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Bossler Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), located in [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]] between [[Elizabethtown (Pennsylvania, USA)|Elizabethtown]] and Maytown, [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]], is a member of the [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Mennonite Conference]]. The first meetinghouse was built perhaps in 1811. In 1881 and 1902 new churches were built and the latter was remodeled in 1915, 1948 and 1988. This was the home congregation of [[Rutt, Martin N. (1841-1905) |Bishop Martin Rutt]]. In 1950 the congregation was served by Simon Garber and his son-in-law, Martin R. Kraybill, as ministers, John R. Kraybill as deacon. The membership in 1950 was 105; in 2009 it was 80. In 2009 the pastor was Fred Garber.
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Mennonites from [[Europe]] began to settle in the future Donegal Township area of [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]], by the 1720s. In the 1750s, the names of families later associated with the Bossler Mennonite Church began to appear on land records, though they began arriving in the 1730s. Historian John Ruth has given the date of 1735 for the founding of the Bossler/Bassler Mennonite congregation. Early leadership, which was shared among the Mennonite congregations of the district, is unclear because of the lack of records.
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The congregation built a brick meetinghouse in 1811 and a larger frame meetinghouse in 1881. This, too, became too small. It was dismantled, and a new meetinghouse was constructed in 1902 and remodeled in 1915. In the 1950s, the basement was dug out and completed to provide [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] rooms. The church experienced extensive renovations and expansion in the late 1980s. In 1959, the church purchased the nearby Washington School from the Elizabethtown school district. It used the building for sewing circle meetings and other events.
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Bossler's became part of a new church district in 1823 that included [[Goods Mennonite Church (Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, USA)|Good's]], [[Risser Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)|Risser's]], [[Stauffer Mennonite Church (Conewago Township, Pennsylvania, USA)|Stauffer's]], [[Strickler's Mennonite Church (Middletown, Pennsylvania, USA)|Strickler's]], [[Shope Mennonite Church (Highspire, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA)|Shope's]], and [[Kraybill Mennonite Church (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, USA)|Kraybill's]] congregations. John Mumma was an early 19th-century minister and bishop who served the Bossler congregation along with others in the district. Martin Rutt was the first minister known to be ordained from within the Bossler congregation.
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Bossler advocated Sunday schools quite early, with newly ordained [[Rutt, Martin N. (1841-1905)|Bishop Martin Rutt]] serving as the first superintendent in 1881. The women's sewing circle began in 1923, making quilts or clothing for city missions or a local children's home. The congregation met for worship on Sunday mornings every four weeks into the 1940s, when it changed to every two weeks and eventually to weekly.
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By the early 1900s, more Mennonites were working and living in the nearby village of [[Elizabethtown (Pennsylvania, USA)|Elizabethtown]]. Bossler members helped to found the [[Elizabethtown Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)|Elizabethtown Mennonite Church]] in 1905. In the 1930s, its leaders carried responsibility for a time at the new [[Community Bible Church (Marietta, Pennsylvania, USA)|Marietta Mennonite Church]]. John H. Kraybill, a Bossler member, helped to launch Mennonite missions in New York City in the 1950s.
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In 1942 and 1952, potential military projects threatened the farmland around Bossler Mennonite Church and the church itself—the first for a large ammunition factory and the second for an Air Force base. Bossler Mennonite held meetings, including prayer meetings, in opposition to those prospective projects, which finally did not proceed.
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Bossler Mennonite Church has continued as part of the Elizabethtown District of LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches. Numerous bishops who were based at other congregations in the district served Bossler.
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= Bibliography =
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Minnich, Christine. ''The Church on Bossler's Corner: the history of Bossler Mennonite Church.'' Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania: The Church, 2011.
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Ruth, John L. ''The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference''. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 1177.
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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: 208-224. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
 
= Additional Information =
 
= Additional Information =
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'''Address:''' 2021 Bossler Road, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
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'''Address''': 2021 Bossler Road, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022
  
