Wenger, Malcolm (1919-2003)

Revision as of 12:45, 29 November 2010

Newton Kansan obituary: 2003 Feb 24 p. 2; 2003 Feb 25 p. 2; 2003 Feb 26 p. 2

Birth date: 1919 Jul 28

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2003 Mar 10 p. 7

text of obituary:

By Mennonite Mission Network

NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Malcolm Wenger, a linguist and Bible translator who ministered with Native Americans for 40 years and became skilled in the complex Cheyenne language, died Feb. 23 in Wichita. He was 83.

Wenger believed Native Americans should take over their own church affairs from their Christian missionary advisers. He arranged intertribal talks that led to the formation of the Mennonite Indian Leaders Council.

He and his wife, Esther, lived on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana from 1944 to 1966 and continued in ministry with Indian people until their retirement in 1985.

Wenger preached most of his sermons in Cheyenne. He helped develop a written language for the tribe and was involved in translating the Bible.

"Malcolm was a German Mennonite farm boy who really became a cross-cultural servant-leader," said Willis Busenitz, pastor of White River Cheyenne Mennonite Church in Busby, Mont. "He had a vision that Indian people would be totally responsible for their own churches. . . . He believed very strongly that Cheyenne people, native people, should be responsible for their own spiritual lives."

Wenger served with the Commission on Home Ministries of the General Conference Mennonite Church, working with native ministries from the Newton office from 1965 to 1979.

Wenger was born July 28, 1919, to Ira J. and Olivia (Koppes) Wenger at Aberdeen, Idaho. He married Esther Boehr on Dec. 23, 1943, in Wisner, Neb.

From 1979 to 1985 the Wengers lived in Selkirk, Man., where Malcolm was executive secretary for Mennonite Native Ministries in Winnipeg and pastor of a Mennonite congregation serving Metis and First Nations people.

In retirement, Wenger traveled to Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana and other places to visit and give direction to native people.

He was a member of Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton.

He is survived by his wife, Esther, five daughters, Betsy Kaufman of Windom, Ann Wenger of Goshen, Ind., Martha Wenger of Mount Rainier, Md., and Becky Voth and Grace Wenger, both of Newton; and three grandchildren.