Kalona Mennonite Church (Kalona, Iowa, USA)
The Kalona Mennonite Church, Kalona, Iowa, USA, had its origins in 1956 when the East Union Mennonite Church decided that summer to hold worship services for its town members in the former Baptist Church in Kalona. Crowded conditions at the East Union facility prompted the decision. East Union approved organizing a separate congregation in Kalona in June 1958. The Kalona Mennonite Church was then organized in July 1958. It joined the Iowa-Nebraska Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC) the following month.
The East Union ministers initially served the congregation. Eugene Garber, a member of the Iowa Mennonite School faculty, was licensed to the ministry and installed as pastor of the Kalona congregation on 9 October 1958.
Because of rapid expansion, Kalona Mennonite built a new church building in 1966.
As part of the realignment of the Mennonite Church (MC) and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA, Kalona Mennonite was among the congregations that joined the new Central Plains Mennonite Conference in 2000.
The congregation suffered a tragedy in 2012 when Mick Murray, one of its ministers, was killed in an automobile accident along with his wife.
In 2023 the congregation remained part of the Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
"Bro. Eugene Garber...." Gospel Herald 51, no. 45 (11 November 1958): 1072
"The East Union congregation...." Gospel Herald 49, no. 27 (3 July 1956): 636.
"The Kalona, Iowa, Church...." Gospel Herald 51, no. 31 (5 August 1958): 744.
Miller, Marcus. "Mick and Julie Murray leave a legacy of faithfulness." Scattered Seeds (April 2012): 2.
"Organizing a congregation at Kalona,..." Gospel Herald 51, no. 25 (24 June 1958): 592.
Yoder, Holly Blosser. The same spirit: History of Iowa-Nebraska Mennonites. Freeman, S.D.: Central Plains Mennonite Conference, 2003.
Additional Information
Address: 902 Sixth Street, Kalona, Iowa 52247
Phone: 319-656-2736
Website: https://kalonamennonitechurch.com/
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Kalona Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| East Union Ministers | 1956-1958 |
| Eugene C. Garber (1925-2003) | 1958-1965 |
| Richard Lichty | 1965-1966 |
| John P. Duerksen (1913-2006) | 1967-1968? |
| Carl L. Smeltzer | 1969-1979 |
| Howard Keim | 1979-1987 |
| Elton Nussbaum (Associate) | 1980-1991? |
| David L. Groh | 1988-1999? |
| Scott Swartzendruber | 1992-2019? |
| Mickey K. Murray (1965-2012) | 1995-2012 |
| Jeff Miller (Interim) | 2012-2014 |
| Joshua D. Lundberg | 2015- |
Membership at Kalona Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 130 |
| 1960 | 141 |
| 1970 | 201 |
| 1980 | 253 |
| 1990 | 311 |
| 2000 | 307 |
| 2009 | 349 |
| 2020 | 337 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By A. Lloyd Swartzendruber. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1099. All rights reserved.
Kalona Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), Kalona, Iowa, was organized in July 1958. Two years earlier the Baptist church building, then vacated, was rented to the East Union Mennonite Church for a year and services were begun as a branch of the mother congregation which was becoming somewhat crowded. It was served by the East Union ministers for several years, but is now an organized congregation in the Iowa-Nebraska Mennonite Conference. The charter membership was 130, with Eugene Garber as licensed minister.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Kalona Mennonite Church (Kalona, Iowa, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2023. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kalona_Mennonite_Church_(Kalona,_Iowa,_USA)&oldid=175586.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2023). Kalona Mennonite Church (Kalona, Iowa, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kalona_Mennonite_Church_(Kalona,_Iowa,_USA)&oldid=175586.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.