Pennsylvania Mennonite Church (Harvey County, Kansas, USA)
Pennsylvania Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), a member of the South Central Mennonite Conference, located in Harvey County, KS, midway between Hesston and Newton, began in 1872, when Mennonite settlers, most of them from Eastern Pennsylvania, located here. The congregation was organized in 1885. The first meetinghouse, about 30 x 40 ft., was built in 1887. Services were conducted alternately by the Mennonites and Amish Mennonites until they merged in 1892. The Amish Mennonites came to Harvey County from Mifflin County, PA between 1885 and 1889. A new frame building 40 x 60 ft. with a seating capacity of 200 was dedicated in 1903, and enlarged in 1947.
Among the historic events in the congregation was the reception into the congregation of 61 members by Bishop T. M. Erb on 4 March 1906 - 45 by baptism, 16 by confession or letter - following evangelistic meetings by J. E. Hartzler. In 1913 there was a schism in the congregation caused by the Holiness movement, when 50 members withdrew, including two of the three ministers, David B. Zook and J. M. R. Weaver. Weaver returned to the Pennsylvania Church in 1922. R. J. Heatwole, who moved into the Pennsylvania community in 1882, was recognized as an influential layman. He promoted Sunday schools and secured evangelists for the early settlers. T. M. Erb served as minister and bishop 31 years, and his son Paul Erb as minister for 22 years. In 1958 Earl Buckwalter was pastor and bishop of the congregation of 102 members.
Bibliography
Risser, Emma. History of the Pennsylvania Mennonite Church in Kansas. Hesston, 1958.
| Author(s) | Gideon G Yoder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Yoder, Gideon G. "Pennsylvania Mennonite Church (Harvey County, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 20 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pennsylvania_Mennonite_Church_(Harvey_County,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=60162.
APA style
Yoder, Gideon G. (1959). Pennsylvania Mennonite Church (Harvey County, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Pennsylvania_Mennonite_Church_(Harvey_County,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=60162.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 144. All rights reserved.
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