About Mennonite Village

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About Mennonite Village

Mennonite Village began as a 24-room nursing home in 1947, operating under the name Mennonite Home for the Aged. From the beginning, this home was envisioned as a place where seniors could live comfortably and receive peaceful, loving care as they grew older. That vision is in place today as we grow and continually expand our services. See The History of Mennonite Village for more information about how we began and how we’ve grown over the years.

Today we offer a community for seniors that is alive with activity, light, energy, and nature. We respect our seniors for their lifetime of accomplishments, their past and present talents, and the life lessons they have to share. We honor and nourish each individual’s spiritual life.

The History of Mennonite Village

As Lydia Hostetler Stutzman of Harrisburg, Oregon entered her retirement years, she became concerned about who would care for her when she could no longer care for herself. When she asked her nephew Frank Kropf for advice, he suggested that she designate her estate to be used toward building a home where older and physically needy Mennonites could care for one another. She agreed, and in 1942 her estate was used to begin building a community for seniors.

As administrator of their aunt’s estate, Frank and his brother Levi decided to expand the mission by building a retirement home that would lovingly minister to elderly Mennonites in their last years of life. As the word got out, donations began to pour in from various mid-Willamette Valley Mennonite congregations and other congregations from as far away as Kansas. In 1946, Frank spearheaded construction on the Mennonite Home.
Here is a snapshot of some of the key dates in our growth as a community:

1947 - A 24-room nursing home opens

1954 - 28 beds are added, including a sunroom

1965 - The first retirement duplex is built

1979 - Groundbreaking for an 80-bed nursing home held

1984 - 69 village units are constructed

1986 - Lakeside Center (activity/community center) and 46 more units are constructed.

1987 - A new chapel is built and dedicated

1988 - In-Home Care department opens. 33 new village units added on Ermine St.

1995 - Quail Run, a 95-unit Assisted Living facility, is dedicated

1997 - The Mennonite Home receives accreditation as a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), and celebrates 50 years of community

1998 - Construction begins on Lydia’s House, an Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care unit, and 50 new village units

October 1998 - Lydia’s House opens

2000 - Ashwood Court, a Congregate Living facility, opens

2002 - Name changes to Mennonite Village to reflect the village we have become

2003 - 25 new homes constructed

2004 - Ashwood Court II, a second Congregate Living facility opens

2006 - Purchased 76 adjoining acres to the east of the current campus

Mission and Values

Our mission is to be a Christ-centered community providing life-enriching services. As such, we commit to uphold the following principles within the life of our community:

Stewardship: Acting out of love, and accountable to one another, we accept with joy the responsibility of participating in our community. We also accept our personal responsibility to prudently manage the community’s affairs and assets; to encourage the exercise and development of talents and spiritual gifts and to safeguard the heritage of the Mennonite Church.
Service: Believing that serving each other is our true mission, we humbly devote ourselves to being the generous hands, the gentle voice, and the compassionate heart of Jesus.
Self-Determination: Respecting the dignity and worth of each individual, we pledge to encourage independence and freedom of choice and to provide opportunities for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth, while considering the needs of all people within our community.