A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

ntral part of South Dakota with the establishment of the Salem congregation (ten miles southwest of Bridgewater) in 1886. It is evident from the conference records of that period that this church was at least in part the fruit of the church-extension efforts of the Gnadenau church in Kansas. At a brotherhood meeting in October, 1885, it was decided to "ordain the two brethren in Dakota as ministers as soon as possible." 21 The names in this new congregation also indicate a different ethnic background. Whereas the more common names in Gnadenau were Wiebe, Klaassen. and Friesen, at Bridgewater, the more common names were Hofer. Tschetter, and Mendel. 2 ' 1 Although the membership of the Salem congregation has declined slightly during the last decade, it continues to be a strong rural church. Another K.M.B. church which dates back to the early period was established near Yale, in the northeastern part of the state. The membership of the Bethel congregation has declined somewhat in recent years, reflecting the general trend observed in rural churches elsewhere. Immediately after World War I the Krimmer Brethren established two additional churches in South Dakota. In 1919 the Ebenezer congregation (twelve miles from Doland) was organized by seven families under the leadership of Jacob J. Hofer. A year later, in 1920, the Emmanuel congregation was organized in Sully County, six miles east IHl KKIMMKK MKNNDNITK HKKTHKKN COMK TO NORTH AMKRICA 183 of Onida under the leadership of Jacob S. Mendel. Both congregations have maintained an active church life to the present. Still another congregation, also located in the same general area of the state, was founded in Huron in 1947. This church, bearing the biblical name of Bethesda, doubled membership between 1953 and 1971. The only K.M.B. church in North Dakota, the Emmanuel congregation organized near Chasely in 1921, is now extinct. D. M. Hofer (city missionary in Chicago) served the church with special meetings, at baptisms, and in its organization. The church dissolved in 1932." Saskatchewan The Krimmer Mennonite Brethren also established several churches in Canada, although none of the K.M.B. immigrants of the 1870's settled there. In 1899 eight members of the church from Bon Homme and Turner counties, S.D., settled in the municipality of Laird, west of Waldheim. Here they organized the Salem K.M.B. church that same year. The Henry M. Epp family, who spent a number of years in missionary work in China, has its spiritual roots in this congregation. " This church did not go along with the decision of the K.M.B. Conference Lo merge with the Mennonite Brethren. After functioning as an independent congregation for some time, the Salem congregation joined the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference. Another congregation — Emmanuel — was organized by immi- grants from South Dakota southeast of Langham in 1901. This church, never very large, today (197