Madera Avenue Bible Church is a member of the United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Our congregation in Madera had its formation in the community of Fairmead, CA on June 2, 1912. Some Mennonite groups saw Fairmead as a location where they could form a Mennonite farming colony so several families purchased land in the Fairmead area and they formed the “Fairmead Church.” When the soil proved to be inadequate, some of the families began to move away. After several years that church closed. But the remaining Mennonites didn’t want to abandon their Mennonite roots, so they voted to join the Mennonite Brethren.
So on October 19, 1919, ten charter members elected Peter Wall as their leader and John K. Lichti as their pastor. An acre of land at 19125 Ave. 18 ½ in the area known as Dixieland was purchased and a church building was constructed. That property was used for our church until 1969. During the 49 years our church was in Dixieland, we joined with other M. B. churches in the area north of Fresno for times a year to worship. There was a bus ministry and every year there was a Daily Vacation Bible School during the summer, usually for two weeks during the day.
In the early part of 1969 our church decided we needed to move in to Madera and so property was bought in Madera and on March 30, 1969 the first service was held in the new sanctuary at the churches current location 124 Walnut St. Since that time the church was name Madera Avenue Bible Church and the church has sponsored VBS, AWANA , and all the normal functions of a church that reaches out to the community around it.
