Wiens, Henry Reinhart (1904-1969)

Revision as of 13:02, 23 September 2015

Mennonite Brethren Herald obituary: 1969 Spe 19 p. 27

Birth date: 1904 Jul 16

text of obituary:

Rev. Henry Wiens of Buhler, Kansas, passed away on August 20.

Henry R. Wiens was born to G. A. and Agatha (Regehr) Wiens on July 16, 1904. After living in Lehigh, Kansas for five years, he and his family moved to Bessie, Oklahoma. He attended the Corn Bible Academy for three years. In 1925 he enrolled at Tabor Academy. By tending the furnace, working in and managing elevators, and taking out one year to teach, he completed high school and two years of college by 1930. That year, on June 12, he was married to Barbara Kleinsasser, and moved to Corn, Oklahoma; where he taught at Greenfield country school for six years.

In 1941, after five years as parts man in a Cordell automotive parts house and garage, he accepted the position of superintendent at the Corn Bible School and Academy. He completed his B.A. and some graduate work in summer schools. He was ordained to the ministry in 1935 by the Bessie Church.

He moved to Reedley, California in 1946 serving as principal and superintendent of the Immanual Academy. In 1950 he began an eight-year ministry as assistant pastor and, for one year, as pastor of the Reedley Church. In 1959, following nearly a year of work for the Pacific District Home Missions program, he became the pastor of the Dinuba (California) Church. He held this position for three and a half years, and was ·then asked to accept the post of executive secretary at the Hillsboro, Kansas, offices of the Mennonite Brethren Board of Foreign Missions. In 1967 he came to Buhler, where he was pastor until his death.

He held many offices in the Pacific District, the United States Area, and the General Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church. He was secretary of the General Conference for nine years. At his death he had completed 21 years on the General Conference Board of Reference and Counsel.

Left to mourn his passing are his wife, Barbara; his children, Delbert and Marjorie of Fresno, California, Judith of Wichita, Kansas, Kathryn (Mrs., Paul Epp) of Kinshasa, Congo, and Douglas of Hillsboro, Kansas.