Elm Springs Bible Hall, KS
Elm Springs Bible Hall was an open brethren assembly planted near Tampa, Kansas in Marion County, on the southwest border of Dickinson County, in the late 1920's by former Mennonites, including Daniel Cornelius "Dan" Wedel (1885-1950), with the help of Frank Nicholson from nearby Grace and Truth Gospel Hall south of Abilene, a Grant exclusive assembly (+1909-2010). In 1936, it was meeting in the Elm Springs schoolhouse. The Bible Hall was constructed in the early 1940's by Dan Wedel, Alfred Becker (1910-1982), and Alvin B. Unruh (1906-1995). The latter two particularly helped saw round boards for the top of the Hall). It is also thought that Menno David Dyck (1918-2002), Dan Wedel's son-in-law, may have assisted with the construction.
In the late 1960's, several families moved from this assembly, as well as some from Grace and Truth to help start Sunset Bible Chapel. By the late 1970's, Elm Springs was down to Alvin Unruh, Rufus & Rosina Base, and Clyde Decker and his family, and eventually closed. A small cemetery marks the area, as the church building has been razed, with burials of Hall alumni, as well as some neighboring farming families.
Sources
- Edna Mae Wedel Dyck 2012-2021 (1920-2022)
- Nadine Loomis Murrell 2019
- Greg Johnson 2019
- Paul Johnson, Stu Dyck, Lane Dyck 5-24-2022
- Mike Becker 3-12-2023