Epp, Theodore H. (1907-1985)
Theodore H. Epp: radio evangelist; born 27 January 1907 at Oraibi, Arizona. He was the eldest son of Jacob B. Epp (6 April 1874 - 22 December 1945) and Agnetha "Nettie" (Harms) Epp (18 March 1874 - 11 February 1913), missionaries to the Hopi people. Theodore married Matilda Schmidt (10 March 1909, Goltry, Oklahoma - 21 October 1990, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA), the daughter of John P. Schmidt (25 February 1880 - 5 March 1938) and Helena (Base) Schmidt (b. 25 June 1885), on 10 August 1930 in Goltry, Oklhoma. Theodore and Matilda had six children: Gerald, who died as a young child, Eleanor, Herbert, Bernice, Marilyn and Virginia. Theodore died 13 October 1985 in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was buried.
Theodore was baptized on 20 May 1923, at First Mennonite Church, Newton, Kansas, the congregation his grandfather Johann Epp (1835-1922) from West Prussia and Am Trakt Colony, Russia had pastored. It was this congregation that had sponsored his parents' work in Arizona. Theodore Epp was converted at Flagstaff, Arizona, on 10 August 1927 under the teaching of Norman B. Harrison.
Epp married Matilda in 1930 and was ordained at her home church (Zoar Mennonite Church, Goltry, Oklahoma, USA), where he pastored, 1932-1936. He was educated at Hesston College and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University). He received a ThM degree from Southwestern Baptist Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas in 1932. His thesis topic was: "Should God's People Partake in War?" In 1936 Epp joined the radio ministry of T. Myron Webb and, on 1 May 1939 launched the Back to the Bible Broadcast at Lincoln, Nebraska. At the time of his death this program was aired on 800 stations. His funeral was held at the Rosemont Alliance Church of Lincoln, Nebraska, where he and his family attended, but never became members.
Bibliography
Christianity Today (22 November 1985): 57.
Epp, Theodore H. Forty-Five Years of Adventuring by Faith. Lincoln, NE: Back to the Bible, 1984.
Epp, Theodore H. Should God's People Partake in War? 4th ed. Steinbach: Evangel Book Shop, 1965.
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 4.26 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite Historical Society, 2006.
Thiesen, John D. Prussian Roots, Kansas Branches. Rev. by Menno Schrag. Newton, KS: First Mennonite Church, 1986 : 72-73, 128.
| Author(s) | Albert H. Epp |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | 1990 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Epp, Albert H. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Epp, Theodore H. (1907-1985)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1990. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Epp,_Theodore_H._(1907-1985)&oldid=104467.
APA style
Epp, Albert H. and Richard D. Thiessen. (1990). Epp, Theodore H. (1907-1985). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Epp,_Theodore_H._(1907-1985)&oldid=104467.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 271. All rights reserved.
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