Difference between revisions of "Lititz Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)"

From GAMEO
Jump to navigation Jump to search
[checked revision][checked revision]
(CSV import - 20130823)
(Replaced article)
 
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
Lititz Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA) is located in the center of a strong Mennonite community in [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]]. Fifty members of the Hess and Hammer Creek congregations appealed for a meetinghouse in the borough (then Warwick). In 1906 this house was built. Jacob H. Hershey (1862-1947), ordained at [[Olathe Mennonite Church (Olathe, Kansas, USA)|Olathe]], [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]], but a native son, became the first pastor, but it was still part of the Hess-Hammer Creek District. Ephraim N. Eby (1852-1937) served as deacon, and Noah L. Landis (1857-1940) as bishop from the start. Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman were the 1956 bishops, John S. Hess and Melvin Lauver pastors, and Lester B. Wenger deacon. The membership was 203 in 1956. The church was remodeled in 1952. In 2008 the membership was 177; the pastor was Lowell Keith Gerber.
+
__TOC__
 +
Christian Bomberger and his family were the first Mennonites to settle near what became Lititz, [[Pennsylvania |Pennsylvania]]. They arrived in 1722, soon followed by other Mennonite families. The borough of Lititz was founded in 1756 as a Moravian settlement inspired by [[Zinzendorf, Count Nicholas Ludwig von (1700-1760)|Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf]], founder of the [[Moravian Church]]. By the late 19th century, Mennonites from the surrounding rural area began to live in the borough of Lititz.
 +
 
 +
The earliest church in Lititz was the non-denominational St. James, a 1744 log structure used by Moravians, Lutherans, and sometimes Mennonites.
 +
 
 +
The Lititz Mennonite Church began in 1907. Numerous members of the nearby rural [[Hess Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)|Hess]] and [[Hammer Creek Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)|Hammer Creek]] congregations lived in Lititz by the early 20th century. About 50 families asked the Hess-Hammer Creek District of the [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Mennonite Conference]] to provide a meetinghouse for them in town. During the summer and fall of 1906, a brick meetinghouse was erected; it was dedicated on 3 February 1907. It was about the eighth church built in the town. Jacob H. Hershey, the first minister for the congregation, preached in English.
 +
 
 +
[[Sunday School|Sunday school]] began in the facility immediately, originally every other week, then weekly. [[Revival Meetings|Revival meetings]] began in 1908. A sewing circle, initiated informally by Lydia Huber in 1906, was an early activity of the Lititz congregation. The group initially met in homes and became a formal church program in 1914. Young People's Bible Meetings began in 1916.
 +
 
 +
A twenty-foot annex was added to the church in 1951, though numerous upgrades to the building had occurred over the years. Another substantial addition took place in 1980/81.
 +
 
 +
A controversial [[Bishop (Ältester)|bishop]] ordination in 1952 caused years of unrest at Lititz Mennonite, which chaffed at Lancaster Mennonite Conference regulations. Its pastor, Melvin Lauver, was arbitrarily excluded from the [[Lot|lot]] for the bishop ordination because he did not adequately support the Bishop Board's decisions. Sore points included families wanting to sit together (rather than separated by gender), [[Dress|dress regulations]], and ownership of [[Television|televisions]]. Finally, in the late 1960s, more amenable bishops were given charge of the Lititz congregation.
 +
 
 +
= Bibliography =
 +
Lapp, Alice Weber. ''Christ is our cornerstone: 100 years at Lititz Mennonite Church.'' Lititz, Pa.: The Church, 2007.
 +
 
 +
''Lititz 1756-1956.'' Lititz, Pa.: [Bicentennial Committee], 1956: 29. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/lititz1756195600bice/page/28/mode/2up?q=Mennonite.
 +
 
 +
"Lititz, Pa." ''The Gospel Witness'' 2, no. 48 (27 February 1907): 761.
 +
 
 +
Ruth, John L. ''The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference''. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 1138-1169.
 +
 
 +
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: 169, 178. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
 
= Additional Information =
 
= Additional Information =
−
Address:
+
'''Address''': 165 Front Street, Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543
  
