Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church (Pretty Prairie, Kansas, USA)
Source: Mennonite Church USA Archives - North Newton Photo Collection 2011-0138.
Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church, located 3 miles east of Pretty Prairie, Kansas, initially a member of the Western District Conference, was organized 10 October 1884, with 88 members of Swiss German descent, from Volhynia, under the leadership of J. J. Flickinger, the first pastor. The first services were held in the homes of John B. Graber and Andrew Schwartz.
In 1886 the first meetinghouse was moved on the church ground. This church was sold in 1891. The second church, built in 1891, was destroyed by a tornado in 1897. A third structure, built in the same year on the same foundation, burned down in May 1905. The fourth church, built in 1905, was replaced in 1927 by a larger building, which seats 900. The parsonage was acquired in 1919. This church has a Sunday school, Christian Endeavor, and a sewing society.
Ministers who have served this congregation are: J. J. Flickinger 1884-1919, with John G. Graber assisting 1887-1917, J. B. Epp 1919-1921, N. W. Bahnmann 1922-1925, J. W. Lohrenz 1925-1932, S. M. Musselman 1932-1937, P. P. Tschetter 1937-1948, and Howard G. Nyce 1948-1958. The membership in 1957 was 622.
On 14 November 2010 the congregation voted to withdraw from the Western District Conference and become an independent congregation, with 67% voting in favor of withdrawal. Leaders cited biblical and theological differences.
Bibliography
Graber, Arthur J. "The Swiss Mennonites - Pretty Prairie." Mennonite Life V (April 1950).
Schrag, Paul. "Fewer Churches Leaving Mennonite Church USA: Churches From Western District, Lancaster Conference Among Those Withdrawn." The Mennonite (July 2011): 40, 43.
| Author(s) | Howard G Nyce |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2011 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Nyce, Howard G. "Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church (Pretty Prairie, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2011. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pretty_Prairie_First_Mennonite_Church_(Pretty_Prairie,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=101834.
APA style
Nyce, Howard G. (November 2011). Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church (Pretty Prairie, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pretty_Prairie_First_Mennonite_Church_(Pretty_Prairie,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=101834.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 216. All rights reserved.
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