Zion Mennonite Church (Arena, North Dakota, USA)
Mennonite homesteaders came to the Arena, North Dakota, area from 1905-1910. They organized a Sunday school in 1910, evolving into the Zion Mennonite Church.
The Zion congregation was small and led by lay leaders until about 1927.[1] The congregation met in sod houses and schoolhouses until 1925, when a schoolhouse was moved close to the already established cemetery located 3½ miles (5 km) south of Arena, Burleigh County, North Dakota. The congregation used handmade pews until 1957, when it moved the former schoolhouse onto a basement and carried out extensive renovations.
Zion was a member of the Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church in 1926. It joined the General Conference in 1931.
Due to a declining population, the church closed in 1984.[2]
Notes
- ↑ Mention of Samuel Preheim by the previous Mennonite Encyclopedia article and Diena Schmidt appears misleading. In 1910, Samuel Preheim was ordained in South Dakota as a minister and evangelist and traveled to many locations in the Northern District. "Preheim, Samuel P. (1881-1952)." Mennonite Weekly Review (19 June 1952): 9. Web. https://mla.bethelks.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Preheim,_Samuel_P._(1881-1952).
- ↑ Handbook of Information (1985): 30.
Bibliography
Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 130-131.
Additional Information
Address: Arena, North Dakota
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Northern District Conference
General Conference Mennonite Church
Pastoral Leaders at Zion Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Lay leaders | 1910-1927? |
| Martin Fast (1868-1931) | 1927-1931 |
| Lay leaders | 1931-1944 |
| Herbert H. Peters (1923-2014) | 1944-1947 |
| Albert F. Neufeld (1920-2013) | 1947-1954? |
| Peter B. Loewen | 1956?-1959 |
| Johnnie J. Walter (1923-2012) | 1959-1963 |
| Paul Kroeker | 1965-1970 |
| Gary Janzen | 1971?-1972? |
| Kenneth Dalke | 1972-1973 |
| David van Boewen | ?-? |
| Steve Hawkinson | ?-? |
| William "Bill" Biby | 1982-1984 |
Zion Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1930 | 23 |
| 1940 | 27 |
| 1950 | 31 |
| 1960 | 37 |
| 1970 | 30 |
| 1980 | 30 |
| 1984 | 30 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Harold S. Bender. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1032. All rights reserved.
Zion Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite; correct name "Mennonite Zion Church"), located 3½ miles (5 km) south of Arena, Burleigh County, North Dakota, a member of the Northern District Conference, was organized in 1908. The services were held in schoolhouses until 1925 then a school building was bought, removed to the present site and remodeled into a church. In 1956 it was enlarged to seat 80. The first pastor was Sam Preheim in 1910. In 1957 the membership was 38, with Peter B. Loewen as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | September 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Zion Mennonite Church (Arena, North Dakota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2023. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Mennonite_Church_(Arena,_North_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177521.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (September 2023). Zion Mennonite Church (Arena, North Dakota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Mennonite_Church_(Arena,_North_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177521.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.