−
165 E Front Street
+
'''Telephone''': 717-626-8237
  
−
Lititz, Pennsylvania
+
'''Website''': https://www.lititzmc.org/
  
−
Phone:
+
'''Denominational Affiliations''':
  
−
717-626-8237
+
[https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches]
  
−
Denominational Affiliations:
+
[https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA] (Until 2018)
 +
== Pastoral Leaders at Lititz Mennonite Church ==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Name !! Years<br/>of Service
 +
|-
 +
| Jacob H. Hershey (1862-1947) || 1907-1947
 +
|-
 +
| Jonas H. Hess (1841-1919) || 1908?-1919
 +
|-
 +
| Howard H. Charles (1915-2002) || 1943-1947
 +
|-
 +
| Melvin H. Lauver (1913-2003) || 1949-1979
 +
|-
 +
| Jacob W. Frederick (1923-2007) || 1974-1987
 +
|-
 +
| Linford W. Good || 1984-1987
 +
|-
 +
| John Lederach || 1985-1994
 +
|-
 +
| Naomi Lederach || 1985-1994
 +
|-
 +
| Jacob "J. Clair" Hollinger (1929-2017) || 1987-1994
 +
|-
 +
| Kent Sell (Youth) || 1990-1995
 +
|-
 +
| Dennis W. Ernest || 1994-2002
 +
|-
 +
| Todd Z. Moyer (Youth) || 1996-1999
 +
|-
 +
| Tim Good (Youth) || 2000-2001
 +
|-
 +
| Rodney A. Martin (Youth/Associate)<br />(Lead) || 2001-2009<br />2009-2022
 +
|-
 +
| Lowell Gerber || 2003-2009
 +
|-
 +
| Sharon Brubaker || 2022-
 +
|}
 +
== Lititz Mennonite Church Membership ==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
 +
|-
 +
! Year !! Members
 +
|-
 +
| 1908 || 75
 +
|-
 +
| 1913 || 140
 +
|-
 +
| 1920 || 204
 +
|-
 +
| 1930 || 460<br />(District)
 +
|-
 +
| 1940 || 556<br />(District)
 +
|-
 +
| 1950 || 200
 +
|-
 +
| 1960 || 203
 +
|-
 +
| 1970 || 195
 +
|-
 +
| 1980 || 232
 +
|-
 +
| 1990 || 220
 +
|-
 +
| 2000 || 189
 +
|-
 +
| 2009 || 174
 +
|}
 +
= Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article =
  
−
[http://www.lanmenconf.org/ Lancaster Mennonite Conference]
+
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from ''Mennonite Encyclopedia'', Vol. 3, p. 377. All rights reserved.
  
−
[http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA ]
+
Lititz Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) is located in the center of a strong Mennonite community in [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]]. Fifty members of the Hess and Hammer Creek congregations appealed for a meetinghouse in the borough (then Warwick). In 1906 this house was built. Jacob H. Hershey (1862-1947), ordained at [[Olathe Mennonite Church (Olathe, Kansas, USA)|Olathe]], [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]], but a native son, became the first pastor, but it was still part of the Hess-Hammer Creek District. Ephraim N. Eby (1852-1937) served as deacon, and Noah L. Landis (1857-1940) as bishop from the start. Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman were the 1956 bishops, John S. Hess and Melvin Lauver pastors, and Lester B. Wenger deacon. The membership was 203 in 1956. The church was remodeled in 1952.
−
{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 3, p. 377|date=1956|a1_last=Landis|a1_first=Ira D|a2_last=|a2_first=}}
+
{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=August 2025|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Samuel J|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
 +
[[Category:Churches]]
 +
[[Category:LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches Congregations]]
 +
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 +
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
 +
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 +
[[Category:United States Congregations]]

Latest revision as of 14:44, 8 August 2025

Christian Bomberger and his family were the first Mennonites to settle near what became Lititz, Pennsylvania. They arrived in 1722, soon followed by other Mennonite families. The borough of Lititz was founded in 1756 as a Moravian settlement inspired by Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, founder of the Moravian Church. By the late 19th century, Mennonites from the surrounding rural area began to live in the borough of Lititz.

