The Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA was established in 1937. The congregation started when families from Copeland, Kansas were led to relocating because of drought and dust storms during the Depression. The narrow Kootenai Valley in northern Idaho was attractive, and the first families arrived in 1936.

The original families were farmers. More families engaged in logging, building, and business enterprises over the years, and only a few remained farmers.

Initially, the first families met for Sunday school in homes. In July 1937, minister Ernest Dirks and his family joined the community, and regular services were held in Odes Unruh's home. By 1941 the need for a permanent church building became clear. Standing timber was purchased from the Forest Service, and a building was completed in the next three years. It was dedicated in February 1944. It gradually became inadequate, and work on a new building just north of the original building began in April 1960. Further additions took place in 1975 and 1988.

The congregation received public attention in 2016 when a man sued the congregation for not taking more action to prevent abuse by his stepfather. He alleged a culture of excommunication and quick forgiveness within the denomination allowed sexual abusers to avoid the court system.

The Mountain View Christian Elementary School began in 1978/79 in a building nearby.

In 2020 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The ministers were XXX and XXX.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	December 2020

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (1995-2020).

Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 233-236.

Huber, Tim. "Suit accuses Holdeman church of not reporting sexual abuse." Mennonite World Review 29 February 2016. Web. 23 December 2020. https://anabaptistworld.org/suit-accuses-holdeman-church-of-not-reporting-sexual-abuse/.

Additional Information

Address: 510812 Hwy 95, Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805

Phone: 208-267-3690

Website:

Denominational Affiliations:

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite

Ordained Pastors at the Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Name	Years of Service
Ernest Dirks (1899-1958)	1937-1958
Enoch Dirks (1887-1952)	1944-1952
Edmund Justus (1927-2008)	1953-2005
Curtis Dirks (1926-2009)	1958-2006
Wayne Amoth	1971-1975
Robert Koehn	1983-1994
Roger A. Unruh	1993-2000
Mark Unruh	1993-2010
Willis Dyck	2000-present
Shane Ensz	2009-present
Ben Nystrom	2011-present
Glenn Ensz	2011-present

Membership at Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church

Year	Membership
1995	281
2000	284
2010	229
2020	205

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church, located north of Bonners Ferry, Boundary County, Idaho, was organized in 1936. The meetinghouse, built in 1943, was made of lumber from the local woods. The church had 92 members in 1955, with Ernest Dirks and Eddie Justus as ministers in charge. The ministry was unsalaried. The members were of Mennonite and Norwegian descent.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2020. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mountain_View_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Bonners_Ferry,_Idaho,_USA)&oldid=170797.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2020). Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mountain_View_Church_of_God_in_Christ,_Mennonite_(Bonners_Ferry,_Idaho,_USA)&oldid=170797.

Mountain View Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA)

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