The Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), Kalona, Iowa, is located four miles (6.5 km) north and four miles (6.5 km) west of Kalona, in the neighborhood of the first Amish Mennonite settlement in Johnson County in 1846. After an influx of settlers, their first church was organized in 1851. Sometime before 1863, the church had become large enough to make necessary its division into two congregations, the Deer Creek district and the Sharon Township district. In 1877 the former district was divided into Upper Deer Creek and Lower Deer Creek. Although these two churches were Old Order Amish Mennonite, contrary to custom they discontinued holding services in their homes and in 1890 built churches. In 1917 Lower Deer Creek erected a large frame structure, which was destroyed by fire in January 1956. A new church was constructed a short distance north of the former site during 1956. Following the severance of fellowship with the Old Order churches in 1917 after a controversy and a division over the issue of the installation of telephones in the homes of members, the Lower Deer Creek congregation followed an independent course until it joined the Western District Amish Mennonite Conference in 1919. Jacob F. Swartzendruber for many years served as bishop of the church (1887-1913). In 1955 the bishop was John Y. Swartzendruber, having been ordained to that office in 1919. The membership was 364. In 1945 the Iowa Mennonite School was established across the road from the church.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 406. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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