Tabor Mennonite Church of rural Newton will be celebrating its 100th anniversary with several events taking place Friday through Sunday, Oct. 10-12.

On Friday, James Juhnke of Wichita, Bethel College history professor emeritus, will be presenting a lecture at 7:30 p.m. focused on the life Rev. P. H. Richert, first pastor of the Tabor Church.

The original pedal organ used in the Tabor Church will be played that evening. A Tabor Men’s Quartet will present several numbers.

On Saturday, family activities for all ages, including music by the Greenhorns, will take place in a tent on the church yard from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

That evening, an historical German meal and a drama, written by Carol Duerksen and Doug Krehbiel focusing on the church history, will be featured.

Because of limited seating, tickets for the meal and drama must be purchased before Sept. 20. Contact the Tabor Church office at 620-367-2318 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

The Sunday morning worship service will feature former pastors John Gaeddert, James Schrag and Ray and Brenda Martin Hurst, as well as present pastors Corey Miller, Karen Andreas and Doug Krehbiel.

The congregation’s adult and children’s choirs will be singing. The adult choir will sing a song written by Larry Nickel and commissioned for this occasion.

A noon potluck lunch after the service will allow time for more visiting.

After the meal, the corner stone of the church will be opened and contents placed in it on June 13, 1965, when the church was dedicated, will be revealed.

Current documents will be placed in the cornerstone and it will be sealed for future reference.

Several homing pigeons will be released as a symbol of looking to the future, signifying sharing the good news of God’s love to others.

The public is invited to be a part of the celebration.

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