Ashland Christian Fellowship (Ashland, Montana, USA)
The Ashland Christian Fellowship was founded as the Ashland Mennonite Mission. The congregation was founded by General Conference Mennonite missionaries working among the Northern Cheyenne Indians. It is located west of Ashland, Montana, on the eastern side of the Tongue River, on the old road to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (formerly Tongue River Indian Reservation). A church built in 1917 by P. A. Kliewer served as an outstation from the Birney Mission station until 1921, when it was moved and a parsonage built. In 1924 Mr. and Mrs. Kliewer had to leave the work, and Valdo and Laura Petter then took care of this field. Valdo Petter died 5 May 1935, and after that his widow carried on the work.
In 1956 the Ashland Mennonite Church joined the Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church. Together with Bethany Mennonite Church, the Petter Memorial Mennonite Church, and the Birney Mennonite Church, they organized as the United Cheyenne Churches of Montana, later called the Northern Cheyenne Mennonite Churches.
In 1974 the Ashland Mennonite Church changed its name to Ashland Christian Fellowship. It also engaged in a more charismatic style of worship.
In 1982 the congregation helped with the publication of the Cheyenne Spiritual Songbook.
In 1995 the congregation merged with Ashland Baptist Church (Southern Baptist Convention).
In 2023 the congregation was part of the Central Plains Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 96-98.
Additional Information
Address: 7 Old Mission Road, Ashland, Montana
Phone: 406-784-6680
Website: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ashland-Christian-Fellowship-Montana/100071108295049/
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Ashland Christian Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Peter A. "P. A." Kliewer (1879-1959) | 1917-1924 |
| Valdo Petter (1895-1935) | 1924-1935 |
| Laura Petter (1899-1976) | 1924-1976 |
| Isaac "Ike" Shoulderblade (1913-2003) | 1945-1976 |
| Valdo D. Petter, Jr. | 1974-1976 |
| Karen Petter | 1974-1976 |
| Ed Underwood | 1974-1976 |
| Dan Mielki | 1976-1977 |
| Joe Johnson | 1977-1978 |
| Richard P. Cullen | 1978-1988 |
| Steve W. Cheramie (1955-2016) | 1988-1992 |
| David Wagner (Assistant) | 1989-1993? |
| Steve Jessen | 1993?-1998? |
| Doug Bishop | 2002?-2014 |
| Ben Waddington | 2014?- |
Membership at Ashland Christian Fellowship
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 8 |
| 1970 | 54? |
| 1980 | 25 |
| 1990 | 9 |
| 2000 | 9 |
| 2009 | 23 |
| 2020 | 23 |
| Author(s) | Alfred Habegger |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | March 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Habegger, Alfred and Samuel J. Steiner. "Ashland Christian Fellowship (Ashland, Montana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2023. Web. 25 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ashland_Christian_Fellowship_(Ashland,_Montana,_USA)&oldid=177463.
APA style
Habegger, Alfred and Samuel J. Steiner. (March 2023). Ashland Christian Fellowship (Ashland, Montana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ashland_Christian_Fellowship_(Ashland,_Montana,_USA)&oldid=177463.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 176. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.