The earliest church in Lititz was the non-denominational St. James, a 1744 log structure used by Moravians, Lutherans, and sometimes Mennonites.

The Lititz Mennonite Church began in 1907. Numerous members of the nearby rural Hess and Hammer Creek congregations lived in Lititz by the early 20th century. About 50 families asked the Hess-Hammer Creek District of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference to provide a meetinghouse for them in town. During the summer and fall of 1906, a brick meetinghouse was erected; it was dedicated on 3 February 1907. It was about the eighth church built in the town. Jacob H. Hershey, the first minister for the congregation, preached in English.

Sunday school began in the facility immediately, originally every other week, then weekly. Revival meetings began in 1908. A sewing circle, initiated informally by Lydia Huber in 1906, was an early activity of the Lititz congregation. The group initially met in homes and became a formal church program in 1914. Young People's Bible Meetings began in 1916.

A twenty-foot annex was added to the church in 1951, though numerous upgrades to the building had occurred over the years. Another substantial addition took place in 1980/81.

A controversial bishop ordination in 1952 caused years of unrest at Lititz Mennonite, which chaffed at Lancaster Mennonite Conference regulations. Its pastor, Melvin Lauver, was arbitrarily excluded from the lot for the bishop ordination because he did not adequately support the Bishop Board's decisions. Sore points included families wanting to sit together (rather than separated by gender), dress regulations, and ownership of televisions. Finally, in the late 1960s, more amenable bishops were given charge of the Lititz congregation.

Bibliography

Lapp, Alice Weber. Christ is our cornerstone: 100 years at Lititz Mennonite Church. Lititz, Pa.: The Church, 2007.

Lititz 1756-1956. Lititz, Pa.: [Bicentennial Committee], 1956: 29. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/lititz1756195600bice/page/28/mode/2up?q=Mennonite.

"Lititz, Pa." The Gospel Witness 2, no. 48 (27 February 1907): 761.

Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 1138-1169.

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: 169, 178. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.

Additional Information

Address: 165 Front Street, Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543

Telephone: 717-626-8237

Website: https://www.lititzmc.org/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA (Until 2018)

Pastoral Leaders at Lititz Mennonite Church

Name Years
of Service
Jacob H. Hershey (1862-1947) 1907-1947
Jonas H. Hess (1841-1919) 1908?-1919
Howard H. Charles (1915-2002) 1943-1947
Melvin H. Lauver (1913-2003) 1949-1979
Jacob W. Frederick (1923-2007) 1974-1987
Linford W. Good 1984-1987
John Lederach 1985-1994
Naomi Lederach 1985-1994
Jacob "J. Clair" Hollinger (1929-2017) 1987-1994
Kent Sell (Youth) 1990-1995
Dennis W. Ernest 1994-2002
Todd Z. Moyer (Youth) 1996-1999
Tim Good (Youth) 2000-2001
Rodney A. Martin (Youth/Associate)
(Lead)		 2001-2009
2009-2022
Lowell Gerber 2003-2009
Sharon Brubaker 2022-

Lititz Mennonite Church Membership

Year Members
1908 75
1913 140
1920 204
1930 460
(District)
1940 556
(District)
1950 200
1960 203
1970 195
1980 232
1990 220
2000 189
2009 174

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 377. All rights reserved.

Lititz Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) is located in the center of a strong Mennonite community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Fifty members of the Hess and Hammer Creek congregations appealed for a meetinghouse in the borough (then Warwick). In 1906 this house was built. Jacob H. Hershey (1862-1947), ordained at Olathe, Kansas, but a native son, became the first pastor, but it was still part of the Hess-Hammer Creek District. Ephraim N. Eby (1852-1937) served as deacon, and Noah L. Landis (1857-1940) as bishop from the start. Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman were the 1956 bishops, John S. Hess and Melvin Lauver pastors, and Lester B. Wenger deacon. The membership was 203 in 1956. The church was remodeled in 1952.


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published August 2025

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Lititz Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2025. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lititz_Mennonite_Church_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181032.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (August 2025). Lititz Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lititz_Mennonite_Church_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181032.



©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

Retrieved from "https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lititz_Mennonite_Church_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181032"