Both congregations worship on Sundays in the sanctuary.  Services are also livestreamed and available to watch on YouTube.

Belmont Neighborhood Fellowship

About Us

Images from the Sterling East Neighborhood Community Celebrations that we host once a year in the summer.

Belmont Neighborhood Fellowship (BNF) began in 1991 as a second service of Belmont Mennonite Church (BMC).  BNF became a separate congregation in 2006, but remained closely related to BMC under the same congregational umbrella and sharing of facilities and support staff.

BNF has a mission-heart for the neighborhoods of Elkhart, particularly the Sterling East Neighborhood of which it is a part.  Kevin Yoder serves as pastor.  Average attendance is 20-30.  Sunday services are:

Sunday Worship: 6:00 pm
Food & Fellowship: 7:00 pm

Kevin’s Office Hours:  Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 to 11:30 am

BNF is committed to be a Bible-centered family of Jesus Christ that gladly shares Jesus’ love with others.  

Vision

Belmont Neighborhood Fellowship is a family of Jesus’ followers living out the Bible’s message of Jesus’ love, salvation, and discipleship. BNF encourages participants to utilize their God-given talents in worship, reaching out to those needing spiritual healing and to provide spiritual guidance to all.

BNF’s Current and Near-Future Plans

The BNF Steering Team, with counsel from the congregation, has been discerning a plan for what the years 2021-2025 might hold for BNF.  The team has been prayerfully considering how God might be leading us into embracing Jesus’ prayer for His people to do God’s will and build God’s kingdom “on earth as in heaven.”  We want to do this according to the following outline for shaping our corporate worship, teaching, and action.  We also recognize that we may well decide to adjust and change these plans as the Holy Spirit leads us as a group of God’s people.

We invite each worshiper at BNF to believe that God calls us as His people to be Jesus’ hands and feet at work in His world.  We remember that Jesus’ last words to His disciples before He ascended up to heaven were: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:18).  We believe Jesus’ words now apply to us in this current time.  And we would suggest the following emphases:

2021 – Living faithfully by the power of the Holy Spirit

2022 – Witnessing in our “Jerusalem” (in our neighborhoods and the city of Elkhart)

2023 – Witnessing in our “Judea” (IN-MI Mennonite Conference, its members and mission)

2024 – Witnessing in our “Samaria” (joining hands across ethnic and cultural divides)

2025 – Witnessing in the ends of the earth, especially the worldwide services of Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)

Our song for these 5 years: Come Walk With Us, the Journey is Long

Our year-by-year challenge:  “Each One Bring One.” (If each year each BNFer brought one new person to be an ongoing part of BNF, and even if were were only 50% effective in this, we would grow from 25 to 125 in those five years. We believe God would be greatly honored!)

The Contact Us form has been submitted.  Thank-you.

Race and White Privilege

All are welcome to participate in this group that focuses on issues of race, systemic racism, and white privilege.  Meetings often involve guest speakers, dialogue amongst Belmonters, and other activities related to learning about and acting upon issues of race and white privilege.  

Neighborhood Housing Initiative

An offshoot of Mission Commission, there is a group of Belmonters from both congregations that is exploring ways that Belmont can support our neighborhood and those in need of quality, affordable housing.  

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Prayer shawls

A group of Belmonters knit shawls for the church and pray over them as they do so.  Pastors then distribute these prayer shawls to congregants as needed during times of crisis, before surgery, etc.  

Coffee Break

A small group meets in Belmont’s community room every Tuesday morning at 10:00 am for coffee, food, and fellowship.  This is open to both congregations and any guests they may invite.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)

Belmont is involved with and very supportive of the annual Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale in Goshen.  Every year we collect contributions for My Coins Count to be used to provide much needed drinking water to many parts of the world.

Children and Youth Ministries at BMC include:

  • Children’s Sunday school classes beginning at age 3.  Nursery care is provided for infants and toddlers.  (There are 80+ children at BMC, ages infant through grade 12.)
  • An active junior youth group – JYF – that meets weekly on Sunday and twice a month for a social event or service project.  Currently there are about 15 youth in this group.
  • An active senior youth group – MYF – that meets weekly on Sunday and twice a month for a social event or service project.  Currently there are about 25 youth in this group.
  • Mentor/mentee program for all youth in grades 6-12.
  • Faith Marker recognition at various points when there is a new faith step to be taken.

Belmont Counseling Ministry

The purpose of the Belmont Counseling Ministry is to offer a Christian counseling service for individuals, couples, and families from both congregations and from the wider community as well.  The focus of this ministry is to assist persons in their search for wholeness, healing, and reconciliation with God, self, and others with the support of a trained counselor. 

BNF YOUTH STEWARDS:

A group of young persons, age 14 and up meet weekly prior to BNF worship for a time of supporting each other, learning money management skills, Bible study, and learning how to do church together.

Mary Beck Elementary School

Belmont has partnered with nearby Mary Beck Elementary School.  BMC’s Mary Beck Committee leads a variety of efforts throughout the school year to provide support to the teachers and administration, to work one-on-one with students who need help with reading or other areas of learning, provide daily snacks for students, and assist with any other area of need.

AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)

AA meets every Friday evening at 7 pm at Belmont in a fellowship and support group for one another.

Small Groups

Everyone at BMC is invited to be part of a small group.  These groups are intended to be:

  • A significant part of the care system of the church
  • A place for fellowship, fun, and connection with others at Belmont
  • A place to grow as disciples of Jesus through prayer, study, and practice of spiritual disciplines
  • Mission groups that serve together.