Difference between revisions of "Elizabethtown Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)"
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[https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches] | [https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches] | ||
| − | [https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA] | + | [https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA] (Until 2017) |
== Pastoral Leaders at Elizabethtown Mennonite Church == | == Pastoral Leaders at Elizabethtown Mennonite Church == | ||
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= Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article = | = Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article = | ||
Latest revision as of 15:59, 6 February 2025
The Elizabethtown Mennonite Church in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, was rooted in the move of retired rural Mennonites to the town in the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, a dozen Mennonites would gather at the River Brethren or United Zion meetinghouses every four to six weeks for worship when a rural Mennonite minister was available. Minnie Stauffer, a widow supporting her family in town, received permission to begin raising money for a meetinghouse in town and gathered $243 for the building fund.
On 28 March 1905, the Mennonites broke ground for the first Elizabethtown Mennonite meetinghouse at its current location. They dedicated the brick building on 30 November 1905. It was an odd service, as the hymns were in the German language that young people were abandoning, and the sermon by Bishop J. N. Brubacher was in English.
In February 1906, a famous series of revival meetings took place at the new meetinghouse led by Noah Mack. The three weeks of services resulted in 125-132 converts ranging from age 10 to 60. The following Easter, 75 persons were baptized as members of the new congregation. One of the converts was Mennonite lawyer Isaac Herr.
Visiting rural pastors from the Risser District of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference served the congregation until 11 February 1909. Services were held every four weeks into the 1920s when it changed to every two weeks. Sunday school began immediately in the new church, meeting every week. The Young People's Bible Meeting began in 1911, and a more permanent women's sewing circle began in 1919. The sewing circle did work for various Mennonite city missions.
In 1922, the congregation enlarged its building, changed the orientation of the sanctuary, and added washrooms in the basement. Simon Landis, also a school teacher, was suspended from his pastoral role because of disagreement over his public presentations of lantern slides. The Lancaster Conference bishops required him to apologize to the Elizabethtown congregation, a step he was reluctant to take. He ended up in a United Zion congregation.
In 1929, the church established a mission outpost at Billmyer, located on the Susquehanna River. However, the Depression ended this outreach by the end of 1932. It also helped with the mission outposts at Columbia and Marietta. Later in the 1930s, Elizabethtown gave much support to the Sharon mission at Steelton.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the congregation had many members interested in the premillennialism rooted in the Scofield Bible, despite the Lancaster Mennonite Conference's rejection of that teaching. This led some members to withdraw to other congregations.
In 1956, Elizabethtown Mennonite, Slate Hill Mennonite, and Sharon Mennonite cooperated in purchasing and launching Camp Hebron near Halifax, Pennsylvania.
In 1964, the congregation undertook a major remodeling project that again changed the orientation of the sanctuary. It added a significant new addition in 1989.
In the 1980s, the congregation transitioned to a leadership model of a single paid pastor working with a team of elders that began to include women.
Bibliography
A. S. "Elizabethtown, Pa." Herald of Truth 43, no. 11 (15 March 1906): 84.
"The congregation at Elizabethtown...." Herald of Truth 42, no. 14 (6 April 1905): 105.
MacMaster, Richard K. In Service, Lord, for Thee: The Story of Elizabethtown Mennonite Church: The First 100 Years, 1905-2005. Morgantown, Pa.: Printed at Masthof Press, 2005.
"Our story." Elizabethtown Mennonite Church. Web. 31 January 2025. https://etownmennonite.com/our-story/.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 787-789, 1138-1169.
Stauffer, Minnie. "Elizabethtown, Pa." Herald of Truth 42, no. 50 (14 December 1905): 396.
Weaver, Martin G. Mennonites of Lancaster Conference: containing biographical sketches of Mennonite leaders, histories of congregations, missions, and Sunday schools, record of ordinations, and other interesting historical data. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1931. Reprinted Ephrata, PA: Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church Publication Board, 1982: 210, 213-214, 220-221. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 300 South Spruce Street, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022
Telephone: 717-367-7089
Website: https://etownmennonite.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Elizabethtown Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| District Ministers | 1905-1909 |
| Simon B. Landis (1875-1975) | 1909-1924 |
| Samuel T. Fry (1875-1967) | 1921-1940 |
| Benjamin L. Keener (1891-1966) | 1927-1937 |
| Clarence E. Lutz (1903-1973) (Bishop) |
1937-1950 1950-1973 |
| John W. Hess (1884-1958) | 1945-1950 |
| Walter L. Keener (1922-2010) | 1950-1985 |
| Richard H. Frank | 1971-1999 |
| Daniel E. Hoellwarth (Interim) | 1996-1999 |
| Conrad L. Kanagy | 2000-2005 2011-2021? |
| John Myers (Youth/Associate) | 2001-2010s? |
| Stephen H. Gibbs | 2006-2009 |
| Frederick J. Zeiset (Youth) | 2008-2021? |
| Joseph Sherer (Intentional Interim) | 2009-2011 |
| Heidi Kanagy (Care) | ?-2021? |
| Lay Leadership? | 2021?-2025? |
| Josh Gish | 2025- |
Elizabethtown Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 205 |
| 1920 | 325 |
| 1930 | 322 |
| 1940 | 342 |
| 1950 | 202 |
| 1960 | 203 |
| 1970 | 215 |
| 1980 | 223 |
| 1990 | 216 |
| 2000 | 199 |
| 2009 | 217 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 186. All rights reserved.
Elizabethtown Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located in western Lancaster County, is a member of the Lancaster Conference. In 1905 a meetinghouse was built in town, where a number of retired Mennonite farmers had settled. A revival meeting followed with 125 confessions. A young people’s Bible meeting was organized in 1911. The congregation in 1955 numbered 225. Noah W. Risser and Clarence E. Lutz were bishops, John W. Hess and Walter D. Keener, Jr., the ministers, and Walter D. Keener deacon.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Elizabethtown Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2025. Web. 19 Jan 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Elizabethtown_Mennonite_Church_(Elizabethtown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180200.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2025). Elizabethtown Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 January 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Elizabethtown_Mennonite_Church_(Elizabethtown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180200.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.