Welsh Mountain Industrial Mission (New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA)
Welsh Mountain Industrial Mission (Mennonite Church), near New Holland, Pennsylvania, grew out of an effort to help the African Americans who had settled on the Welsh Mountain. Due to the effects of poverty and the racial discrimination experienced by the residents, there was a real need in the area. The Lancaster County Sunday School Mission held at Kinzers in 1898 appointed twelve directors to establish an industrial mission. Samuel H. Musselman was the first chairman and Noah H. Mack secretary. Mack also served as superintendent until 1910. People were given an opportunity to work and were paid in provisions. The scope of activities included a store, school, truck and general farming, a shirt factory, broom making, carpet weaving, and, above all, preaching the Gospel. On 24 January 1924, Arthur T. Moyer, who had served as superintendent from 1 April 1913, was fatally shot by a resident of the community who was caught stealing corn. The mission has been sponsored by the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities since 1917.
The industrial phase was gradually discontinued and was closed ca. 1924 and the property was converted into the Welsh Mountain Samaritan Home. The spiritual ministry was continued by the home staff until 1938, when the Welsh Mountain Mission was organized. A stone building 24 x 40 feet, originally built as a shirt factory, was used for meetings.
The program continued on an interracial basis. This was probably the first organized effort in the Mennonite church on behalf of the African Americans. The total membership in 1957, including some workers, was 38, with Ira J. Buckwalter as superintendent and pastor.
Bibliography
Dietzel, Angela. Welsh Mountain Home. Accessed 4 October 2007 <http://www.mcusa-archives.org/jhorsch/jhorsch2004/dietzel_essay.htm>.
| Author(s) | Ira J Buckwalter |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Buckwalter, Ira J. "Welsh Mountain Industrial Mission (New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Welsh_Mountain_Industrial_Mission_(New_Holland,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=61929.
APA style
Buckwalter, Ira J. (1959). Welsh Mountain Industrial Mission (New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Welsh_Mountain_Industrial_Mission_(New_Holland,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=61929.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 915. All rights reserved.
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