History & Photos
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In 2007, we, of this church, celebrated its 100th anniversary, themed "Faith and Community Through the Years". It was the first church established in Aberdeen, with 36 charter members. At one time, church membership was well over 300 members. Mennonites in Aberdeen have always been involved in civic and community activities.
These two signs are a very brief encapsulation of our church history. Both texts were written by Eldon Harder.
From the sign at the First Mennonite Church: (click here to go back to top of page)
When the Aberdeen-Springfield irrigation tract was opened to settlers in 1905, canal builders and land promoters invited German speaking Mennonite farmers to come to Idaho to help settle the area. Mennonite settlers came from various places in America. They came mainly to farm but as they established their farms, they also helped build the canals; they built homes, organized a church, conducted schools, started businesses, founded a hospital in American Falls and began the Aberdeen community.
At first some of the settlers lived in tents, and the first Sunday School in Aberdeen met in a tent on the first Sunday in October in 1906.
The Mennonite congregation organized on July 4, 1907, under the leadership of Rev. Jacob Hege. Their first building, the west part of the present structure was built in 1910. The east edition was completed in 1938.
Menno Simons, 1496 -1561, a Dutch pastor and church leader gave the confession of faith that remains to this day. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 3:11 (NIV)
"REFLECTIONS IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD" from the Homestead Cemetery sign:
The church is no longer here. It has been gone since the 1930's. For 20 years it stood across the county road to the south of this cemetery. It was the Emanuel Mennonite Church. Founded by Rev. Jacob Hege in 1912 to serve the dry farm homesteaders who settled in the area beginning in 1909. It was built on land donated by Rev. Leonard Dirks. In spite of it's Biblical name, it was almost always referred to as the Homestead Church, a name that was transferred to this cemetery which it shared with The First Mennonite Church in Aberdeen.
Actually the cemetery predated the church by nearly three years. The German speaking Mennonite farmers who came to the Aberdeen valley in 1906, and the following years, soon realized that they needed a cemetery.
Anna Giesbrecht Hege died in May of 1908 at the age of nineteen from complication at the birth of her son who died shortly thereafter. It was in response to her death that the leaders of the First Mennonite Church met to plan for a cemetery. They unanimously accepted an offer by Rev. John Toevs to give a one acre parcel of land on his farm to be used as a cemetery. Anna Hege was then buried in this new cemetery which was located on the north side of Desert Road about 1 1/4 miles west of Aberdeen. Then disaster! In January, 1909, about three inches of rain fell upon the heavy snowfall of early winter and the settlers experienced for the first time the phenomenon of water runoff from the desert. Newly constructed canals and fills were washed out by the raging waters. The new cemetery with its lone grave, almost directly in the path of the rushing water, was inundated.
In February, 1909, church leaders met again and the trustees were instructed to look for a suitable place for a cemetery. They came to this place and John Schroeder donated a two acre parcel of his homestead for a cemetery. The grave of Anna Hege was moved to this location.
By the late 1920's, many dry farmers of this area had given up and moved away. In 1930, the Emanuel Church was disbanded; the building was dismantled and the lumber was incorporated into the east-wing addition of First Mennonite Church. This cemetery became the responsibility of First Mennonite Church. Maintenance of the cemetery was a perennial problem, and in 1938, the Mennonite Church donated this cemetery to the newly formed Abedeen Cemetery District. This is no longer a Mennonite cemetery.
There is much history in this cemetery. The dates on the tombstone markers are a grim reminder that not everyone experienced the Biblical ideal of living to a ripe old age. They remind us of how vulnerable we are to deadly diseases and to fatal accidents. They are a reminder of the hardships of pioneer life. There are graves of mothers who died on the same day as their newborn infants. There are graves of infants who were dead at the time of their birth, or who died shortly thereafter. There are graves of children who never reached adolescence. These graves remind us of the time when prenatal care for mothers-to-be was woefully inadequate or lacking entirely, when the risks of pregnancy and childbirth were much greater than they are now, when there were no antibiotics to curb infection, when the infant mortality rate was much higher, and when common childhood diseases were more often fatal.
