Orchard Park Mennonite Brethren Church (Hutchinson, Kansas, USA)
Orchard Park Mennonite Brethren Church (initially called Orchard Park Chapel and later Orchard Park Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church), located in Hutchinson, Kansas, was organized on 25 June 1955 with 30 charter members. It was the last Krimmer Mennonite Brethren congregation organized before the conference merged with the Mennonite Brethren Church.
The work began in the fall of 1945 when the Home Mission Board of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church was asked to begin a children's work in Hutchinson. The first worker was Susan Friesen, who began children's Bible classes in 1946. By October of that year, she reported that there were 14 classes with a total of over 450 registered children. The Zoar KMB Church provided additional workers. In 1949 Elizabeth Ann Thiessen joined the work, assisted by Elizabeth D. Thiessen and others.
In 1950 the Zoar congregation helped construct a chapel and it was dedicated in March 1951. The first baptism was held on 26 August 1951. Edwin F. Walter began serving as missionary-pastor in 1953. In 1957 the congregation had 31 members, while in 1960 membership stood at 20.
Unfortunately the ministry dissolved in the 1970s and most of the remaining members joined the Buhler Mennonite Brethren Church or the Zoar MB Church.
Bibliography
Plett, C. F. The Story of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church. Hillsboro, KS and Winnipeg, MB: Kindred Press, 1985: 149-151.
| Author(s) | Harold S. Bender |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | April 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bender, Harold S. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Orchard Park Mennonite Brethren Church (Hutchinson, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2014. Web. 18 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Orchard_Park_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Hutchinson,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=117612.
APA style
Bender, Harold S. and Richard D. Thiessen. (April 2014). Orchard Park Mennonite Brethren Church (Hutchinson, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Orchard_Park_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Hutchinson,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=117612.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 72. All rights reserved.
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