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The story of Spring Valley |
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Spring Valley Mennonite Church, of rural Canton, was founded in 1873 when Bishop Daniel Brundage organized a
congregation of various Mennonite homesteaders who had migrated from eastern states. A 14-mile
furrow plowed in the virgin prairie marked the route to the church for some of the original members
who lived at a distance.
The first meeting house was built in 1875 on the southeast corner of Bishop Brundage's homestead at a cost of $400. The building had multiple purposes, including use as a school house. In 1946, a basement was dug toward the west and the building was moved over the basement. In 1876 the congregation hosted the organizational meeting of the old Kansas-Nebraska Conference. The church hosted the first evangelistic meetings in the Kansas-Nebraska Conference, and was one of the first member churches to implement Sunday schools, both of which were controversial at the time within the (Old) Mennonite Church. Since that time, the church has maintained an active witness for Jesus. During the World Wars, they witnessed for Peace. During the Depression, they cared for neighbors near and far. They continue to support mission work at home and abroad. A book entitled First on the Prairie; The Story of Spring Valley Mennonite Church written by John Sharp in 2019 contains an indepth look at the congregation's history.
Enjoy our 150th Anniversary Video and the photo album of the September celebration. |
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perserevance the race that is set before us." -- Hebrews-12:1
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