Gentry Mennonite Church (Gentry, Arkansas, USA)
The Gentry Mennonite Church west of Gentry, Arkansas, USA was formally organized on 18 July 1985. The congregation started as a mission outreach by the Central District Mission Board of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Ivan and Ida Schmidt served as the first missionaries in March 1982. Already living in the Gentry area were people who had been part of a Holdeman congregation in Livingston, California but were excommunicated. A number of these families had moved to the Gentry area, and some were reaccepted into the church.
The mission began using a former Missionary Baptist church in Cherokee City, Arkansas (near the Oklahoma border) in May 1982, with preaching done by ministers of churches in Missouri and Kansas. John and Eva Wiens served as missionaries for a year, beginning in November 1982.
The congregation finally bought the Missionary Baptist building and began renovations in February 1985. These renovations included an entry room, restrooms, a nursery, and a schoolroom. In July 1986, the congregation purchased ten acres of land a little west of Gentry, Arkansas, for a school and future church building. The school began in a mobile home on that property in the fall of 1986. After two terms a permanent school was built, followed by an addition in 1990. Construction of the new church building began in January 1992, with the first worship services held that fall.
Leon Koehn became the first local minister in June 1990; he and his wife, Ruby, were the board's last missionaries.
In 2020 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were Dwayne Koehn, Jack Burns, and Eric Byrnes.
Bibliography
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (2001-2020).
Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 185-188.
Additional Information
Address: 10790 N. Bloomfield Road, Gentry, Arkansas 72734
Phone: 479-736-2892
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
Ordained Pastors at the Gentry Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Leon Koehn | 1990-2005 |
| Jack Burns | 1997-present |
| Wayne Amoth | 2005-2006 |
| Dwayne Koehn | 2007-present |
| Eric Byrnes | 2017-present |
Membership at Gentry Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 160 |
| 2010 | 141 |
| 2020 | 157 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2020 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Gentry Mennonite Church (Gentry, Arkansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2020. Web. 25 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gentry_Mennonite_Church_(Gentry,_Arkansas,_USA)&oldid=169452.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (November 2020). Gentry Mennonite Church (Gentry, Arkansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gentry_Mennonite_Church_(Gentry,_Arkansas,_USA)&oldid=169452.
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