Friedensberg Bible Church (Avon, South Dakota, USA)
The predecessors of the Friedensberg Mennonite Church left Prussia in 1798 under the leadership of Peter (Hans) Schmidt, and settled in Waldheim, a Mennonite village in Russian Poland in 1838. In 1848 they organized Heinrichsdorf, Volhynia.
In August 1874, the greater part left for New York, proceeding in September to Yankton, South Dakota. Seven families homesteaded late in 1874, and the remaining 35 families followed early in 1875. Benjamin Ratzlaff and Cornelius Ewert served as the first ministers.
In 1878 the congregation built a log sanctuary. It also ordained Benjamin P. Schmidt as Elder that same year. In 1898 the church dismantled the former building and constructed a new one. In 1978 it built a new church, and in 1984 erected a parsonage in Avon. In 2000 the church added a multi-purpose room, classrooms, library, and office.
In the 1890s, the Friedensberg church suffered a division fostered by a revival movement that sought a more zealous faith. Minister Henry P. Unruh led 95 people from Friedensberg into the Sharon Evangelical Mennonite Brethren congregation that erected a church 1.5 miles north of the Friedensberg building In 1904, a tornado destroyed the Sharon building, and within months all the Sharon members returned to Friedensberg, including Minister Unruh.
In 1986, the congregation changed its name to the Friedensberg Bible Church.
As part of the realignment of the Mennonite Church (MC) and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA, Friedensberg Bible Church was among the congregations that joined the new Central Plains Mennonite Conference in 2000.
The Friedensberg Bible Church withdrew from the Central Plains Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA in about 2010. It continued as an independent community church.
Bibliography
Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 148-150.
Additional Information
Address: 30992 406th Avenue, Avon, South Dakota 57315
Phone: 605-941-4337
Website: https://fdbc.church/
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference (Until 2010)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2010)
Pastoral Leaders Friedensberg Bible Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Ratzlaff | 1874-? |
| Cornelius Ewert (1842-1919) | 1874-1919 |
| Benjamin P. Schmidt (1825-1912)(Elder) | 1878- |
| Henry P. Unruh (1865-1944) | 1889-1893 1904-1930s? |
| David Ewert (1867-1891) | 1889-1891 |
| David A. Schultz (1873-1946) (Elder) |
1899-1913 1913-1941 |
| Henry U. Schmidt (1879-1965) | 1899-1906 |
| Edward Duerksen (1892-1979) | 1941-1952 |
| Emil J. Krahn 1929-2013) | 1952-1959 |
| Henry W. Siebert | 1960-1961 |
| Herbert H. Peters (1923-2014) | 1961-1964 |
| Peter Quiring | 1965-1973 |
| Abraham C. "A. C." Siebert ( -1991) | 1973-1980 |
| Richard Kinson | 1980-1984 |
| Douglas Denvei | 1984-1985 |
| David Manning | 1986-1997 |
| Kirby Hofer | 1997-2002? |
| ? | ?-? |
Friedensberg Bible Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1924 | 100 |
| 1940 | 110 |
| 1950 | 108 |
| 1960 | 92 |
| 1970 | 81 |
| 1980 | 78 |
| 1990 | 84 |
| 2000 | 83 |
| 2009 | 75 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By John A. Boese. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 400. All rights reserved.
Friedensberg Mennonite Church is a member of the Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church. It is located 65 miles southwest of Freeman, South Dakota in Bon Homme County, and eight miles southwest of Avon. The ancestors of this church body left Prussia in 1798 under the leadership of Peter (Hans) Schmidt, and settled in Waldheim, a Mennonite village in Russian Poland, in 1838; in 1848 they organized Heinrichsdorf, Volhynia.
In August 1874 the greater part left for New York, proceeding in September to Yankton, South Dakota. Seven families homesteaded late in 1874 and the remaining 35 families followed early in 1875. A new church was dedicated early in 1878. On 5 September 1878 Benjamin P. Schmidt was ordained as elder by S. F. Sprunger. Later the church was under the leadership of D. A. Schultz assisted by Henry U. Schmidt. Beginning in 1941, the church was under the leadership of Edward Duerksen. In 1953 the church had 91 members with Emil Krahn serving as pastor. Many members were called into the ministry and foreign missions.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | September 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Friedensberg Bible Church (Avon, South Dakota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2023. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Friedensberg_Bible_Church_(Avon,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177563.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (September 2023). Friedensberg Bible Church (Avon, South Dakota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Friedensberg_Bible_Church_(Avon,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177563.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.