A walk through this cemetery can be a time of quiet reflection on life's tragedies, on the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death, but in all of this we can sense that people who are buried here had a strong faith in Jesus Christ and a certain hope in the resurrection. Expressions of this faith and hope are chiseled into the marble and granite of the tombstones. Even though the people have died, they still speak to us of that faith! BRIEF HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH OF ABERDEEN, IDAHO: (click here to go back to top of page) By the fall of 1906, several families from various states joined those who had come earlier in the year. The first Sunday School was held in a tent on the northwest corner of Aberdeen in October of 1906. Meetings were held in the homes of Henry Hege and Samuel Hunsinger. The first baby born in Aberdeen was Alice Dirks and Otto Hege was the first baby boy. The early Mennonites here came from diverse places such as California, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Illinois, Washington, North and South Dakota, and Canada. 1907 On July 4, 1907, a group of people organized the Salem Mennonite Church, 1 ½ miles south of Aberdeen. It had 36 charter members. Jacob Hege was the organizer and the first pastor. The Salem Church building also served as the Central School. In 1909, John B. Baer of Bluffton, Ohio, became the pastor of the Salem Church. Central School was too small to accommodate the growing congregation, so plans were make to build a new church in town. 1910 The original part of our present church was completed in the fall of 1910 at a cost of $2,935.64. Rev. Baer had moved to Summerville, Illinois, and that congregation gave the special gift of a church bell. It has rung repeatedly over the years and has served as a toll bell at funerals. There are no longer many church bells in the country and ours is the only one in Aberdeen. Also, in 1910, our church was legally incorporated to be known as “The First Mennonite Church of Aberdeen, Idaho”. 1912 The Emanuel Church, often referred to as the Homestead Church was organized by Jacob Hege because so many German speaking Mennonites had homesteaded southwest of Aberdeen. The church was built across the road from Homestead Cemetery. The Emanuel Church used the German language in its worship services, while the First Church in town started to use English. After Jacob Hege, Leonard Dirks and John Toevs pastored this church. In 1913, Henry Toevs was selected to be pastor at First Mennonite. E.J. Neuenschwander was hired in 1914, and was the first to pastor “full time”. Sunday School and Christian Endeavor showed much growth, and the church grew by 82 members. During his term the parsonage was built for $4,ooo and the church was wired for electricity. Edward D. Schmidt of Freeman, South Dakota, was chosen to be pastor in 1920. Under his guidance the constitution was put into conventional form and he suggested more recreational activity. Menno J. Galle served seven years as pastor beginning in 1922. Under his ardent leadership many new members were added. 1929 Because of failing dry farm crops, declining membership, and loss of leadership, the Emanuel Church was disbanded. They were invited to join First Mennonite, and with an influx of settlers from Dubois, the First Mennonite building was too small. It was decided to build an east wing onto the church, utilizing materials from the dismantled Emanuel Church building. The pastor, E.J. Kaufman, helped blend these groups into one strong body. In 1936, Phillip Wedel was called to be pastor. Because of lack of funds due to the Great Depression, construction on the east wing had been suspended. Now construction was renewed. 1938 The east wing was completed and dedicated. The first young peoples’ retreat was held. Church membership was 320 and Sunday School enrollment was around 200. Missionaries H.J. and Elizabeth Brown served as interim 1944-1945. 1945 Henry and Hilda Harder served in the pastorate from 1945-1954. Under Harder’s leadership the Men’s Brotherhood was organized, the yearbook published, and the constitution was revised and printed. During this time an addition was built to house the church office and the pastor’s study. The nearby Johnson apartment building was purchased and remodeled for classrooms. Mrs. Harder was in frail health and spent some time at the tuberculosis hospital in Gooding. With two growing boys, Pastor Harder served very diligently. Rudolph Toews served as interim pastor 1954-1956. 