View source for Washington County (Maryland) and Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Conference

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= 1959 Article =
The earliest reference to this [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church]] conference is found in the November 1864 issue of the <em>Herald of Truth,</em> where it is called semiannual; however, only annual sessions are known to have been held.

By earliest reports the moderator of [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Conference]] served here also, and the Lancaster discipline and actions were used without change until 1915. However, beginning in 1912 additional actions were passed by the Washington County, Maryland, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania Conference. Separate rules and discipline were adopted in 1922, revised in 1930 and 1957. About 1909, 9 congregations and 732 members were reported. Its congregations were all located in the two counties included in its name. Mission outposts are also conducted in [[Allegany County (Maryland, USA)|Allegany County, Maryland]], and Fulton County, Pennsylvania.

The Conference operated nine mission stations and through its District Mission Board the Maugansville Home for the Aged. Its Brotherly Aid Plan was very simply organized but functioned efficiently in case of loss by fire or storm.

The [[Dordrecht Confession of Faith (Mennonite, 1632)|Confession of Dordrecht]] of 1632 and the [[Christian Fundamentals (Mennonite Church, 1921)|Doctrinal Statement of the Mennonite General Conference]] (MC) were accepted as the basic doctrinal statements. In practice it was among the most conservative of the Mennonite conferences, with most of the men wearing the "plain" coat, and women the "cape" dress in the late 1950s. The woman's veiling was worn at all times. Life insurance, lodge membership, attendance at farm shows, and possession of television were not allowed. A strong home life without radio was encouraged.

This conference belonged to the group related to the [[Mennonite Church General Conference|Mennonite (MC) General Conference]], but has never been organizationally connected with it, though it supported many of its projects, and proportionately contributed largely to the medical, teaching, missionary, and preaching personnel of the church. Since the adoption of the English language at the turn of the century and the use of more aggressive methods the conference has grown. In 1959 there were 14 congregations, 9 mission congregations, 4 resident bishops, 20 ministers, and 1,645 members.

In 1938 Moses K. Horst (1882-1966) became bishop in the Washington County, Maryland churches. Horst believed that the outward symbols of non-conformity as practiced by the Mennonite Church were scriptural and must be kept at all costs. Horst was successful in leading the churches in his district away from the modern trends affecting those in other areas of the Mennonite Church. However, tensions developed between the southern district where Horst was bishop and the northern district, Franklin County. The breaking point came in 1963 when Horst disciplined members for helping at two independent Mennonite missions that had been established on the eastern border of his district. Horst believed that these unauthorized missions had the potential of exerting a more liberal influence on his churches. Horst refused any interference from others, and in 1965 he declared all the ministry in the northern district to be out of order. At that time, there were nine congregations consisting of 597 members in the southern district, all located in Maryland. Three other Maryland congregations that did not agree with Moses Horst's positions had left the southern district in 1964 and later helped to form the [[Cumberland Valley Mennonite Church |Cumberland Valley Mennonite Conference]].

For a time the Washington County churches were known as the Washington-Franklin (South) Conference while the Franklin County churches were known as the Washington-Franklin (North) Conference. In 1979 the northern conference changed its name to the [[Franklin Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Franklin Mennonite Conference]], while the southern churches saw themselves as a continuation of the conference and became more commonly known as the Washington-Franklin Mennonite Conference. -- <em>J. Irvin Lehman</em>

= 1990 Article =
The Washington-Franklin Mennonite Conference consisted in 1987 of 10 congregations with a membership of 900. Five congregations were formed since 1959: Pondsville and Pinesburg in [[Washington County (Maryland, USA)|Washington County]], [[Maryland (USA)|Maryland]]; Waynecastle in [[Franklin County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Franklin County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]]; [[Flintstone Mennonite Church (Flintstone, Maryland, USA)|Flintstone]] in [[Allegany County (Maryland, USA)|Allegany County, Maryland]]; and Lockards Creek in Clay County, [[Kentucky (USA)|Kentucky]]. The conference had one bishop, 13 ministers, and six deacons. Conference sessions were held annually on the second Thursday of September at the Reiff's Meeting House. The conference rules and discipline of 1957 were revised in 1978.

