Anne (Neufeld) Rupp

Anne Rupp

(1932 - 2020)

Obituary

Anne Neufeld Rupp, author of the hymn "Holy Spirit, Come With Power," and the first ordained woman in the Central District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church, died Dec. 23, 2019, at the age of 87 following a decade's long struggle with Parkinson's Disease.

Born March 5,1932, to Abram and Margaretha Neufeld near Boissevain, Manitoba, Canada, Anne was the oldest of four children and the only daughter. She grew up on the plains of central Canada, the child of Russian Mennonite immigrants, and the daughter of a pastor and missionary. This background and a passion for education, music, and serving Christ led her to pursue multiple degrees at a time when most of her friends and contemporaries ended their schooling long before completing high school. Nonetheless, Anne graduated from the Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a degree in Sacred Music and Christian Education and also earned a teaching certificate from Bethel College in North Newton in 1960.

Before earning a master's degree in Religious Education in 1966 from the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, she served three years of Mennonite Voluntary Service in several Old Colony Mennonite schools in Mexico. This was followed by an additional year of voluntary service at Woodlawn Mennonite Church in the slums of Chicago, where she directed music and drama while simultaneously attending AMBS. During that time, Anne also met Kenneth Rupp, a fellow AMBS student, and they began a 43-year marriage shortly after their graduation.

While Anne had graduated from seminary, women were not allowed ordination for several more years. She focused on leading the children's education and music ministry programs at Ken's churches in Turpin, Oklahoma, and Beatrice, Nebraska. It was during this time that Ken asked her to write a hymn for Pentecost to go with the sermon he was writing. That hymn, "Holy Spirit, Come With Power," has been included in hymnals for at least six faiths, including the Mennonite, Lutheran, Anglican Church of Canada, Community of Christ, Evangelical Covenant Church and the Quakers denominations.

Anne was ordained on Nov. 7, 1976, and became the first ordained woman pastor in the Central District Conference and the second ordained woman pastor in the General Conference Mennonite Church. She and Ken also became the first husband/wife team pastors in the Mennonite faith, serving first at Pleasant Oaks Mennonite Church (Middlebury, Indiana) from 1976 to 1981, and then at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church (Goessel) from 1981 to 1987. Anne continued to write curriculum and articles for church publications and teach piano privately upon their move to Olathe.

Upon her return to North Newton following Ken's death in 2009, she lived at Kidron Bethel, enjoying time with her grandchildren, the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series and organizing the Parkinson's Disease support group.

Anne is survived by her son, Byron, and daughter-in-law Alyssa, and their three children, Braden, Keaton and Adalyn; as well as her brothers, George (Linda) Neufeld and Waldo (Elinor) Neufeld; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life for Anne will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 19, 2020) at Bethel College Mennonite Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in honor of Anne at AMBS.