Hutterthal Mennonite Church (Freeman, South Dakota, USA)
The Hutterthal Mennonite Church, Freeman, South Dakota, USA, had its roots in the immigration into the then Dakota Territory between 1874 and 1879. Most of the congregation's forebears were Hutterites who came from the Hutterthal and Johannesruh villages in Russia. For three years, they held worship services in the homes. Twelve families constituted the total membership of the first congregation. John Waldner and John L. Wipf were ministers who were part of the immigrants, who were non-communal Hutterites who did not re-adopt the community of goods doctrine as some other Hutterite immigrants did.
The small congregation decided to build a church building in November 1882. It was on the land of minister John Waldner, located about 1.25 miles south of the later church. A second church building was built in 1899 for a total construction cost of $1,720.82. It was located on the congregation's present property. A third, brick, building came in 1952 and was dedicated on 14 June 1953. The congregation added an education wing in 1967. It built a parsonage for the pastor in 1956.
Hutterthal began its first choir in 1924. In 1930, with the purchase of an English-language hymnal, the singing shifted from German. That same decade saw a shift to English in Sunday school. Christian Endeavor for youth began in 1926, and the Women's Mission Fellowship launched in 1943.
Hutterthal Mennonite did not join the Northern District of the General Conference Mennonite Church until 1942. As part of the realignment of the Mennonite Church (MC) and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA, Hutterthal Mennonite was among the congregations that joined the new Central Plains Mennonite Conference in 2000.
In 2023 the congregation remained part of the Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
A history of the Hutterthal Mennonite Church of Freeman, South Dakota: January 7, 1968. Freeman: Historical Committee Hutterthal Mennonite Church, 1968. Available in full electronic text at: https://archive.org/details/historyofhuttert00hutt.
Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 152-153.
Additional Information
Address: 27473 437th Avenue, Freeman, South Dakota 57029
Phone: 605-925-7286
Website: https://www.hmcfreeman.org/
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Hutterthal Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John Kleinsasser | 1879-1898 |
| John Waldner | 1879-1899 |
| Paul P. Hofer (1841-1909) | 1879-1908 |
| John L. Wipf (1847-1922) | 1879-1909 |
| Joseph Hofer | 1903-1906 |
| John P. Hofer (1868-1926) | 1908-1925 |
| Paul P. "P. P." Kleinsasser (1877-1972) | 1909-1914 |
| Jacob W. "J. W." Kleinsasser (1885-1969) | 1917-1919 |
| Peter P. "P. P." Tschetter (1886-1976) | 1921-1937 |
| Jacob B. Hofer (1898-1976) | 1926-1954 |
| Ronald von Riesen (1920-1993) | 1955-1956 |
| Abram M. Wiebe (1922-2000) | 1956-1963 |
| Harold Graber (1923-2003) | 1963-1964 |
| Gerhard M. Peters (1919-1997) | 1964-1970 |
| Vernon P. Lohrentz (1931-2018) | 1970-1978 |
| Lonnie Hofer | 1978-1980 |
| Louis H. Goertz (1918-2002) | 1980-1989 |
| Kenneth J. Peterson | 1989-1999 |
| Ivan D. Friesen (Co-Pastor) | 1999-2007 |
| Rachel Friesen (Co-Pastor) | 1999-2007 |
| Todd Alan Jones | 2008-2017 |
| Jack Scandrette (Transitional) | 2018-2019? |
| Eugene Miller (Interim) | 2020? |
| Randall D. Koehler | 2021- |
Membership at Hutterthal Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1942 | 159 |
| 1950 | 210 |
| 1960 | 226 |
| 1970 | 232 |
| 1980 | 247 |
| 1990 | 233 |
| 2000 | 236 |
| 2009 | 200 |
| 2020 | 162 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By John D. Unruh. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 867. All rights reserved.
The Hutterthal Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), located in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, a member of the Northern District Conference, was organized in 1877 by non-communal Hutterites under the leadership of John L. Wipf. The first meetinghouse was used from 1877 until 1899, when a new church was built, which was replaced by a modern brick structure in 1953. John P. Hofer, P. P. Tschetter, and Jacob B. Hofer have served as ministers. The 1954 membership was 220, largely rural.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Hutterthal Mennonite Church (Freeman, South Dakota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2023. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hutterthal_Mennonite_Church_(Freeman,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=175547.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2023). Hutterthal Mennonite Church (Freeman, South Dakota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hutterthal_Mennonite_Church_(Freeman,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=175547.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.