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Seven Mennonite
revivalists, under pressure from their bishops to give up their style of
evangelism, huddled at a farmhouse in Milford
Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
It was Friday, September 24, 1858, just two weeks before the next high
council. Should they acquiesce to restrictions upon the freedom of expression
they enjoyed in their revival and prayer meetings? No, they would not. And so
they established the Evangelische Mennoniten Gemeinschaft (Evangelical
Mennonite Society). In their new fellowship, which would remain Mennonite in
doctrine, they would continue enthusiastic evangelism. Within two weeks all
seven--elder William Gehman, bishop William N. Shelly, preachers David
Henning and Henry Diehl, and deacons David Gehman, Joseph Schneider and Jacob
Gottschall--were outside the New Mennonite association (now the General
Conference Mennonite Church). One year later, the first Tuesday in November
1859, they held their first semi-annual preachers conference in the
Evangelical Mennonite Meeting House in Haycock
Township, Bucks County.
Eleven days later they dedicated a new meeting house in Upper
Milford Township,
Lehigh County. Thus began the Bible Fellowship Church.
For more information go to our BFC History Web Site.
http://www.bfchistory.org
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