The Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation seven miles northwest of Durham, Marion County, Kansas, USA was established in the early 1880s. Initially, it was known as the Logan (after the township) or Durham congregation. The first Mennonite settlers in this area came primarily from West Prussia. The first Church of God in Christ, Mennonite settlers came in the early 1880s. John Holdeman baptized Jacob H. Schmidt here in 1879. John A. Koehn, a long-serving minister, was born here in 1885.

Ministers from the Lone Tree congregation assisted the small Logan congregation for many years. Worship services were held in homes, then in the Christ Weber School, Bell Top School, and perhaps the Red Top School in the 19th century. In 1904 a meetinghouse was built 0.25 miles south of the Logan Cemetery. With minor modifications, this building served until a new block and brick church was erected and dedicated in May 1966. At this time, the name was changed from Logan to Morning Star Congregation of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite.

Until just before World War I Logan was a thriving congregation, but then other promising areas like Montezuma, Kansas or Winton, California or Las Animas, Colorado attracted families to move from Marion County. By the early 1930s, membership had dropped to about 20, but in 1932 families again began moving to the area, as well as some ministers.

The congregation also operates the Cottonwood Grove Christian School located northwest of Durham.

In 2020 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were Mitchell Unruh and Merlin Wiebe.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	January 2021

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (1996-2020).

Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 320-324.

Additional Information

Address: 3403 Falcon Road, Durham, Kansas 67438

Phone: 620-732-2328

Website:

Denominational Affiliations:

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite

Ordained Pastors at the Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Name	Years of Service
Nonresident ministers	1880s-?
Heinrich Schmidt	?-?
John Voth	?-?
Heinrich Koehn (1862-1932)?	1882?-?
Andreas Koehn	?-?
Nonresident ministers	1910s-1930s
Hiram J. Mininger (1870-1953)	1935-?
Albert Dirks (1894-1963)	1935-?
Claude Unruh (1909-2003)	1942-1999
Jacob N. Yost (1890-1974)	1943-1974
Ransom L. Wiebe	1965-2018
Bruce Dirks	1986-1988 1991?-2012
Merlin Wiebe	1998-present
Mitchell Unruh	2011-present

Membership at Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Year	Membership
1930	20
1955	71
1995	117
2000	113
2010	122
2020	136

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

The Logan Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church, located near Durham, Marion County, Kansas, was organized in the late 1880s. The meetinghouse was built in 1904. The 1955 membership was 71, with Claude Unruh as minister. The congregation is sometimes known as Durham.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Durham, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2021. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morning_Star_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Durham,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=169796.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2021). Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Durham, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morning_Star_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Durham,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=169796.

Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Durham, Kansas, USA)

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