Meridian Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church (Hesston, Kansas, USA)
The Meridian Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation northeast of Hesston, Kansas, USA was established in 1873. The congregation was organized by David S. Holdeman (denomination founder John Holdeman's uncle) soon after he moved to Kansas from Elkhart County, Indiana. It was the first Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation in Kansas, and was primarily Pennsylvania German in ethnic background.
When many Mennonites from Poland and Russia came to the area beginning in 1874, David S. Holdeman served as treasurer of the Kansas Relief Committee that provided assistance to the new immigrants.
Initially, the congregation met in homes, and later in the Maple Grove School. The first church was built in 1907 at the present location on land donated by David S. Holdeman for a church and cemetery. The church was enlarged in 1921. In 1952 this building was dismantled and a new one erected. It was dedicated on 11 January 1953. A number of additions and renovations took place in 1972.
In 1971 the congregation launched a daughter congregation, Garden View (about 13 miles southwest of Meridian). Fifty members from Meridian joined the new fellowship, including minister Milferd Wenger.
The congregation has held Sunday school since 1910. A disaster unit was organized in 1954, later named Christian Disaster Relief, which became a denomination-wide organization in 1956.
The Meadowlark Christian School began in 1978.
In 2020 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were Shawn Giesel, Dani Martin, and Eldon Wenger.
Bibliography
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (1996-2020).
Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 305-308.
Additional Information
Address: 2894 Apache Road, Hesston, Kansas 67062
Phone: 620-327-4297
Website: http://www.meridianmennonite.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
Ordained Pastors at the Meridian Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John Voth | 1873-? |
| John A. Holdeman (1848-1918) | 1882-1918 |
| Daniel B. Holdeman (1860-1934) | 1882-1934 |
| Conrad Holdeman (1861-1950) | 1910-1950 |
| Frank H. Wenger (1887-1974) | 1917-1974 |
| Earvey M. Yost (1902-1983) | 1922-1926 |
| Ernest F. Wiggers (1909-1997) | 1932-1935 |
| Harry D. Wenger (1911-2002) | 1935-1963 ?-2000 |
| Milferd Wenger (1916-2003) | 1943-1971 |
| Paul D. Wenger (1921-2004) | 1954-1971 |
| Harold E. Schmidt (1933-2014) | 1963-1979 |
| Franklin Wenger | 1971-2019 |
| Eldon Wenger | 1972-2014 2017-present |
| Shawn Geisel | 1988-present |
| Gregory Wenger | 1994-1995 1997-2000 |
| Dani Martin | 2013-present |
Membership at Meridian Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 194 |
| 1995 | 182 |
| 2000 | 185 |
| 2010 | 177 |
| 2020 | 198 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By A. L. Yost. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 655. All rights reserved.
Meridian Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church, located two miles east and two north of Hesston, McPherson County, Kansas, was organized by David S. Holdeman soon after he moved to this area from Indiana in 1873. Religious services were at first held in his home and later in the district schoolhouse. He was a benefactor of the community in various ways. In 1874, when many Mennonites immigrated from Russia to Kansas, he was chosen treasurer of the Kansas Relief Committee. His sons John A. and Daniel B. were ordained to the ministry in 1882. A church was built in 1907 and enlarged in 1921 to a seating capacity of 300. It was replaced in 1953 by a new church, capacity 450. Nine ministers and four deacons have been ordained by the congregation, of whom the following are serving in 1957: Frank H. Wenger, Harry D. Wenger, Paul D. Wenger, and Milferd Wenger, ministers, and A. L. Yost, Orville E. Wiggers, and G. H. Dyck as deacons. The background of its members was largely Pennsylvania-German. The ministry is unsalaried. Religious services consisted of Sunday morning and evening worship services, midweek Bible study, and Sunday school. The Sunday school was organized in 1909. Feetwashing with close communion is practiced. The membership in 1957 was 194.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Meridian Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church (Hesston, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2021. Web. 18 Sep 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Meridian_Church_of_God_in_Christ_Mennonite_Church_(Hesston,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=169786.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2021). Meridian Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church (Hesston, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 September 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Meridian_Church_of_God_in_Christ_Mennonite_Church_(Hesston,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=169786.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.