Difference between revisions of "Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)"

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The Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, Taftsville, Vermont, USA was formed by Mennonite families who temporarily moved into the area for [[I-W Service (United States)|I-W alternative service]] to the draft in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Most worked at a local teaching hospital. Many of these families decided to stay, and the congregation grew to a membership that has remained stable at around 60.  
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[[File:Taftsville-Mennonite-Chapel.jpg|300px|thumbnail|''Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, 2016.<br/>Source: Allen Guntz'']]
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[[File:Taftsville Chapel Young People.jpg|300px|thumbnail|''Young families who joined the Easter morning resurrection walk up the hill above Taftsville Chapel in 2016, an annual pilgrimage initiated in 1984.<br/>Source: Virginia Glass Schlabach'']]
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Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, Taftsville, Vermont, USA, was formed by Mennonites who moved into the area temporarily in the late 1950s to early 1960s for [[I-W Service (United States)|I-W alternative service]] to the military draft. Following service at a nearby hospital, many of these families chose to remain in Vermont. The congregation, organized in 1959, meets in an historic schoolhouse in the village of Taftsville, and the former school bell invites people to worship each Sunday.
  
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Taftsville Chapel, formally organized in 1959, has met in an old school house in the rural village of Taftsville, which is situated in the Ottauquechee River valley between the tourist towns of Woodstock and Quechee, along the US Route 4 corridor.
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Taftsville lies in the Ottauquechee River valley along the US Route 4 corridor between the tourist towns of Woodstock and Quechee. The location serves as a central hub for members who represent a wide geographic area of rural communities, hometowns, and workplaces in Vermont and New Hampshire. Although no church members live within the village, a warm relationship has existed between the church and its neighbors; the building is used weekly by a local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter, and the villagers eagerly welcome the Mennonite carolers each Christmas.
  
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In 2013 the congregation was composed of 50% ethnic Mennonites, mostly from Pennsylvania, with the rest representing a wide diversity of spiritual backgrounds. It has not been a “community” church since no members have lived in the immediate village of Taftsville.  Instead members represent a wide geographic area of rural communities, home towns and workplaces.
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Arden Godshall, Taftsville’s first pastor, helped establish the church as a welcoming place in the community. Later, the congregation was a pioneer in [[Franconia Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Franconia Conference]] when they called a woman, Martha Kolb Wycoff, as pastor in 1987. More recently, Randy Good, who was called from within the congregation, served as pastor for 15 years. Since his retirement in 2012, Taftsville has been searching for a permanent pastor and has relied on lay leaders, guest resource people, and several short-term interim pastors. Yet the congregation remains strong and vibrant and continues to attract new members. In a transient area where people move in and out frequently, the membership makeup keeps changing but remains stable at around 50, with an approximate composition of 50% ethnic Mennonites and 50% from a wide diversity of spiritual backgrounds.
  
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Leadership at Taftsville has been shared among several administrative, pastoral care and leadership small teams of volunteers.
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The Taftsville Chapel building has undergone many changes inside and out to make it functional as a meetinghouse. A 2017 outside change will be the installation of solar panels across the entire span of the rear roof. The church received a $10,000 Mennonite Creation Care Network grant to partially fund this project. As part of Taftsville’s on-going creation care initiative, the credits for the extra power generated will be gifted to local non-profits.  
  
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Taftsville has discovered that its mission is primarily as a place of healing, describing this as being “preparers of good soil.” It has found that many people’s hearts are unable to receive the gospel because of hurts, traumas, and confusion, sadly often at the hands of other Christian churches. Taftsville has provided a safe place of welcome, rest, and grace and delight to find that broken people who become part of its faith community begin to learn to trust again and grow in their own discipleship and faith.
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In 2017 the church website gave this description of Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship: We are a group of Christians who affirm that Jesus is the center of our faith and the guide we follow in daily living. We invite you to join with us in worship, study, and fellowship, no matter where you may be on your own journey of faith. Our worship service is friendly, informal, and family-oriented, and we love to sing, whether in traditional Mennonite a cappella four-part harmony or with our small praise and worship band. As a fellowship, we are committed to know each other, to bear each other’s burdens, and to worship and grow in faith together.
 
=Bibliography=
 
=Bibliography=
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Lutz, John A. "Taftsville: A Fellowship and Witness by the Ottauquechee River." ''Franconia Conference News'' (May 1980): 4.
  
 
Ralph, Emily. "Introducing Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship." Franconia Mennonite Conference. 27 June 2013. Web. 27 October 2016. http://franconiaconference.org/new-beginnings-building-spiritual-and-academic-hearts-and-minds-through-christ-jesus/.
 
