Presented at the 2015 dedication of the gymnasium addition.
An excerpt from "History of the Dewey Community Church" by Tom Litwiller (2025).
In early 1940, a group of young adults from the East Bend Mennonite Church gathered together as members of the Christian Worker’s Band, which was an extension committee of the Church that focused on outreach and evangelism. They met with their Pastor to discuss the outreach to the village of Dewey, a scant 5 miles from their doorstep.
The “Outpost”, as it came to be known, began as Sunday School Classes on the second floor of older building in town that was accessible by an outside staircase in rather poor repair. These were held on Sunday afternoons for the first few months and then moved to Sunday mornings. The Classes were led by various members of the East Bend Congregation as well as one of the ministers from East Bend. This went on until 1944, when the services were moved to the St Paul’s Lutheran Church Building, just a block or two away, which had recently been closed.
In 1947, Ivan L Birkey, 27 years old, having dedicated his life to Christ in about 1940, was asked by the leadership at East Bend to preach every Sunday morning as part of the work that he and many others had been involved in over the years. Ivan and Verna, his wife, would serve this congregation as the bi-vocational pastor and wife faithfully for many years.
As the Sunday School work continued, and people came to faith and joined the Church, those involved sensed the need for larger and more suitable facilities. As the Congregation prayed and sought the LORD’s leading, they were led to purchase the Dewey Methodist Church Building in 1954. This building had been erected in the year 1888 by those in the community who likewise had a passion for the LORD and for starting a Sunday School in the village of Dewey.
"As the Sunday School work continued, and people came to faith and joined the Church, those involved sensed the need for larger and more suitable facilities."
The Dewey Mennonite Church was established on December 11, 1955 with a membership of 32 people, and Ivan Birkey was ordained as the Church’s pastor that same day in the afternoon. Since that time, there have been three other full-time pastors; Elmer (Dolorez) Wyse (1984-1988), Arlin (Mary Lou) Yoder (1988-1991) and Neal (Rhonda) Hauser (1991-Present).
"And beyond, far beyond all of these tangible organizational and building changes, the work of building GOD’s Kingdom... has gone on year after year."
On September 29,1991, Neal Hauser was installed as the Pastor of the Dewey Mennonite Church. Neal and Rhonda have served the LORD and the family of the Dewey Community Church faithfully for over 3 decades through many sorrows and many joys.
In August of 1995, after much prayer and discernment, the Dewey Mennonite Church became affiliated with the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, later the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. The Congregation has also had two other name changes, Dewey Evangelical Mennonite Church and then Dewey Community Church.
Over the decades, there have been many physical changes to the structure with various building projects undertaken. Each of these has been done mainly by volunteer labor from within the membership of the Congregation and always with the sense that GOD was leading throughout the process in big and small ways.
And beyond, far beyond all of these tangible organizational and building changes, the work of building GOD’s Kingdom, by faithfully preaching and teaching GOD’s Word, Sunday morning after Sunday morning, Wednesday night after Wednesday night has gone on year after year. Faithful Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, those who work in the Nursery or Vacation Bible School, in serving others in the kitchen, in the sound room, on the Worship Team, as an Usher, even as a genuine caring Church member in the Church family, all are key members in the work of the “Outpost” at Dewey and in GOD’s Kingdom.