History - Bahia Vista Mennonite Church

Bahia Vista Mennonite Church
4041 Bahia Vista Street
Sarasota, FL 34232
United States

Phone:

(941) 377-4041

Fax: (941) 378-9674

E-mail: BVMenno@comcast.net

            In the winter of 1926-27 a group of four Amish families moved south as the first permanent Anabaptists settlers in the Sarasota area. They cleared their land and immediately began to farm a variety of crops, though the only success they had was with watermelons. They had made arrangements to ship the watermelons north via railroad, but the railroad company experienced some difficulties and the melons rotted in the boxcar under the hot Florida sun. Discouraged, the families planned to return to the colder Ohio climates where they at least knew how to farm successfully. On their way back north, however, they happened upon a farming development in Fruitville, east of Sarasota, and decided to give it one more try. Thus the Amish-Mennonite community of Sarasota was born.
            The little community was slow but steady in growth. Soon several more families ventured south to enjoy the warm sunshine, and by the 1940's they had established two small churches. In 1947 a group of Mennonites associated with the Virginia Conference began a feasibility study for the purpose of planting a new church in the area, and by 1950 some land had been secured on Tuttle Avenue.
            The dedication service for Tuttle Avenue Mennonite Church was held on December 31,1950. William Jennings assumed pastoral leadership early on, along with several lay leaders. Myron Augsburger arrived in May 1951 to serve as the first pastor, and the little congregation became involved in mission and service in the Sarasota community. A witness in the Newtown community led to a church plant by 1952, and by the early 1960's, under the leadership of Pastor H. Michael Shenk, the congregation had begun radio ministries, missionary supports, and educational endeavors.
            John H. Shenk and Stanlee D. Kauffman provided leadership in the 1970's and 1980's. The congregation continued to grow, reaching a membership of over 600. Tuttle Avenue continued to be involved in community outreach and service, and quickly became a favorite place to worship among winter residents. Meaningful ministry opportunities for laity and additional ministerial staff made Tuttle Avenue a dynamic place to be. A new church building was dedicated on December 28, 1980 at Bahia Vista St., just a shy thirty years after the Tuttle Avenue dedication.
            The 1990's were years of maturation. Congregation growth leveled off at about 650 members, with attendance soaring to over 1500 during the winter months. New programs were developed and many of them, such as the Christian Fine Arts Series, Community Night and Charis Center, were geared toward the broader Christian community in Sarasota. Bahia Vista paid off the debt on its facilities, which were often used by outside groups, and financially supported a variety of missions and ministries. A. Don Augsburger and Barry Wm. Loop served as pastors during this time. In the late 1990's, Bahia Vista adopted a new mission statement, entered into its first building project since the move to the new location, and began to dream about how God would lead in the future. What had begun as rotting watermelons had resulted in a work of God.
-James P Miller II

In the fall of 2001 Glenn Steiner became the senior pastor of Bahia Vista. He served six and one half years until March of 2008.