Ralph, Emily. "Introducing Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship." Franconia Mennonite Conference. 27 June 2013. Web. 27 October 2016. http://franconiaconference.org/new-beginnings-building-spiritual-and-academic-hearts-and-minds-through-christ-jesus/.
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'''Address:''' 7505 Happy Valley Road, Taftsville, Vermont 05073
 
'''Address:''' 7505 Happy Valley Road, Taftsville, Vermont 05073
  
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'''Phone:''' 802-296-1425
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'''Phone:''' No phone at the church
  
 
'''Website:''' http://taftsvillechapel.org/
 
'''Website:''' http://taftsvillechapel.org/
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| John A. Lutz || 1971-1978<br/>1980-1983
 
| John A. Lutz || 1971-1978<br/>1980-1983
 
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| Omar Zook || 1979-1981
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| Dale Heisey || 1979-1981
 
|-
 
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| Nelson Kraybill || 1983-1987
 
| Nelson Kraybill || 1983-1987
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|-
 
|-
 
| Randy Good || 1997-2012
 
| Randy Good || 1997-2012
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| Lay leadership || 2012-present
 
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= Map =
 
= Map =
 
[[Map:Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)]]
 
[[Map:Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)]]
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=January 2017|a1_last=Schlabach|a1_first=Virginia Glass|a2_last=|a2_first=}}
  
 
[[Category:Churches]]
 
[[Category:Churches]]

Revision as of 14:52, 17 January 2017

Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, 2016.
Source: Allen Guntz
Young families who joined the Easter morning resurrection walk up the hill above Taftsville Chapel in 2016, an annual pilgrimage initiated in 1984.
Source: Virginia Glass Schlabach

Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, Taftsville, Vermont, USA, was formed by Mennonites who moved into the area temporarily in the late 1950s to early 1960s for I-W alternative service to the military draft. Following service at a nearby hospital, many of these families chose to remain in Vermont. The congregation, organized in 1959, meets in an historic schoolhouse in the village of Taftsville, and the former school bell invites people to worship each Sunday.

Taftsville lies in the Ottauquechee River valley along the US Route 4 corridor between the tourist towns of Woodstock and Quechee. The location serves as a central hub for members who represent a wide geographic area of rural communities, hometowns, and workplaces in Vermont and New Hampshire. Although no church members live within the village, a warm relationship has existed between the church and its neighbors; the building is used weekly by a local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter, and the villagers eagerly welcome the Mennonite carolers each Christmas.

Arden Godshall, Taftsville’s first pastor, helped establish the church as a welcoming place in the community. Later, the congregation was a pioneer in Franconia Conference when they called a woman, Martha Kolb Wycoff, as pastor in 1987. More recently, Randy Good, who was called from within the congregation, served as pastor for 15 years. Since his retirement in 2012, Taftsville has been searching for a permanent pastor and has relied on lay leaders, guest resource people, and several short-term interim pastors. Yet the congregation remains strong and vibrant and continues to attract new members. In a transient area where people move in and out frequently, the membership makeup keeps changing but remains stable at around 50, with an approximate composition of 50% ethnic Mennonites and 50% from a wide diversity of spiritual backgrounds.

The Taftsville Chapel building has undergone many changes inside and out to make it functional as a meetinghouse. A 2017 outside change will be the installation of solar panels across the entire span of the rear roof. The church received a $10,000 Mennonite Creation Care Network grant to partially fund this project. As part of Taftsville’s on-going creation care initiative, the credits for the extra power generated will be gifted to local non-profits.

In 2017 the church website gave this description of Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship: We are a group of Christians who affirm that Jesus is the center of our faith and the guide we follow in daily living. We invite you to join with us in worship, study, and fellowship, no matter where you may be on your own journey of faith. Our worship service is friendly, informal, and family-oriented, and we love to sing, whether in traditional Mennonite a cappella four-part harmony or with our small praise and worship band. As a fellowship, we are committed to know each other, to bear each other’s burdens, and to worship and grow in faith together.

Bibliography

Lutz, John A. "Taftsville: A Fellowship and Witness by the Ottauquechee River." Franconia Conference News (May 1980): 4.

Ralph, Emily. "Introducing Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship." Franconia Mennonite Conference. 27 June 2013. Web. 27 October 2016. http://franconiaconference.org/new-beginnings-building-spiritual-and-academic-hearts-and-minds-through-christ-jesus/.

Additional Information

Address: 7505 Happy Valley Road, Taftsville, Vermont 05073

Phone: No phone at the church

Website: http://taftsvillechapel.org/

Denominational Affiliations:

Mennonite Church USA

Franconia Mennonite Conference

Taftsville Chapel Pastoral Leaders

Name Years
of Service
Arden Godshall 1959-1963
Homer Detweiler 1963-1966
James E. Millen 1964-1970
John A. Lutz 1971-1978
1980-1983
Dale Heisey 1979-1981
Nelson Kraybill 1983-1987
Martha Kolb-Wyckoff 1987-1996
Randy Good 1997-2012
Lay leadership 2012-present

Taftsville Chapel Membership

Year Membership
1965 6
1975 32
1985 35
1995 51
2005 67
2015 58

Map

Map:Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)


Author(s) Virginia Glass Schlabach
Date Published January 2017

Cite This Article

MLA style

Schlabach, Virginia Glass. "Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2017. Web. 26 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Taftsville_Chapel_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Taftsville,_Vermont,_USA)&oldid=146800.

APA style

Schlabach, Virginia Glass. (January 2017). Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 26 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Taftsville_Chapel_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Taftsville,_Vermont,_USA)&oldid=146800.



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