150TH ANNIVERSARY OF SWISS-VOLHYNIAN MIGRATION THIS WEEKEND

Activities begin Saturday evening; Salem-Zion Mennonite host church

All are welcome to this weekend’s commemoration of the arrival of the Swiss-Volhynian Mennonites from Russia to this area 150 years ago. All events will be hosted by the Salem-Zion Mennonite Church located 4 miles east of Freeman on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8.

Saturday evening will include a time of worship and a historical presentation by Marnette (Ortman) Hofer and Tim L. Waltner starting at 7 p.m., followed by an ice cream social.

A 10 a.m. Sunday morning worship service at the church will feature a mass choir and guest speakers Caley Ortman and Karen Graber Andres (see bios).

Then at 1:30 p.m., beginning at the Salem-Zion Church bell tower and ending at the cemetery, S. Roy Kaufman will lead a tour of several area historical markers erected as part of the Swiss-Volhynian centennial of 1974.

Finally, on Sunday evening, a program titled “A Celebration of Choral Music” will feature a mass choir under the direction of Daniel Graber that will take place at 7 p.m. in Pioneer Hall on the Freeman Academy campus.

More on Sunday’s speakers

Caley Ortman is a pastor at First Mennonite Church in Reedley, Calif., and a retirement home chaplain at Sierra View Homes. He is also the Program Director for the Mennonite Youth Camp at Camp Keola.

Caley is the son of Stan and Gwen Ortman and grew up in the Freeman community. He was raised and baptized at Salem-Zion Mennonite Church. He is a graduate of Bethel College, North Newton, Kan., and received his masters of divinity from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind.

Karen Graber Andres was born in Kansas and grew a farm near Pretty Prairie, whose home church was First Mennonite Church of Pretty Prairie.  After various positions at the former General Conference Mennonite Church, she pursued a music performance degree from Bethel College (N. Newton).

Karen received her Pastoral Ministries degree at Hesston College and a certificate in theological studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. She held pastorates at Tabor Mennonite Church, rural Newton, for 10 years alongside Pastor Corey Miller, as well as three years as associate pastor at Zion Mennonite in Elbing, Kan. Now, Karen fills the pulpit as needed and is employed at Bluestem Communities, Inc. (Kidron-Bethel) in N. Newton as the piano accompanist and serves on the chaplaincy team.

Karen’s ancestry began at Freeman as she has two great-, great-grandparents buried in the Salem-Zion Cemetery.

Karen is married to David (a farmer) and they have one son Josh, daughter-in-law Kristy, and two grandsons. Karen says, “Coming to Freeman brings my life full circle as I celebrate with others this rich heritage and those who have gone before me.”