A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

g minister. Adrian, who was ordained as elder in 1881 by Abraham Schellenberg, guided the young and struggling congregation for more than twenty-five years until he moved to Kansas in 1904. The cngn-ga' ici's «. 'insisted of groups scall end over a wide nr«>a. Rrudcrfcld. nunr I'arker, was I he main station, but meetings were also held in Wittenberg, Kosenfeld, and at Emanuel's Creek. More than any other M.B. church, it appears, this congregation has suffered from the inroads of Seventh-Day Adventism. After a short period of growth and prosperity, thirty-one members left and joined the Adventists because of internal tensions. The church recuperated from this loss and experienced an increase in membership as a result of revivals. An even more severe blow to the church came in 1886, when more than half of its membership, seventy-nine in number, left and joined the Adventists. 11 The congregation also survived this crisis but its center shifted further west to Silver Lake. In 1891 a church was constructed near Silver Lake and about three miles southwest of Dolton." The Mennonite Brethren constituency in South Dakota was strengthened and enriched by the merger with the Krimmer Mennonite Mrethren in 1960. Among the K.M.B. churches that joined the conference were the following: the Salem congregation at Bridgewater, the Ebenezer congregation at Doland, the Bethesrfu congregation at Huron, the Emmanuel congregation at Onida, and the Bethel congregation at Yale. 11. From Original Settlements to New Frontiers The period from 1890 to 1920 was marked by a rapid expansion of the M. B. Church into new areas. More attractive economic prospects on 142 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH the constantly expanding "frontier" prompted many M. R. families to leave the older settlements and move out to the "growing edge" of the country. Since this migration and resettlement was in most instances not the result of a planned strategy, nor of an organized effort on the part of the larger Mennonite community, the story of this expansion is filled with accounts of frustrations and failures. 1 "' Small splint er groups scattered over wide areas, making organized congregational activity virtually impossible, especially under pioneer conditions. That so many of these groups survived is an eloquent testimony to the caliber and courage of the settlers. The following account of the expansion relates to Mennonite Brethren. I . Toward the Canadian Border With the admission of North Dakota into the Union in 1889, the settlement opportunities in this state became better known. The fact that land was available at reasonable prices seems to have been the special attraction. Mennonites, with several M. R. families among them, began to move into the state in the late 1890's from the older settlements in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The Mennonite Brethren organized congregations at Munich (1897), at Harvey (1898