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a centennial celebration of the founding of Sunday schools in the Mennonite Church. A pamphlet entitled One Hundred Years of Mennonite Sunday Schools in Logan County, Ohio was published, and a conference was held which provided an occasion for assessing the church's total Christian education program.

Roy Koch is presently the bishop in charge of the three West Liberty congregations.

The Churches in Allen County

As already noted, the Allen County churches were a transplantation of the settlement in Fairfield and Perry counties. Under the able leadership of Bishop Henry Stemen, John Sherrick, and Henry Funk prosperous congregations arose in Allen County. In 1843 a log church, known as Sherrick's Church, was erected on the ground across the road from the present Salem Church near Elida. As the congregation increased, it became necessary to rebuild, and in 1856 the Salem Church was erected at a cost of $600.00.'"

By 1860 a number of members had settled west of Elida and they began to hold religious services in a schoolhouse. In 1874 they erected a new church building to be known as the Pike Church. Preaching services were held on alternate Sundays between the Salem and Pike churches with the same ministry serving both churches. Besides John M. Brenneman other leaders of the congregations included Christian Culp, George Brenneman, John Burkholder, and Christian B. Brenneman.

The passing of the decades saw much growth and activity in these congregations. The leadership of John M. Brenneman was, as noted, quite important but there were others who also engaged in evangelistic work. Christian B. Brenneman, ordained in 1871, did much evangelistic work and increased the membership. In 1881 a congregation was organized at New Stark, Ohio.15 It is of note that the German language was discontinued in Allen County at an earlier date than elsewhere in Ohio. This may have been due to the influence of John M. Brenneman who settled in Allen County in 1855 and who advocated Sunday school and other innovations which made for a transition in language.

On November 11, 1897, the preliminary meeting of the General Conference Planning Committee convened at the Pike Church in Allen County with the following Ohio bishops present: D. C. Amstutz, Benjamin Gerig, John Burkholder, Michael Horst, J. M.