Salem Mennonite Church (Freeman, South Dakota, USA)
Salem Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite Church), located at Freeman, South Dakota, had its beginning during the summer of 1907, when the Swiss Mennonite settlement east of Freeman decided to divide as a congregation. The northern half of the settlement remained with the original Salem-Zion Mennonite congregation, and the southern half withdrew and became the Salem Mennonite Church. Land was purchased 2½ miles south of the Salem-Zion church and a meetinghouse was built, dedicated on 24 May 1908. On 2 January 1909, a constitution was adopted. In 1913 a cemetery was begun. In the fall and winter of 1916-17 the church building was greatly enlarged to its present size. In 1920 a large parsonage was erected south of the church. Ministers who have served the Salem church are Christian Mueller 1908-10 and 1919-20, Christian Hege 1911-19, E. J. Neuenschwander 1920-24, W. S. Gottschall 1924-30, P. R. Schroeder 1930-40, Willard Claassen 1941-52, and J. Herbert Fretz 1953- . The membership of the Salem congregation in 1957 was 542. The common names are Preheim, Waltner, Kaufman, Graber, Gering, Miller, Ries, and Schrag. During the late 1950s missionaries from the congregation included Mrs. Orlando Waltner in India, and Mrs. Verney Unruh and Mrs. Raymond Reimer in Japan.
| Author(s) | J. Herbert Fretz |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Fretz, J. Herbert. "Salem Mennonite Church (Freeman, South Dakota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 9 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Salem_Mennonite_Church_(Freeman,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=163021.
APA style
Fretz, J. Herbert. (1959). Salem Mennonite Church (Freeman, South Dakota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 9 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Salem_Mennonite_Church_(Freeman,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=163021.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 406. All rights reserved.
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