The conference mission board operated the [[Mennonite Old People's Home (Maugansville, Maryland, USA)|Mennonite Old Peoples Home]] at [[Maugansville (Maryland, USA)|Maugansville]], Maryland. The conference Mennonite Mutual Aid Plan provided help to those who experienced fire or lightning damage. The Washington County Mennonite Church Association gave aid in case of liability in vehicle accidents. The conference operated the Paradise Mennonite School, Flintstone Mennonite School, and the Lockards Creek Mennonite School. -- <em>D. Richard Martin</em>

= 2010 Update =
In 2010 the Washington-Franklin Mennonite Church was led by bishops Darrel E. Martin, Dale L. Horst, Glenn R. Martin, and Larry R. Weber. The conference periodical was the <em>Brotherhood Builder</em> and it operated eight schools throughout the United States, the Washington County Mennonite Historical Library in Hagerstown, Maryland, the Mennonite Home in Maugansvile, Maryland, and Christian Correspondence and Counsel in Nazareth, Ethiopia. In 2010 the conference had 1,670 members in 17 congregations:

<div align="center">  
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Congregation
!Location
!State/Country
!Founded
!Members
|-
|[[Cedar Valley Mennonite Church (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA)|Cedar Valley Mennonite Church]]
|Chambersburg
|Pennsylvania
|2006
|110
|-
|[[Clear Spring Mennonite Church (Clear Spring, Maryland, USA)|Clear Spring Mennonite Church]]
|Clear Spring
|Maryland
|1810
|91
|-
|[[Flintstone Mennonite Church (Flintstone, Maryland, USA)|Flintstone Mennonite Church]]
|Flintstone
|Maryland
|1925
|51
|-
|[[Friends Cove Mennonite Church (Bedford, Pennsylvania, USA)|Friends Cove Mennonite Church]]
|Bedford
|Pennsylvania
|1998
|89
|-
|[[Good Hope Mennonite Church (Washington Court House, Ohio, USA)|Good Hope Mennonite Church]]
|Washington Court House
|Ohio
|2006
|35
|-
|[[Lincoln County Mennonite Church (Crab Orchard, Kentucky, USA)|Lincoln County Mennonite Church]]
|Crab Orchard
|Kentucky
|1998
|47
|-
|[[Meadow View Mennonite Church (Hagerstown, Maryland, USA)|Meadow View Mennonite Church]]
|Hagerstown
|Maryland
|1988
|96
|-
|[[Miller Mennonite Church (Hagerstown, Maryland, USA)|Miller Mennonite Church]]
|Leitersburg
|Maryland
|1765
|177
|-
|[[Nazareth Mennonite Church (Adama, Oromia Region, Ethiopia)|Nazareth Mennonite Church]]
|Nazareth
|Ethiopia
|2004
|10
|-
|[[Paces Creek Mennonite Church (Manchester, Kentucky, USA)|Paces Creek Mennonite Church]]
|Manchester
|Kentucky
|1978
|61
|-
|[[Paradise Mennonite Church (Hagerstown, Maryland, USA)|Paradise Mennonite Church]]
|Hagerstown
|Maryland
|1897
|141
|-
|[[Pinesburg Mennonite Church (Williamsport, Maryland, USA)|Pinesburg Mennonite Church]]
|Williamsport
|Maryland
|1923
|88
|-
|[[Pondsville Mennonite Church (Smithsburg, Maryland, USA)|Pondsville Mennonite Church]]
|Smithsburg
|Maryland
|1954
|86
|-
|[[Port-de-Paix Mennonite Mission (Port-de-Paix, Haiti)|Port-de-Paix Mennonite Mission]]
|Port-de-Paix
|Haiti
|1993
|35
|-
|[[Reiff Mennonite Church (Washington County, Maryland, USA)|Reiff Mennonite Church]]
|Hagerstown
|Maryland
|1833
|287
|-
|[[Stouffer Mennonite Church (Washington County, Maryland, USA)|Stouffer Mennonite Church]]
|Edgemont
|Maryland
|1820
|142
|-
|[[Waynecastle Mennonite Church (Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, USA)|Waynecastle Mennonite Church]]
|Waynesboro
|Pennsylvania
|1982
|124
|-
|'''Total'''
| 
| 
| 
|'''1,670'''
|}
</div>

= Bibliography =
Horsch, James E., ed. <em class="gameo_bibliography">Mennonite Yearbook and Directory</em>. Scottdale: Mennonite Publishing House (1984): 100; (1988-89).

<em>Mennonite Church Directory 2010</em>. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 129-131.

Scott, Stephen. <em>An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups</em>. People's Place Book #12. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1996: 171-172.
{{GAMEO_footer-3|hp=Vol. 4, p. 892, 894; vol. 5, p. 921|date=October 2010|a1_last=Lehman|a1_first=J. Irvin|a2_last=Martin|a2_first=D. Richard|a3_last=Thiessen|a3_first=Richard D.}}
[[Category:Denominations]]