Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church (Pretty Prairie, Kansas, USA)
Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church, located 3 miles east of Pretty Prairie, Kansas, initially a member of the Western District Conference, was organized 10 October 1884, with 88 members of Swiss German descent, from Volhynia, under the leadership of J. J. Flickinger, the first pastor. The first services were held in the homes of John B. Graber and Andrew Schwartz.
In 1886 the first meetinghouse was moved on the church ground. This church was sold in 1891. The second church, built in 1891, was destroyed by a tornado in 1897. A third structure, built in the same year on the same foundation, burned down in May 1905. The fourth church, built in 1905, was replaced in 1927 by a larger building, which seats 900. The parsonage was acquired in 1919. This church has a Sunday school, Christian Endeavor, and a sewing society.
The first leading minister of the congregation was J. J. Flickinger, who served from 1884 to 1919. For many of these years he was assisted by John G. Graber (1887-1917).
The membership in 1957 was 622.
On 14 November 2010 the congregation voted to withdraw from the Western District Conference and become an independent congregation, with 67% voting in favor of withdrawal. Leaders cited biblical and theological differences.
Bibliography
Graber, Arthur J. "The Swiss Mennonites - Pretty Prairie." Mennonite Life V (April 1950).
Janner, William Patrick. "Pretty Prairie Mennonites: Their European Migrations, Immigration to the United States and Assimilation into American Society." Thesis, Kansas State University, 1987.
Schrag, Paul. "Fewer Churches Leaving Mennonite Church USA: Churches From Western District, Lancaster Conference Among Those Withdrawn." The Mennonite (July 2011): 40, 43.
Stucky, Jonas A. Epochs of History of First Mennonite Church of Pretty Prairie, Kansas: 1884 to 1954. Pretty Prairie, KS: The Church, 1954.
Additional Information
Address: PO Box 127, Pretty Prairie, KS
Location: 1718 West Pretty Prairie Road, Pretty Prairie, KS
Telephone: 620-459-6344
Website: Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church
Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church Leading Ministers (1884-1999)
| Minister | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| J. J. Flickinger | 1884-1919 |
| J. B. Epp | 1919-1921 |
| Nicolai W. Bahnmann | 1922-1925 |
| J. W. Lohrenz | 1925-1932 |
| S. M. Musselman | 1932-1937 |
| Peter P. Tschetter | 1937-1948 |
| Howard G. Nyce | 1948-1958 |
| Elmer R. Friesen | 1958-1961 |
| Ben Rahn | 1962-1970 |
| Curt Siemens | 1970-1971 |
| Peter W. Voran | 1971-1977 |
| Richard Tschetter | 1977-1990 |
| Stanley Schrag | 1990-1991 |
| Elmer Wall | 1991-1998 |
| Lester Zook | 1999 |
| Author(s) | Howard G Nyce |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2011 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Nyce, Howard G. "Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church (Pretty Prairie, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2011. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pretty_Prairie_First_Mennonite_Church_(Pretty_Prairie,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=170138.
APA style
Nyce, Howard G. (November 2011). Pretty Prairie First Mennonite Church (Pretty Prairie, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pretty_Prairie_First_Mennonite_Church_(Pretty_Prairie,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=170138.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 216. All rights reserved.
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