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'''Phone:''' 717-367-5169
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'''Telephone''': 717-367-5169
  
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<strong>Website:</strong> [http://bosslermennonite.com/ Bossler Mennonite Church]
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'''Website''': https://www.facebook.com/BosslersCorner/
  
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'''Denominational Affiliations:'''
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'''Denominational Affiliations''':
  
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[http://www.lancasterconference.org/ Lancaster Mennonite Conference]
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[https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches]
  
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[http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA]
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[https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA]
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== Pastoral Leaders at Bossler Mennonite Church ==
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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! Name !! Years<br/>of Service
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|-
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| John Mumma (1776-1859)<br />(Bishop) || 1815-1825<br />1825-1859
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|-
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| Peter R. Ebersole (1790-1870)<br />(Bishop) || 1830-1850<br />1850-1870
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|-
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| Nathaniel Shope (1815-1877)<br />(Bishop) || 1858-1864<br />1864-1877
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|-
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| [[Rutt, Martin N. (1841-1905)|Martin N. Rutt]] (1841-1905)<br />(Bishop) || 1871-1880<br />1880-1905
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|-
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| Simon E. Garber (1863-1952) || 1906-1942
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|-
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| Martin R. Kraybill (1893-1979) || 1932-1970?
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|-
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| Harlan M. Hoover (1919-1992) || 1959-1985
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|-
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| Glenn H. Martin (Assistant) || 1975-1980
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|-
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| Fred M. Garber (1948-2020) || 1983-2018
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|-
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| Clair Good (Associate)<br />(Bishop) || 2003-2005<br />2005-2010
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|-
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| Delmar J. Glick (Interim) || 2019-2021?
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|-
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| Stephen Jaynes || 2021-
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|-
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| Sarah Garber (Associate) || 2022-
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|}
  
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= Maps =
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== Bossler Mennonite Church Membership ==
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[[Map:Bossler Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania)|Map:Bossler Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania)]]
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 1, p. 395|date=1953|a1_last=Landis|a1_first=Ira D|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
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|-
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! Year !! Members
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|-
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| 1913 || 125
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|-
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| 1920 || 130
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|-
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| 1930 || 65
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|-
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| 1940 || 134
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|-
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| 1950 || 147
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|-
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| 1960 || 113
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|-
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| 1970 || 145
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|-
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| 1980 || 87
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|-
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| 1990 || 87
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|-
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| 2000 || 124
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|-
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| 2009 || 80
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|}
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= Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article =
  
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By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from ''Mennonite Encyclopedia'', Vol. 1, p. 395. All rights reserved.
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Bossler Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located in [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]] between [[Elizabethtown (Pennsylvania, USA)|Elizabethtown]] and Maytown, [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]], is a member of the [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Mennonite Conference]]. The first meetinghouse was built perhaps in 1811. In 1881 and 1902 new churches were built and the latter was remodeled in 1915, 1948 and 1988. This was the home congregation of [[Rutt, Martin N. (1841-1905) |Bishop Martin Rutt]]. In 1950 the congregation was served by Simon Garber and his son-in-law, Martin R. Kraybill, as ministers, John R. Kraybill as deacon. The membership in 1950 was 105
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=October 2024|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Samuel J|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
 
[[Category:Churches]]
 
[[Category:Churches]]
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[[Category:LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
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[[Category:LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches Congregations]]
 
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 
[[Category:United States Congregations]]
 
[[Category:United States Congregations]]

Latest revision as of 14:23, 25 October 2024

Mennonites from Europe began to settle in the future Donegal Township area of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by the 1720s. In the 1750s, the names of families later associated with the Bossler Mennonite Church began to appear on land records, though they began arriving in the 1730s. Historian John Ruth has given the date of 1735 for the founding of the Bossler/Bassler Mennonite congregation. Early leadership, which was shared among the Mennonite congregations of the district, is unclear because of the lack of records.

