Carry the good news of God's healing and hope into our world *by imitating Christ in our neighborhoods and workplace's *by serving others and practicing peacemaking *by partnering with Christians locally, regionally, and globally (Eph. 5:1-2, James 2:14-17, James 3:17-18, 2 Cor. 5:17-18, Acts 1:8) |
| FMC Story Line 1873 Cornelius Jansen was expelled from Russia for encouraging Mennonites to move to America. His son Peter purchased 20, 000 acres in Jefferson County, Nebraska and encouraged people to settle there. The small town of Jansen, Nebraska is named after him. 1877 About 15 Mennonite families left Heuboden, Prussia for America to escape compulsory military service. After a brief stay in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa the group arrived in Beatrice. They were a wealthy group and known for paying for farms with cash and bringing their Prussian servants with them to the area. November 12-The group gathered at the home of Elder Gerhard Penner, Sr. and decided to found a church. They chose a name to reflect their migration, Die Wehrlose Mennoniten Gemeinde bei Beatrice (The Defenseless Mennonite Church of Beatrice). The county courthouse served as worship place for the original 138 members. Later that year, the first children's Sunday school classes were held in homes. By 1905 there were classes for adults and children alike. 1879 March 9-Two acres of ground were donated by Bernard Reimer and the first church building was constructed. It burned down a few months later and a second building was dedicated on May 23, 1880. 1880 Rev. Gerhard Penner Jr. Was elected as Church Elder. He would serve until 1921. Other members of the congregation were elected to assist with preaching and other duties. 1884 Nine new families arrived in Beatrice from Shiva, Russia led by Klaus Epp. Arriving with this group was Rev. J. K. Penner who served as the first teacher of the parochial grade school which began that year. One year of high school was offered from 1921-1924 until more students began attending public high school. 1887 March 6-A group of Mennonites living in the town of Beatrice started meeting for worship in a rented church. With the help of First Mennonite, they were able to build their own church at 7th & Bell streets. This new church was dedicated in April of 1902. 1892 FMC joined the Western District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church. 1896 Mennonite families living west of FMC began worshipping in their own community, purchasing the Kilpatrick Church in 1904. With the advent of automobiles, this group joined the other larger groups for worship. Please excuse our mess, page is still under construction. |
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| FMC - Historical building photos! |
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