Salem Mennonite Church (Kidron, Ohio, USA)
Salem Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite Church), located 4 miles southwest of Dalton, Ohio, and 2½ miles northeast of Kidron, Ohio, was organized 20 May 1886, with 18 charter members, of the Sommer, Kirchhofer, Lehman, Zuercher, Moser, Steffen, Amstutz, and Geiger families, as a schism from the Sonnenberg Swiss congregation. At first the church met in the Sonnenberg schoolhouse until they were denied use of the building. They then met in an old house at the foot of Schneck Hill. Their first meetinghouse, a 30 x 40 foot building constructed across the road from the Sonnenberg schoolhouse, was dedicated on 28 November 1886. A. A. Sommer was chosen as the first regular pastor. The present building is a result of additions and four remodeling programs.
The congregation made continued additions and renovations to the church in 1895, 1936, and 1948. In 1951 the Sonnenberg schoolhouse was purchased and used as a Sunday School annex. A parsonage was built in 1972 and a new chancel was built in 1974. Further renovations were made in 1980, 1997, 2001, and 2001.
The congregation in 1957 had 204 baptized members, with James R. Reusser as minister.
Important threads in the church's history include prayer, Sunday School, education, and missions. In 1992 Salem began a vision to make prayer, scripture and evangelism central to the life of the church. The majority of the congregation's service opportunities have been with Ohio Conference congregations and MCC (Mennonite Central Committee). Individuals and small groups have engaged in short-term service through MCC Connections Thrift Shop, World Crafts, the annual MCC Relief Sale and meat canning. Cooperation among the three Kidron area Mennonite churches (Sonnenberg, Kidron, and Salem) in these efforts has fostered much needed healing and unity. Partnership with MCC and the Tanzania Mennonite Church have been formed in the fight against AIDS as well as in support of evangelism and new church plants.
In 2014 Salem Mennonite Church transferred its membership from the Central District Conference to the Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
Huber, Tim. "Ohio Letter Urges Mountain States to Reverse Decision or Face Discipline." Mennonite World Review (17 March 2014). http://www.mennoworld.org/2014/3/17/ohio-letter-urges-mountain-states-reverse-decision/.
Lehman, James O. Salem's First Century: Worship and Witness. Kidron, Ohio: Salem Mennonite Church, 1986.
Salem Mennonite Church. "Saving & Sharing Salem's Story: A Brief Historical Sketch of Salem Mennonite Church." Web. 15 March 2014. [broken link]
Additional Information
Address: P.O. Box 7, Kidron, OH 44636
Location: 3363 Zuercher Road, Dalton, Ohio
Phone: 330-857-4131
Website: Salem Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Central District Conference (until 2014)
Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA (2014-present)
Mennonite Church USA (2014-present)
Pastoral Leaders at Salem Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Abraham A. "A. A." Sommer (1864-1946) | 1886-1893 1900-1912 |
| Frederick C. Zeller (1820-1903) (Interim) | 1889 |
| Joel Lehman (1862-1942) | 1890-1902 |
| P. E. Penner (Interim) | 1912 |
| Samuel P. "S. P." Preheim (1881-1952) | 1912-1915 |
| Adam W. "A. W." Sommer (1885-1958) | 1915-1919 |
| Menno A. "M. A." Niswander (1878-1959) | 1919-1923 |
| Austin R. Keiser (1897-1993) | 1923-1938 |
| Arthur S. "A. S." Rosenberger (1898-1968) | 1938-1948 |
| Grover T. Soldner (Interim) | 1948 |
| Irvin E. Richert (1918-2008) | 1948-1954 |
| James R. "Jim" Reusser (1929-2017) | 1954-1963 |
| Heinz D. Janzen (1927-2011) | 1963-1969 |
| Lester Hostetler (1892-1989)(Interim) | 1969-1970 |
| Benjamin P. "Ben" Rahn (1913-2004) | 1970-1977 |
| Larry J. Wilson | 1977-1988 |
| William "Bill" Tschiegg (Interim) | 1988-1989 |
| Darrell L. Ediger | 1989-2010 |
| Bob and Enid Schloneger (Interim) | 2010-2011 |
| Kevin S. Himes (Music) (Pastor) |
2001-2008 2011- |
| Hank Unruh (Family Life) | 2022- |
Membership at Salem Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 130 |
| 1909 | 156 |
| 1922 | 165 |
| 1930 | 220 |
| 1940 | 195 |
| 1950 | 219 |
| 1960 | 198 |
| 1970 | 225 |
| 1980 | 237 |
| 1990 | 236 |
| 2000 | 215 |
| 2009 | 200 |
| 2020 | 180 |
| Author(s) | Ivan L. Badertscher |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | March 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Badertscher, Ivan L. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Salem Mennonite Church (Kidron, Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2014. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Salem_Mennonite_Church_(Kidron,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=174807.
APA style
Badertscher, Ivan L. and Richard D. Thiessen. (March 2014). Salem Mennonite Church (Kidron, Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Salem_Mennonite_Church_(Kidron,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=174807.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 405-406. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.