Cornerstone Fellowship (Kingman, Kansas, USA)
The Kingman Mennonite Church in Kingman, Kansas, was formed in 1973 as a merger of the Bethany Mennonite and Zion Mennonite congregations. This was a reunification of a division that took place in the Bethany congregation in 1932.
Before 1906, Mennonite settlers located southeast of Kingman, Kingman County, Kansas, were members of the Pretty Prairie Mennonite congregation in neighboring Reno County. Sometimes, these families met in the Pleasant Hill Schoolhouse, with a minister from Pretty Prairie present.
In 1906, 23 local families decided to build a church and form a separate congregation. However, the congregation did not erect the first church building until 1907--a simple 32'x 40' frame structure. It was called the Bethany Mennonite Church.
Eight young men were drafted into the military during World War I but served in noncombatant roles. In World War II, up to 18 young men served in the military in regular service, one of whom died in action.
In 1929, twelve families withdrew from the Bethany Mennonite Church and formed the Zion Mennonite Church. Issues leading to the division included working on Sunday and observance of the rite of feetwashing.
On 24 August 1930, a lightning strike started a fire and destroyed the Bethany Mennonite Church building. The congregation held services in a vacant Lutheran church in northwest Kingman for some time. Groundbreaking for a new church occurred in March 1931; it was finally dedicated on 29 May 1932.
The congregation's women organized a sewing society in 1931 that met in homes. The church records were maintained in German until 1937; the transition to English had been slow.
By the mid-1960s, efforts began to reunite the Bethany and Zion congregations. In 1973, the two churches agreed to rejoin "in order to survive and be effective in the community." The new Kingman Mennonite Church congregation met in the old Bethany building southeast of Kingman, and the Zion building in Kingman became a childcare center called Lollipop House.
A fire destroyed the 1932 church building on 11 October 1990, probably because of an electrical problem. The congregation decided to build a new building closer to Kingman and broke ground for the new building seven months later. On 28 June 1992, it dedicated a new brick church building at 1620 South Main Street, Kingman.
On 3 July 2017, Kingman Mennonite Church withdrew from the Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA because of "the issue of ... accepting individuals who are engaged in same-sex relationships." Kingman Mennonite joined the South Central Mennonite Conference. That conference withdrew from Mennonite Church USA in 2023 and became a district of LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches.
In late 2022, the Kingman Mennonite Church changed its name to Cornerstone Fellowship.
Bibliography
"Kingman (Kan.) Mennonite Church's meetinghouse burned...." The Mennonite 105, no. 21(13 November 1990): 493.
"Newton, Kansas, Marginal Mennonite Society's Post." 7 May 2019. Web. 25 December 2024. https://www.facebook.com/newtonmarginalmennonitesociety/posts/on-this-day-in-1973-may-6-kingman-mennonite-church-held-its-first-service-near-k/1263034007179880/
Voran, Willard M. History of the Kingman Mennonite Church. Kingman, Kan.: The Church, 1979.
Additional Information
Address: 1620 South Main Street, Kingman, Kansas 67068
Telephone: 620-532-5990
Website: https://cornerstonekm.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Cornerstone Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Peter E. Funk (1932-2024) | 1973-1975 |
| Willard Stucky (Interim) | 1976-1977 |
| Harold C. Miller (1943-2013) | 1977-1982 |
| Joseph E. Atherton (1921-2002) | 1983-1993 |
| Benjamin Friesen (Interim) | 1994-1995 |
| Bradley B. Penner | 1995-2005 |
| Peter Voran (Interim) | 2004-2005 |
| David W. Roth | 2005- |
Cornerstone Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 193 |
| 1980 | 179 |
| 1990 | 157 |
| 2000 | 181 |
| 2009 | 78 |
| 2018 | 100 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Cornerstone Fellowship (Kingman, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2024. Web. 28 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cornerstone_Fellowship_(Kingman,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=180088.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2024). Cornerstone Fellowship (Kingman, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 28 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cornerstone_Fellowship_(Kingman,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=180088.
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