Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Durham, Kansas, USA)
The Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation seven miles northwest of Durham, Marion County, Kansas, USA was established in the early 1880s. Initially, it was known as the Logan (after the township) or Durham congregation. The first Mennonite settlers in this area came primarily from West Prussia. The first Church of God in Christ, Mennonite settlers came in the early 1880s. John Holdeman baptized Jacob H. Schmidt here in 1879. John A. Koehn, a long-serving minister, was born here in 1885.
Ministers from the Lone Tree congregation assisted the small Logan congregation for many years. Worship services were held in homes, then in the Christ Weber School, Bell Top School, and perhaps the Red Top School in the 19th century. In 1904 a meetinghouse was built 0.25 miles south of the Logan Cemetery. With minor modifications, this building served until a new block and brick church was erected and dedicated in May 1966. At this time, the name was changed from Logan to Morning Star Congregation of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite.
Until just before World War I Logan was a thriving congregation, but then other promising areas like Montezuma, Kansas or Winton, California or Las Animas, Colorado attracted families to move from Marion County. By the early 1930s, membership had dropped to about 20, but in 1932 families again began moving to the area, as well as some ministers.
The congregation also operates the Cottonwood Grove Christian School located northwest of Durham.
In 2020 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were Mitchell Unruh and Merlin Wiebe.
Bibliography
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (1996-2020).
Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 320-324.
Additional Information
Address: 3403 Falcon Road, Durham, Kansas 67438
Phone: 620-732-2328
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
Ordained Pastors at the Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church
Name | Years of Service |
---|---|
Nonresident ministers | 1880s-? |
Heinrich Schmidt | ?-? |
John Voth | ?-? |
Heinrich Koehn (1862-1932)? | 1882?-? |
Andreas Koehn | ?-? |
Nonresident ministers | 1910s-1930s |
Hiram J. Mininger (1870-1953) | 1935-? |
Albert Dirks (1894-1963) | 1935-? |
Claude Unruh (1909-2003) | 1942-1999 |
Jacob N. Yost (1890-1974) | 1943-1974 |
Ransom L. Wiebe | 1965-2018 |
Bruce Dirks | 1986-1988 1991?-2012 |
Merlin Wiebe | 1998-present |
Mitchell Unruh | 2011-present |
Membership at Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church
Year | Membership |
---|---|
1930 | 20 |
1955 | 71 |
1995 | 117 |
2000 | 113 |
2010 | 122 |
2020 | 136 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By C. C. Wedel. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 386. All rights reserved.
The Logan Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church, located near Durham, Marion County, Kansas, was organized in the late 1880s. The meetinghouse was built in 1904. The 1955 membership was 71, with Claude Unruh as minister. The congregation is sometimes known as Durham.
Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
---|---|
Date Published | January 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Durham, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2021. Web. 15 Aug 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morning_Star_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Durham,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=169796.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2021). Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Durham, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 August 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morning_Star_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Durham,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=169796.
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