1956 With the coming of Walter H. Dyck in 1956, the church leased land from the Forest Service, and began the development of our Palisades Camp, 125 miles from Aberdeen. Our first retreat was held there in 1958. Bill Block was our first summer assistant pastor. We had summer assistants until 1980, and sporadically since then. Donavan Diller was our interim pastor 1962-1963. Wilfred Ulrich became pastor in 1963. During this time it was decided to build a new sanctuary, fellowship hall, and education facility. Study committees were formed to determine size and design for the needs of the church. Paul Roth served interim pastor in 1970. 1972 Aaron Epp began his pastorate in 1970. Construction of the Fellowship Hall was done in 1971, and the building was dedicated in 1972. It was decided not to build a new sanctuary. Aaron Epp was released from his contract in 1975 so that he could minister to the German speaking Mennonites who lived in Cuautemoc, Chihauhau, Mexico. P.J. John, from India, was our summer assistant pastor in 1975; he continued on as interim pastor until late 1976. Lowell Gerber, another summer assistant also continued on as interim pastor until 1977. 1980 In 1977, Ben Rahn became our pastor. In 1980, our congregation purchased the house adjacent to the Fellowship Hall and named it the Friendship House. In October of 1980, our church sponsored a Cambodian refugee family: Thynara, Savy, and Sanaroth Oum; also their nephews Kunthea and Sok Cheat. They moved into the Friendship House. They were hard workers and adapted amazingly well, and soon purchased their own home. Kunthea and Sok Cheat moved away, but the Oum family lived in Aberdeen over 20 years. Savy died in 2004, and Thynara moved to Philadelphia to be with relatives. Their children, Sanaroth, Sarany, and Somaly all graduated from Aberdeen High School, have gone to college and live elsewhere. Lance Eisele was hired as our first full time assistant pastor in 1983. Later in the year Ben Rahn retired and Eisele became head pastor. He emphasized outreach, especially in Bible School and camp programs. Perry Rotenberger was chosen to be our youth pastor and built up a strong youth program. He became the de facto lead pastor when Eisele left in 1989. 1987 The church built an enclosed connecting ramp between the Fellowship Hall and the East Room. It is handicapped accessible. This is a much appreciated convenience. After Perry Rotenberger’s resignation in late 1989, Elmer Friesen was our interim for five months. Frank Horst replaced Friesen and served faithfully for about a year. Oscar Brown served another five months in 1991. Monty Ledford became our pastor in the fall of 1991. Monty served for over 14 years, by far the longest tenure of any pastor at First Mennonite. Monty was active in the community and was also proficient in the German language. While Ledford and family were in Germany on his sabbatical, Dan Rehwalt ably served as the summer interim. The Ledfords still live in Aberdeen. Improvements done while Ledford was here include new insulation and new metal siding on the church, new cedar shingles on the roof, a new electric organ, a spacious new entrance and a remodel of the East Room. Upgrades have also been made on the parsonage. Improvements continue at Palisades Camp. We now have 11 A-frame cabins, a new bathhouse, an addition to the lodge for a restroom and first aid station, and better appliances for the kitchen. Many of the large trees on the campground were cut by the Forest Service because of a beetle infestation that was killing the trees. The lodge needs to be re-roofed, but the Forest Service will make determinations. Palisades Camp is a real asset and well used for church retreats and family gatherings. People come from great distances to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of this wonderful place. In 2006, Dave Stutzman came to be our interim for 15 months. Dave and Donna were very dedicated and had a rejuvenating effect on our church. 2007 First Mennonite celebrated its 100th anniversary during June Aberdeen Days. Several of our former pastors were here and spoke. There was a community mass choir at the middle school, and on Sunday morning, a mass choir of members, former members, and friends. There were tours for out -of -towners. A festive, overflow crowd enjoyed a celebration feast Sunday afternoon, with a time for reminiscing. Jerry Kaiser, from Inman, Kansas, was also a guest at this time. A few months later he became our pastor. He and Allene are congenial with solid theology. He has established many relationships in our community to draw us closer together. He has our second century off to a good start.
In 1905, a new tract of land was opened up for irrigation (the Carey Act) between American Falls and Blackfoot. A small group of men from Newton, Kansas, came out to inspect the land. Each of them filed a claim on a parcel of undeveloped farmland.
Pastor Photos (click here to go back to top of page)
Click the picture for a larger version
