Pastor E. Allen Menter

    Pastor E. Allen Menter, age 87, of Faith, SD went to be with his Lord at 8:30 in the morning on October 3, 2016 at the Sturgis Regional Hospital in Sturgis, SD. He was surrounded by his loving wife of 59 years, Phyllis and his twin boys, Mark and Michael.
    Service of Remembrance for Pastor Menter will be Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at the Prairie Home Church west of Maurine, SD. Rev. Harold Delbridge will officiate and burial will follow at the Monument Cemetery, west of the Church. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until the Funeral at 11:00 at the Prairie Home Church on Wednesday, October 12.
    Edward Allen Menter, “Allen” was born on January 26, 1929 at the family farm in Cady Township, St. Croix County, Wisconsin.  He was the 5th child of John and Anna (Johnson) Menter. It was bitterly cold and stormy, but the Dr. made it by horse and sleigh across the fields, as the roads were blocked.
    Allen was raised on the farm and attended rural schools. As he grew up he worked on the family farm as well as neighboring farms. In 1949 he took over the operation at the home place, running it until the fall of 1955.  In the fall of 1951, he started attending the Hersey Bible Church a few miles away, where on November 25th at the evening service he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior. Later that same evening the Lord called him to preach. He argued with the Lord for 3 years before surrendering to that call. In the fall of 1955 he sold his interest in the farm and enrolled at Oak Hills Bible Institute in Bemidji, MN.  He spent three years studying for the ministry and during that time preached and taught God’s word at several locations. In March of 1957 he was called the pastorate at the First Baptist Church in Frazee, MN and the Basswood Baptist Church in Richville, MN.
    While attending Oak Hills he met Phyllis Sharp and they were married at the Frazee church on June 15, 1957. In January of 1963 they adopted 3 month old twin boys, who they named Mark and Michael. Together they ministered for 10 years at Frazee and Basswood. In April of 1967, they moved to the pastorate of the First Baptist Church in Newell, Iowa. In 1971 they were called to the Bethel Baptist Church in Park River, ND and subsequently added the Grafton Baptist Church in Grafton, ND. In 1975, God called them to go west where they Pastored the Congregational Bible Church in Melstone, MT. In 1983 they took a short break from the ministry until September of 1986 when they accepted the call to the Prairie Home Church in Maurine, SD. He enjoyed working with the youth of the area at the Cedar Canyon Bible Camp, where he introduced the first water slide which everyone loved. They served the Lord there until heart problems forced his retirement in the spring of 1995. They moved to a ranch near Bison, SD where they spent three years ranching. In the spring of 1998 they moved to their present location on the Arnt Miller homestead. Since leaving Prairie Home Church they have ministered at 14 area churches including a chalk art ministry where Phyllis drew an elaborate picture in chalk with black light as Allen sang and preached the word of God.
    Allen was a skilled woodworker and he loved to bake pies, cakes and cookies, but his passion was always preaching the Word and singing God’s praises.
    In honor of Pastor Menter, Memorials can be sent to the Cedar Canyon Bible Camp in care of the Prairie Home Church.
    Survivors include his wife Phyllis, sons Mark (Tammy) of New Hope, MN, Michael (Angila) of Flagstaff, AZ, grandchildren Jacob and Emma and step-granddaughters Lucy and Ashley.  He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, four brothers and two grandchildren.
    Condolences to Pastor Menter’s family can be sent through our website at www.evansonjensenfuneralhome.com