Crystal Springs Mennonite Church (Harper, Kansas, USA)
Source: Mennonite Community Photograph Collection, The Congregation (HM4-134 Box 5 Folder 1 photo 010.7-5).
Mennonite Church USA Archives, Goshen, Indiana.
Crystal Springs Mennonite Church was established in 1904 as the Crystal Springs Amish Mennonite Church by Amish Mennonite families who moved to Harper County from McPherson County in Kansas. Their meeting house in McPerson County was dismantled and the lumber hauled to Hutchinson to be shipped by rail to Harper County. The benches, pulpit, doors, windows and frames were hauled by wagons, a distance of 85 miles. The meeting house was rebuilt and dedicated in 1905. In 1921 the Crystal Springs Amish Mennonite Church ended its Amish affiliation when it joined the Kansas-Missouri Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church) which formed when the Western District Amish Mennonite Conference merged with MC conferences west of Indiana. The Kansas-Missouri Mennonite Conference changed its name in 1946 to South Central Mennonite Conference.
In 1928 Crystal Springs Mennonite Church tore down the old church building, and a new facility was built which was still in use in 2024.
Crystal Springs Mennonite Church’s peak membership was 140 in the 1940s, and declined over the years to a group of 31 in 2024 that continued to meet on Sundays for worship. The congregation was part of a partnership supporting the Samuelito Daycare center in Bolivia through Mennonite Mission Network, and they connected with members of the Latino community and supported immigrant students in Harper.
Crystal Springs Mennonite Church joined the Western District Conference in 2024.
Additional Information
Address: 424 NW 90 Road, Harper, KS 67058
Phone: 620-896-2962
Denominational Affiliations:
Western District Amish Mennonite Conference (1904-1920)
South Central Mennonite Conference (1921-2023)
Western District Conference (2024-present)
Mennonite Church (MC) (1921-2002)
Mennonite Church USA (2002-present)
| Author(s) | Richard D. Thiessen |
|---|---|
| John D. Thiesen | |
| Date Published | October 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. and John D. Thiesen. "Crystal Springs Mennonite Church (Harper, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crystal_Springs_Mennonite_Church_(Harper,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=179846.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. and John D. Thiesen. (October 2024). Crystal Springs Mennonite Church (Harper, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crystal_Springs_Mennonite_Church_(Harper,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=179846.
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