Hesston Mennonite Church (Hesston, Kansas, USA)
Hesston Mennonite Church was organized on the campus of Hesston Academy (later known as Hesston College) on 9 September 1910 with six families and several students then attending the academy. J. D. Charles served as the first pastor. The group first met in the assembly room of Green Gables, and later in the chapel hall of the administration building. After meeting on the Hesston campus for several decades, the congregation built a new building which was completed in 1956. In 2007 a new addition replaced the old sanctuary and added an administrative wing.
Though it came out of the Mennonite Church (MC) tradition, Hesston Mennonite Church included people of both the former MC and General Conference Mennonite Church backgrounds. The congregation supported mission work, both locally and globally. It has been willing to “have courageous conversations that seek to look at the true issues that cause the conflict, to hear each other, to seek to understand diverse viewpoints and scriptural understandings.”
Hesston Mennonite Church had a close relationship with Hesston College, sharing the church facility for chapels, concerts and special activities. The congregation also had a special relationship with Schowalter Villa, with worship services and other programs live-streamed there.
The following served as pastors and bishops of the congregation between 1910 and 1956: J. D. Charles, D. H. Bender, Noah Oyer, Milo Kauffman, Irvin Burkhart, M. A. Yoder, Jess A. Kauffman, John P. Duerksen, and Ivan Lind. Others that have served as pastors since 1956 include Ann Showalter, John C. Murray, Cheryl Hershberger, Jess Engle and Kay Schroeder.
The membership was 270 in 1956, 644 in 2008, and 343 in 2024.
Hesston Mennonite Church joined the Western District Conference in 2024.
Additional Information
Address: 309 South Main, Hesston, Kansas
Phone: 620-327-4885
Denominational Affiliations:
Kansas-Nebraska Mennonite Conference, 1910-1921
Missouri-Kansas Mennonite Conference, 1921-1946
South Central Mennonite Conference, 1946-2023
Western District Conference (Mennonite Church USA), 2024-present
Mennonite Church (MC) (1910-2002)
Mennonite Church USA (2002-present)
| Author(s) | Jess A Kauffman |
|---|---|
| John D. Thiesen | |
| Date Published | 1956; Oct 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Kauffman, Jess A and John D. Thiesen. "Hesston Mennonite Church (Hesston, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956; Oct 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hesston_Mennonite_Church_(Hesston,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=179866.
APA style
Kauffman, Jess A and John D. Thiesen. (1956; Oct 2024). Hesston Mennonite Church (Hesston, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hesston_Mennonite_Church_(Hesston,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=179866.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 729. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.