The congregation built a brick meetinghouse in 1811 and a larger frame meetinghouse in 1881. This, too, became too small. It was dismantled, and a new meetinghouse was constructed in 1902 and remodeled in 1915. In the 1950s, the basement was dug out and completed to provide Sunday school rooms. The church experienced extensive renovations and expansion in the late 1980s. In 1959, the church purchased the nearby Washington School from the Elizabethtown school district. It used the building for sewing circle meetings and other events.

Bossler's became part of a new church district in 1823 that included Good's, Risser's, Stauffer's, Strickler's, Shope's, and Kraybill's congregations. John Mumma was an early 19th-century minister and bishop who served the Bossler congregation along with others in the district. Martin Rutt was the first minister known to be ordained from within the Bossler congregation.

Bossler advocated Sunday schools quite early, with newly ordained Bishop Martin Rutt serving as the first superintendent in 1881. The women's sewing circle began in 1923, making quilts or clothing for city missions or a local children's home. The congregation met for worship on Sunday mornings every four weeks into the 1940s, when it changed to every two weeks and eventually to weekly.

By the early 1900s, more Mennonites were working and living in the nearby village of Elizabethtown. Bossler members helped to found the Elizabethtown Mennonite Church in 1905. In the 1930s, its leaders carried responsibility for a time at the new Marietta Mennonite Church. John H. Kraybill, a Bossler member, helped to launch Mennonite missions in New York City in the 1950s.

In 1942 and 1952, potential military projects threatened the farmland around Bossler Mennonite Church and the church itself—the first for a large ammunition factory and the second for an Air Force base. Bossler Mennonite held meetings, including prayer meetings, in opposition to those prospective projects, which finally did not proceed.

Bossler Mennonite Church has continued as part of the Elizabethtown District of LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches. Numerous bishops who were based at other congregations in the district served Bossler.

Bibliography

Minnich, Christine. The Church on Bossler's Corner: the history of Bossler Mennonite Church. Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania: The Church, 2011.

Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 1177.

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: 208-224. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.

Additional Information

Address: 2021 Bossler Road, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022

Telephone: 717-367-5169

Website: https://www.facebook.com/BosslersCorner/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA

Pastoral Leaders at Bossler Mennonite Church

Name Years
of Service
John Mumma (1776-1859)
(Bishop)		 1815-1825
1825-1859
Peter R. Ebersole (1790-1870)
(Bishop)		 1830-1850
1850-1870
Nathaniel Shope (1815-1877)
(Bishop)		 1858-1864
1864-1877
Martin N. Rutt (1841-1905)
(Bishop)		 1871-1880
1880-1905
Simon E. Garber (1863-1952) 1906-1942
Martin R. Kraybill (1893-1979) 1932-1970?
Harlan M. Hoover (1919-1992) 1959-1985
Glenn H. Martin (Assistant) 1975-1980
Fred M. Garber (1948-2020) 1983-2018
Clair Good (Associate)
(Bishop)		 2003-2005
2005-2010
Delmar J. Glick (Interim) 2019-2021?
Stephen Jaynes 2021-
Sarah Garber (Associate) 2022-

Bossler Mennonite Church Membership

Year Members
1913 125
1920 130
1930 65
1940 134
1950 147
1960 113
1970 145
1980 87
1990 87
2000 124
2009 80

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 395. All rights reserved.

Bossler Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located in Lancaster County between Elizabethtown and Maytown, Pennsylvania, is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The first meetinghouse was built perhaps in 1811. In 1881 and 1902 new churches were built and the latter was remodeled in 1915, 1948 and 1988. This was the home congregation of Bishop Martin Rutt. In 1950 the congregation was served by Simon Garber and his son-in-law, Martin R. Kraybill, as ministers, John R. Kraybill as deacon. The membership in 1950 was 105


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published October 2024

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Bossler Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2024. Web. 18 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bossler_Mennonite_Church_(Elizabethtown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179954.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (October 2024). Bossler Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bossler_Mennonite_Church_(Elizabethtown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179954.



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