| "For no one can lay
any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." We are an Anabaptist Fellowship committed to being Kingdom People in the city. Through worship, Christian nurture, and Bible Study Groups, we desire to grow in faith, deepening our knowledge of God's Word, maturing and caring for each other and becoming more obedient to God. We as a Fellowship realize that we have a mandate from God's Word to "go and make other disciples, baptizing and teaching" others in the faith. We are therefore committed to be a people of action - evangelizing and working for justice and peace for our neighbors, and being involved in acts of caring for our people and neighbors in need. (SLMF Mission Statement) Membership includes individuals from "ethnic Mennonite" background as well as those from other Christian traditions. SLMF is a progressive group whose members participate in an annual retreat to renew the covenant membership commitment. The fellowship embraces a joint leadership structure based on the participation of all members, as well as supporting a paid pastor. Worship style is informal and inclusive. Just recently, we have celebrated our 30th anniversary. You are very welcome to join us as we worship and strive to be obedient to God's Word. |
||
A detailed and picturesque description of our history was wonderfully written in book form by Michelle Weaver Kaufmann and presented at our 25th anniversary. |
Click here to view. |
The first 25 years timeline below gives you just a brief history of how the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship began. |
| 1972 • A Mennonite Voluntary Service couple started a new unit in St. Louis. Their mission was to organize the local Mennonites into a group that met regularly. 1973 •First meeting was an organized book discussion group and held on Jan 15th, Sunday evening. Some were Mennonites and some were not. They met to discuss the books: The Anabaptist Vision by Harold Bender and The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder. The group that began as 8 to 10 continued growing from 20 to 60 people, some began to desire a more church-like experience. 1974 • In the fall, discussions over becoming a church began in earnest and went on for some time. Commitment to the idea was difficult since many of the Mennonites living in St. Louis were involved in other non-Mennonite churches, including those that attended the book discussion. • One evening, four couples, with the pastor of Bethesda Mennonite Church (only Mennonite Church in St. Louis) to share their desire to start another Mennonite Church in St. Louis. The pastor encourages them to go on with their plans. 1975 • From January thru September, about four families met on Sunday mornings and eventually met at Edgewood Children's Center without a pastor. • The group settled on "The St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship" as the name of the church because it sounded friendly. • The group worked on a statement of purpose and faith which was brief and to the point of the intent to become a church. • In February, the Statement of Purpose was completed. • They continued with shared leadership since at that point in development, the group felt they could not support a pastor financially. 1978 • In August, a part time pastoral couple decides to come with a three year commitment. The St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship is able to pay a small amount, but were supported by the pastor's sabbatical income. • Voluntary Service (VS) unit starts up again and MCC trainees from Edgewood help to swell the ranks of the group. • In December, some members of the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship attended the Central District Conference in Otumwa, Iowa and identified themselves as a new church in St. Louis and officially joined the conference at that time. 1979 • The pastor developed a Membership Covenant which was discussed by the group and signed by 17 people on June 3rd. The group committed to re covenant every Pentecost. • As the Fellowship struggled to establish their identity, they decided to develop a Confession of Faith. Although the conference had a Confession of Faith, most of the members felt it was important to decide for themselves what they believed. After a long process, the document was 20 articles long and used for many years in membership classes. • During a retreat, the group developed a Statement of Goals for the upcoming year. Among the goals were the desire to outreach friends in neighborhood, to have an racially integrated membership, and to be involved in a group service project. 1980 • For several years in the 80's, the Fellowship served as a church home for many Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) international trainees who often worked at Edgewood Children's Center. Many Fellowship families served as "friendship families" for the trainees, sharing their homes as well as their time. • The MCC trainees along with the VS unit formed the basis of a strong young people's group. • A family from the Fellowship leaves to do missionary work in Sudan, Africa. This is the first missionary from the Fellowship. • The pastor's sabbatical ends and the Fellowship has to begin the search for a new pastor. • The Fellowship sees the need for a Pastoral Support Committee. 1981 • The Fellowship's first Peace Worker (part of the Voluntary Service Unit) arrived in September and committed to a 2 year term. • A new pastor and his wife begins to serve on Dec. 1st. • The Social Committee is formed. 1982 • The group established a specific schedule for Sunday morning consisting of worship from 8:45 to 10:00 am, a break from 10:00 to 10:15 am, and then Sunday School from 10:15 to 11:15 am. The group was still meeting at Edgewood. The group was informal, chairs arranged in a circle. Many times, Holly (the Edgewood dog) would "flop" down in center of the circle and worship would continue on. • In January, in coordination with the Peace and Service committee, the Fellowship adds "Peace Concerns" or a prayer which specifically aimed at issues of peace. • In February, the Fellowship adopts a Vietnamese family and gives support when the family arrives in St. Louis. • In February, the Fellowship sponsored a resolution on gun control at the Central District Conference. 1983 • A member of the Fellowship initiates the effort to start a Kid's Club (3rd - 8th grade) as an alternative to joining Girl/Boy Scouts for the kids of the Fellowship. The club met once a month and continued for ten years. • The need for a church historian was brought up, the duties were split among the members. 1984 • In the fall, several fellowship members along with the Peace worker began the idea of the Fellowship supporting a SELFHELP store in St. Louis. • In June, a two day Vacation Bible School is held at the UCC Campground including adults and children of all ages. • A couple at the Fellowship start a youth program for young people (7th grade and up) that met once a month. This program continues to date. 1985 • On June 15,1985, Plowsharing Crafts (SELFHELP store) opens for business and continues to the present date. 1987 • The Fellowship decides to make the pastor position full-time instead of 3/4 time. 1988 • In January, a scholarship fund is established for college bound young people that want to attend Mennonite colleges and this fund is still currently used today. • The Fellowship had completed a document laying out the entire structure of the Fellowship covering committee structure and decision making, etc. The Leadership Coordinating Group (LCG) was formed and continues as the central point of leadership for the Fellowship. 1990 • In December, the Fellowship writes the statement of mission. • Another member in the Fellowship leaves to do missionary work in the Ukraine. • The Fellowship begins participating in Project COPE, a program to help ex-offenders reenter into society after being released from prison. Presently there are two Project COPE partnership teams. • In September, a new pastor and his wife comes to serve in the Fellowship. 1991 • New pastoral couple comes to the Fellowship. 1992 •The Erick Norlin Memorial Fund was established. Erick Norlin was an active and committed member of the Fellowship. Erick shared his compassion, his love for life, his love for travel and his faith in God with everyone. Yearly activities continue on or near Erick's birthday. 1997 • The Fellowship began renting from Hope Presbyterian Church in Creve Couer. To accommodate schedules and to enrich childre's experience by increasing the number of peers in class, the two churches combined their education programs. Both churches found some common interests in community service projects. 1998 • In January, by the recommendation of Peace and Service Committee, the Fellowship becomes an official member of Webtser Rock Hill Ministries increasing involvement in community service and continues to serve to date. 1999 • The Fellowship approves the proposal to continue developing the Peace Center. 2000 • In August, St. Louis is designated as the 2000 "City on the Hill" at the "Come To The River" Mennonite Conference in St. Louis. 2001 • The existing pastor decides to retire in August and the Fellowship begins the search again. |
||
 |
||