Bethel Mennonite Church (Dolton, South Dakota, USA)
The Bethel Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite Church), located near Dolton in Turner County, South Dakota, with a membership of approximately 80, was a member of the Northern District Conference. The first building was dedicated and the congregation organized in December 1892. The present meetinghouse, built in 1920, seated 500. The architectural design was unique, with a wrap-around balcony and ornate stamped metal sheets with relief designs on the walls and ceiling.
The congregation first had a pastor of its own in 1917, when J. A. Thieszen was appointed. He resigned on 1 January 1950; after that time the congregation was served by Glenn Epp, Joe Hoffer, H. J. Brown, and Harold Thiessen, who was called on 1 July 1953. One missionary and two pastors went out from the congregation to serve in other fields.
The congregation closed, and the Bethel building was moved to the Freeman Museum, in Freeman, South Dakota, in 1992.
Bibliography
"Bethel Mennonite Church...." The Mennonite 107, no. 2 (28 January 1992): 41.
Freeman Museum & Archives. "Freeman Museum: Bethel Mennonite Church Building." http://www.freemanmuseum.org/buildings/bethel.html [Broken link] (accessed 30 December 2006)
Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 141-143.
Additional Information
Address: 2 miles east & 1/2 mile north of Dolton, South Dakota
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Northern District Conference
General Conference Mennonite Church
Pastoral Leaders at Bethel Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Jacob A. Tieszen (1885-1974) | 1917-1949 |
| Glen Epp (1925-2009) | 1950-1951 |
| Harris H. Waltner (1925-2012) | 1952 |
| Harold D. Thieszen | 1953-1956 |
| Ralph Graber (1927-2002) | 1956-1963 |
| August Ewert (1902-1979) | 1963-1979 |
| Robert L. Engbrecht | 1979-1992 |
Bethel Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1930 | 64 |
| 1940 | 106 |
| 1950 | 52 |
| 1960 | 87 |
| 1970 | 64 |
| 1980 | 68 |
| 1990 | 56 |
| Author(s) | J. A. Thieszen |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | September 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thieszen, J. A. and Samuel J. Steiner. "Bethel Mennonite Church (Dolton, South Dakota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2023. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Dolton,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177538.
APA style
Thieszen, J. A. and Samuel J. Steiner. (September 2023). Bethel Mennonite Church (Dolton, South Dakota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Mennonite_Church_(Dolton,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177538.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 311. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.