Our Mission Statement (from the church constitution): The purpose of this congregation shall be to live by and promote, through worship, study, giving and witness, the heritage of the Anabaptist-Mennonite expression of the Christian faith and life in contemporary form. We believe this to mean that a congregation is to be a body of Christians committed to the Lordship of Christ, who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seek to live lives of discipleship, to practice the ethic of love and nonresistance in all human relationships, and to adhere to the historic peace position.
Our Welcome Statement Whoever you are, wherever you come from, the Southern Hills congregation welcomes you into our Jesus-centered community regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, education, physical ability, or other difference.
Our History: In 1949, Mennonite Central Committee chose the Topeka State Hospital as a site for a Voluntary Service (VS) Unit. Twenty young people arrived in Topeka that year to participate in the VS program. In 1952, during the Korean War, 23 young Mennonite conscientious objectors arrived to perform their I-W alternative service at the Topeka State Hospital and Veterans Administration Hospital in Topeka. As these young people married, began to have families and put down roots in Topeka, they felt the need to establish a place of worship. In 1956, the fledgling congregation of 37 young people decided to organize formally as the Topeka Mennonite Fellowship. In 1962, the Fellowship dedicated its new church building on our current location and changed the name to Southern Hills Mennonite Church.
Who We Are: We gather virtually and physically with an average Sunday attendance of 100. We are affiliated with the Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
What We Do We continue in the tradition of peace and service. From its location next to struggling neighborhoods, SHMC is engaged at the ground level in outreach ministries. From food pantries and a blessing box, to hosting a community garden, SHMC believes it is important to get involved. It includes being involved during times of disaster, locally and across the nation. It means opening our church building for community meetings and inviting our neighborhood children to get involved. Representing Christ goes beyond just providing for the basic needs of our neighbors. It also includes being involved in local and State advocacy work and mentoring and building relationships. More about our community outreach and involvement.
Who are the Anabaptist-Mennonites? Mennonites are a branch of the Christian church, with roots in the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Part of the group known as Anabaptists (because they rebaptized adult believers), the Mennonites took their name from Menno Simons, a Dutch priest who converted to the Anabaptist faith and helped lead it to prominence in Holland by the mid-16th century. Learn more:
