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The Frazer Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA) is an outgrowth of [[Diamond Rock Mennonite Meetinghouse (Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA)|Diamond Rock]] in an early [[Old Order Amish|Amish]] settlement two miles north of Malvern, [[Chester County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Chester County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]]. The [[Weaverland Mennonite Church (East Earl, Pennsylvania, USA)|Weaverland Missions Committee]] in 1908-1909 revived this work, and the first service was held on 1 May 1910. In 1917-1918 a frame church was built along the Lincoln Highway, west of Malvern. The 1955 membership, many of non-Mennonite extraction, was 115; Mahlon Witmer had the bishop oversight, Marcus Swanenberg, Milton G. Brackbill, and C. Ralph Malin were the ministers, and Irvin J. King the deacon.
+
Christian Z. Mast, from the Conestoga Amish-Mennonite Church in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, wrote an article for the ''[[Gospel Witness (Periodical)|Gospel Witness]]'' in 1907 in which he pointed out that there was an abandoned Mennonite "chapel" ([[Diamond Rock Mennonite Meetinghouse (Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA)|Diamond Rock]]) in eastern [[Chester County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Chester County]] and lamented that an Amish-Mennonite witness was no longer present there. A newly-formed Mission Committee in the Weaverland Mennonite Church ([[Lancaster Mennonite Conference|Lancaster Conference]]) read Mast’s article and pursued starting a church there in 1908, sending preachers from the Lancaster and [[Franconia Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Franconia]] Conferences.
  
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The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary with a special service on 9 May 2010, and a Bible school reunion was held on 12 June 2010. A major celebration was held on the weekend of 15-17 October 2010.
+
In the spring of 1910, the few local Mennonite families attending services at the “chapel” intentionally changed the meeting place to an old schoolhouse located on the Main Line in Frazer (Route #30) and named it Frazer Mennonite Church. These Mennonites were shop owners of small businesses in or near Frazer who wanted their church visible and accessible in the community rather than four miles northeast out in the country.
  
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On 20 April 2013, Frazer Mennonite Church was released from membership in the [[Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Lancaster Mennonite Conference]] and became an associate member of the [[Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA|Atlantic Coast Conference]]. The congregation had expressed "preliminary affirmation" for a general membership statement that "welcomes into membership all persons who profess faith in Christ and all who desire to walk with Christ in order to grow and trust in God, in following the light of Scripture and in living Jesus’ way," without naming or singling out gays for exclusion. The congregation requested membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference after it became clear that Lancaster Mennonite Conference would not support the church's position. The congregation became a full member of the Atlantic Coast Conference on 25 October 2014.
+
From its beginning, Frazer welcomed and attracted local people from non-Mennonite and non-church backgrounds and incorporated them into the life of the church. In 1914, Bishop [[Weaver, Benjamin (1853-1928)|Benjamin Weaver]] received an Episcopalian immigrant from Holland, Christine Swanenburg, into membership at Frazer. One of the sons of this family, Mark Swanenburg, became Frazer’s first resident pastor when he was ordained in 1924.
 +
 
 +
By the 1960s, Frazer became a church for young Mennonites moving to the greater [[Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA)|Philadelphia]] area for higher education, [[I-W Service (United States)|I-W service]], medical professions, and more.
 +
 
 +
In 2010 the congregation's Ploughshares Community Garden offered garden plots to local families. Its soccer field was used by local teams. Its building hosted three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and provided space for Chester County Intermediate Unit consultations for children with special education needs. It shared worship space with a Pentecostal Hispanic church that met on Sunday afternoons. That year the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary with a special service on 9 May 2010, and a Bible school reunion held on 12 June 2010. A major celebration was held on the weekend of 15-17 October 2010.
 +
 
 +
On 20 April 2013, Frazer Mennonite Church was released from membership in the [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Mennonite Conference]] and became an associate member of the [[Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA|Atlantic Coast Conference]]. The congregation had expressed "preliminary affirmation" for a general membership statement that "welcomes into membership all persons who profess faith in Christ and all who desire to walk with Christ in order to grow and trust in God, in following the light of Scripture and in living Jesus’ way," without naming or singling out gays for exclusion. The congregation requested membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference after it became clear that Lancaster Mennonite Conference would not support the church's position. The congregation became a full member of the Atlantic Coast Conference on 25 October 2014.
 
= Bibliography =
 
= Bibliography =
 
Brown, Lowell. "Welcoming Stance Affects Church Transfer Request: Atlantic Coast Approves Pa. Congregation's Move From Lancaster Conference." <em>Mennonite World Review</em> (13 May 2013): [http://www.mennoworld.org/2013/5/13/welcoming-stance-affects-church-transfer-request/ http://www.mennoworld.org/2013/5/13/welcoming-stance-affects-church-transfer-request/].
 
Brown, Lowell. "Welcoming Stance Affects Church Transfer Request: Atlantic Coast Approves Pa. Congregation's Move From Lancaster Conference." <em>Mennonite World Review</em> (13 May 2013): [http://www.mennoworld.org/2013/5/13/welcoming-stance-affects-church-transfer-request/ http://www.mennoworld.org/2013/5/13/welcoming-stance-affects-church-transfer-request/].
  
 
Huber, Tim. "Atlantic Coast Conference adds one, loses another." ''Mennonite World Review'' (10 November 2014): 3.
 
Huber, Tim. "Atlantic Coast Conference adds one, loses another." ''Mennonite World Review'' (10 November 2014): 3.
 +
 +
Martin, Darvin L. ''An Experiment in Grace: A Centennial History of Frazer Mennonite Church 1910-2010.'' Morgantown, Pa.: Masthof Press, 2010.
 +
 +
Martin Hurst, Brenda. "A Brief Introduction to Frazer Mennonite Church for Atlantic Coast Conference Delegates." Frazer Mennonite Church. 4 September 2012. Web. 22 November 2021. https://atlanticcoastconference.net/images/frazerintro.pdf.
 
= Additional Information =
 
= Additional Information =
−
<strong>Address</strong>: 57 Maple Linden Lane, Frazer, Pennsylvania
+
'''Address''': 57 Maple Linden Lane, Frazer, Pennsylvania
  
 
'''Phone''': 610-644-3397
 
'''Phone''': 610-644-3397
  
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<strong>Website</strong>: [http://www.frazermennonite.org/ Frazer Mennonite Church]
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'''Website''': [http://frazermennonite.org/ Frazer Mennonite Church]
  
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<strong>Denominational Affiliations</strong>:
+
'''Denominational Affiliations''':
  
 
[http://www.lancasterconference.org/ Lancaster Mennonite Conference] (until 2013)
 
[http://www.lancasterconference.org/ Lancaster Mennonite Conference] (until 2013)
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[http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA]
 
[http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA]
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== Pastoral Leaders at Frazer Mennonite Church ==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Name !! Years<br/>of Service
 +
|-
 +
| Visiting ministers || 1910-1924
 +
|-
 +
| Marcus Swanenburg (1893-1979) || 1924-1969
 +
|-
 +
| Milton G. Brackbill (1896-1997) || 1933-1968
 +
|-
 +
| C. Ralph Malin (1927-2017) || 1945-1977
 +
|-
 +
| Ray M. Geigley || 1976-1985
 +
|-
 +
| Dale Stoltzfus || 1985-1987
 +
|-
 +
| David Huston || 1985-1987
 +
|-
 +
| Jason Kuniholm|| 1987-2005
 +
|-
 +
| Vernon Zehr, Jr. || 1987-2006
 +
|-
 +
| Arthur E. Smoker (Interim) || 2005-2007
 +
|-
 +
| Brenda Martin Hurst || 2007-2017
 +
|-
 +
| Nelson Yoder (Interim) || 2017-2018
 +
|-
 +
| Amy Yoder McGloughlin || 2018-present
 +
|}
 +
== Membership at Frazer Mennonite Church ==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
 +
|-
 +
! Year !! Membership
 +
|-
 +
| 1925 || 32
 +
|-
 +
| 1930 || 40
 +
|-
 +
| 1940 || 99
 +
|-
 +
| 1950 || 114
 +
|-
 +
| 1960 || 118
 +
|-
 +
| 1970 || 128
 +
|-
 +
| 1980 || 99
 +
|-
 +
| 1990 || 120
 +
|-
 +
| 2000 || 160
 +
|-
 +
| 2007 || 125
 +
|-
 +
| 2020 || 90
 +
|}
 
=Map=
 
=Map=
 
[[Map:Frazer Mennonite Church (Frazer, Pennsylvania, USA)]]
 
[[Map:Frazer Mennonite Church (Frazer, Pennsylvania, USA)]]
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 2, p. 382|date=November 2014|a1_last=Landis|a1_first=Ira D.|a2_last=Thiessen|a2_first=Richard D.}}
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= Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article =
 +
 
 +
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from ''Mennonite Encyclopedia'', Vol. 2, p. 382. All rights reserved.
  
 +
The Frazer Mennonite Church ([[Mennonite Church USA]]) is an outgrowth of [[Diamond Rock Mennonite Meetinghouse (Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA)|Diamond Rock]] in an early [[Old Order Amish|Amish]] settlement two miles north of Malvern, [[Chester County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Chester County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]]. The [[Weaverland Mennonite Church (East Earl, Pennsylvania, USA)|Weaverland Missions Committee]] in 1908-1909 revived this work, and in 1917-1918 a frame church was built along the Lincoln Highway, west of Malvern. The 1955 membership, many of non-Mennonite extraction, was 115; Mahlon Witmer had the bishop oversight, Marcus Swanenberg, Milton G. Brackbill, and C. Ralph Malin were the ministers, and Irvin J. King the deacon.
 +
{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 2, p. 382|date=November 2021|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Samuel J.|a2_last=Thiessen|a2_first=Richard D.}}
 
[[Category:Churches]]
 
[[Category:Churches]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
−
[[Category:Lancaster Mennonite Conference Congregations]]
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[[Category:LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 
[[Category:United States Congregations]]
 
[[Category:United States Congregations]]

Latest revision as of 19:18, 8 August 2023

Christian Z. Mast, from the Conestoga Amish-Mennonite Church in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, wrote an article for the Gospel Witness in 1907 in which he pointed out that there was an abandoned Mennonite "chapel" (Diamond Rock) in eastern Chester County and lamented that an Amish-Mennonite witness was no longer present there. A newly-formed Mission Committee in the Weaverland Mennonite Church (Lancaster Conference) read Mast’s article and pursued starting a church there in 1908, sending preachers from the Lancaster and Franconia Conferences.

In the spring of 1910, the few local Mennonite families attending services at the “chapel” intentionally changed the meeting place to an old schoolhouse located on the Main Line in Frazer (Route #30) and named it Frazer Mennonite Church. These Mennonites were shop owners of small businesses in or near Frazer who wanted their church visible and accessible in the community rather than four miles northeast out in the country.

From its beginning, Frazer welcomed and attracted local people from non-Mennonite and non-church backgrounds and incorporated them into the life of the church. In 1914, Bishop Benjamin Weaver received an Episcopalian immigrant from Holland, Christine Swanenburg, into membership at Frazer. One of the sons of this family, Mark Swanenburg, became Frazer’s first resident pastor when he was ordained in 1924.

By the 1960s, Frazer became a church for young Mennonites moving to the greater Philadelphia area for higher education, I-W service, medical professions, and more.

In 2010 the congregation's Ploughshares Community Garden offered garden plots to local families. Its soccer field was used by local teams. Its building hosted three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and provided space for Chester County Intermediate Unit consultations for children with special education needs. It shared worship space with a Pentecostal Hispanic church that met on Sunday afternoons. That year the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary with a special service on 9 May 2010, and a Bible school reunion held on 12 June 2010. A major celebration was held on the weekend of 15-17 October 2010.

On 20 April 2013, Frazer Mennonite Church was released from membership in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference and became an associate member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The congregation had expressed "preliminary affirmation" for a general membership statement that "welcomes into membership all persons who profess faith in Christ and all who desire to walk with Christ in order to grow and trust in God, in following the light of Scripture and in living Jesus’ way," without naming or singling out gays for exclusion. The congregation requested membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference after it became clear that Lancaster Mennonite Conference would not support the church's position. The congregation became a full member of the Atlantic Coast Conference on 25 October 2014.

Bibliography

Brown, Lowell. "Welcoming Stance Affects Church Transfer Request: Atlantic Coast Approves Pa. Congregation's Move From Lancaster Conference." Mennonite World Review (13 May 2013): http://www.mennoworld.org/2013/5/13/welcoming-stance-affects-church-transfer-request/.

Huber, Tim. "Atlantic Coast Conference adds one, loses another." Mennonite World Review (10 November 2014): 3.

Martin, Darvin L. An Experiment in Grace: A Centennial History of Frazer Mennonite Church 1910-2010. Morgantown, Pa.: Masthof Press, 2010.

Martin Hurst, Brenda. "A Brief Introduction to Frazer Mennonite Church for Atlantic Coast Conference Delegates." Frazer Mennonite Church. 4 September 2012. Web. 22 November 2021. https://atlanticcoastconference.net/images/frazerintro.pdf.

Additional Information

Address: 57 Maple Linden Lane, Frazer, Pennsylvania

Phone: 610-644-3397

Website: Frazer Mennonite Church

Denominational Affiliations:

Lancaster Mennonite Conference (until 2013)

Atlantic Coast Conference (2013-present)

Mennonite Church USA

Pastoral Leaders at Frazer Mennonite Church

Name Years
of Service
Visiting ministers 1910-1924
Marcus Swanenburg (1893-1979) 1924-1969
Milton G. Brackbill (1896-1997) 1933-1968
C. Ralph Malin (1927-2017) 1945-1977
Ray M. Geigley 1976-1985
Dale Stoltzfus 1985-1987
David Huston 1985-1987
Jason Kuniholm 1987-2005
Vernon Zehr, Jr. 1987-2006
Arthur E. Smoker (Interim) 2005-2007
Brenda Martin Hurst 2007-2017
Nelson Yoder (Interim) 2017-2018
Amy Yoder McGloughlin 2018-present

Membership at Frazer Mennonite Church

Year Membership
1925 32
1930 40
1940 99
1950 114
1960 118
1970 128
1980 99
1990 120
2000 160
2007 125
2020 90

Map

Map:Frazer Mennonite Church (Frazer, Pennsylvania, USA)

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 382. All rights reserved.

The Frazer Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA) is an outgrowth of Diamond Rock in an early Amish settlement two miles north of Malvern, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The Weaverland Missions Committee in 1908-1909 revived this work, and in 1917-1918 a frame church was built along the Lincoln Highway, west of Malvern. The 1955 membership, many of non-Mennonite extraction, was 115; Mahlon Witmer had the bishop oversight, Marcus Swanenberg, Milton G. Brackbill, and C. Ralph Malin were the ministers, and Irvin J. King the deacon.


Author(s) Samuel J. Steiner
Richard D. Thiessen
Date Published November 2021

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Frazer Mennonite Church (Frazer, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2021. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Frazer_Mennonite_Church_(Frazer,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177234.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. and Richard D. Thiessen. (November 2021). Frazer Mennonite Church (Frazer, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Frazer_Mennonite_Church_(Frazer,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177234.



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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 382. All rights reserved.


©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

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