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The Mennonite Christian Fellowship (MCF) celebrated its 75^th anniversary Sept. 27-29.

Many church members, new and old, gathered for the celebration of the Atmore staple, which was formerly known as Freemanville Mennonite Church. The church was founded in 1949.

The celebration included a pastor dinner on Friday, events and a meal on Saturday, and a service/meal on Sunday.
The Freemanville Mennonite Church held services until September 1982, before moving to its current location on Tennant Drive and becoming MCF.

Marianne Claussen, who was a member of the church back in the early 1950s, said she recalled being asked by founding Pastor Richard Kling to teach Bible school to primary students.

“I asked, ‘how many do I have?’ and he said, ‘maybe five or six,’” Claussen said. “The night came and I had 15 students the first time teaching. A mother came along, and things went well until I gave him a break.”

Claussen said she enjoyed Christmas caroling, and there was one year when the weather was clear and cool. She said the sound carried well, and it was a neat experience.

Claussen said the church also had get-togethers.

Serving under Kling as a pastor, Luke Weaver was involved with Atmore Christian School from 1979 until 1986.

Weaver said We Care Ministries started the school. He added that the ministry started what was called The Bridge, a school for boys.

“The school was started, and the first two years, the boys from The Bridge were at the school,” Weaver said. “Some of the families of the community heard about the school, and it was opened up to include children from the community.”

Doug Miller, who founded ACS in 1977, said the school started in the basement of The Bridge.

“We were there one year, and there was enough interested to move it to Trammell Street,” Miller said. “It was there until they moved it here.”

Miller recalled that The Bridge had eight boys from the court system.

Weaver, who drove from Virginia to attend the celebration, said it was a joy to meet with about a dozen of his old students over the weekend.

“Dr. Brent Yoder, in town, was one of my students,” he said. “Jason Hiebert was one of my students, and he’s now a key manager for (Huxford Pole and Timber Co.). Conrad Weber is a high school music teacher, and Judy Schrock is a pastor at Grace Fellowship.

“I’m proud of these kids,” he added. “I just found out one of my students is an elementary school principal in the Auburn area.”

Weaver said he believes the sense of community to be invited in and to be a part of a church family are the central reasons why MCF has been a staple of the community for 75 years.

MCF Pastor Blaine Copenhaver said the celebration went well.

“We have a really good team of people organizing things,” Copenhaver said. “As a pastor, when I came on seven years ago, I knew the 75th anniversary was going to come. About a year ago, we started to plan to put a party together.”

Copenhaver said God has blessed the church in many ways over the years.

“God has definitely held the church together through highs or lows,” he said. “MCF was the birth place of another church in Grace (Fellowship). God has brought people in the church and allowed things to come from it.”