Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)
Creator: Henry J. Wiens (1885-1975)
Digitized by Hiebert Library. Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies.
Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church in Hillsboro, Marion County, Kansas was organized on 25 April 1881 near Hillsboro with 34 charter members as the "Johannestal Church of French Creek." The congregation met in rural homes until 1882, when a school building was purchased in Hillsboro. The first church, built in 1893, was replaced by a larger church in 1910, which was remodeled and enlarged in 1926 to a seating capacity of 700, with a large Sunday-school building 145 x 40 ft., and an increase of auditorium space of 300 seats. The ancestral background of the membership is mostly Dutch coming from Russia and Poland in 1874-1884. One third of the congregation in 1954 was rural and two thirds urban in a town of 2,000. Originally the Low German dialect was used in homes and German in services, but in the middle of the twentieth century both homes and services changed to the English language. The older people's Sunday school classes still used German in 1954, and occasionally it was used in services.
Pastors serving the church were John Harms, John F. Harms, P. P. Rempel, P. E. Nickel, J. W. Vogt, and Waldo D. Hiebert. In 1954, the congregation had two young people's organizations, two women's organizations, church choir, two male choruses, a Sunday school, and a Bible school for the entire congregation meeting on Wednesday. The church practiced feetwashing, had an electronic organ, and several pianos.
In 1954 the congregation had a baptized membership of 827, and was a member of the Southern District.
In 1959 a sanctuary that seated 800 on the main floor was dedicated. It was this building that was a church home to many until 7 March 2004, when a fire destroyed the building. During the next three years the church used the local school for its Sunday School and worship services. Wednesday night classes and other events were held in other churches of Hillsboro and Tabor College.
In June 2007 the congregation entered its new facility in Prairie Pointe, a development on the east side of Hillsboro.
Additional Information
Address: 300 Prairie Pointe, Hillsboro, KS 67063
Phone: 620-947-3144
Website: Hillsboro MB Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Southern District of Mennonite Brethren Churches
U. S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
| Author(s) | Waldo H. Hiebert |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | March 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hiebert, Waldo H. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2014. Web. 3 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hillsboro_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Hillsboro,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=168365.
APA style
Hiebert, Waldo H. and Richard D. Thiessen. (March 2014). Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church (Hillsboro, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hillsboro_Mennonite_Brethren_Church_(Hillsboro,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=168365.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 742-743. All rights reserved.
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