Difference between revisions of "Alive Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA)"

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<references />
 
<references />
 
= Bibliography =
 
= Bibliography =
 +
Beyer, Karen Louise Groff. ''Bringing in the Sheaves: History of Ephrata Mennonite Church''. 1st ed. Ephrata, Pa.: Ephrata Mennonite Church, 2009.
 +
 
"A few words about us." Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship. 2022. Web. 9 September 2024. https://cmfchurch.org/about-us/.
 
"A few words about us." Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship. 2022. Web. 9 September 2024. https://cmfchurch.org/about-us/.
  
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| Ministers from <br />neighboring districts || 1901-1918
 
| Ministers from <br />neighboring districts || 1901-1918
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Amos S. Horst (1893-1963)(Bishop) || 1918-1934<br />1934-1963
+
| Amos S. Horst (1893-1963)<br />(Bishop) || 1918-1934<br />1934-1963
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Abraham A. Landis (1870-1957) || 1923-1937
+
| Abraham A. Landis (1870-1957) || 1923-1938
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Mahlon M. Zimmerman (1895-1971)<br />(Bishop) || 1941-1952<br />1952-1971
 
| Mahlon M. Zimmerman (1895-1971)<br />(Bishop) || 1941-1952<br />1952-1971
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Roy "Eugene" Landis (1931-2011) || 1953-1960
+
| Noah N. Burkholder (1890-1961) || 1946-1947
 +
|-
 +
| Roy "Eugene" Landis (1931-2011) || 1953-1959
 
|-
 
|-
 
| John "Elvin" Martin || 1953-1993
 
| John "Elvin" Martin || 1953-1993
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Noah G. Good (1904-2002) || 1961-1990?
+
| Noah G. Good (1904-2002) || 1959-1990
 +
|-
 +
| Nevin L. Horst (1930-2006) || 1966-1967
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Wilbert Lind (1920-2007) || 1968-1984
+
| Wilbert Lind (1920-2007) || 1967-1984
 
|-
 
|-
 
| David L. Kniss (1935-2020) || 1984-1990
 
| David L. Kniss (1935-2020) || 1984-1990
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Leroy W. Martin || 1987-1996?
+
| Leroy W. Martin (Youth)<br />(Associate) || 1987-1990<br />1990-1995
 +
|-
 +
| Thomas J. Martin (Youth) || 1990-1992
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Thomas J. Martin || 1990-1993
+
| Aaron "Richard" Weaver (Associate) || 1990-1994
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Aaron "Richard" Weaver || 1990-1996?
+
| Merle "John" Nissley || 1993-2000
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Merle "John" Nissley || 1993-2000?
+
| Marlin Martin (Associate) || 1995-1997
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Jeffrey High (Associate)<br />(Lead) || 2000-2023<br />2023-
 
| Jeffrey High (Associate)<br />(Lead) || 2000-2023<br />2023-
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| Carl Kniss (Associate) || 1995-2001
 
| Carl Kniss (Associate) || 1995-2001
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Clifford L. Martin (Associate) || 1996-2005
+
| Clifford L. Martin (Associate) || 1996-2004
 +
|-
 +
| Chester I. Kurtz (1934-2003)(Interim) || 2001-2002
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Ray K. Yoder (1938-2023)(Interim) || 2001?-2003?
 
| Ray K. Yoder (1938-2023)(Interim) || 2001?-2003?
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| David R. Buch (Associate) || 2023-
 
| David R. Buch (Associate) || 2023-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 
== Alive Church Membership ==
 
== Alive Church Membership ==
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

Latest revision as of 14:35, 16 September 2024

In the later part of the 19th century, Mennonite families from the Weaverland and Hammer Creek bishop districts of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference began settling in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. After some discussion, the two districts agreed to build a brick meetinghouse on West Fulton Street in 1901. It was dedicated on 1 December 1901. Until 1918, bishop and ministerial services came from the nearby rural churches. Eventually, Ephrata Mennonite Church became part of the Hammer Creek bishop district.

The original building became too small, so the congregation erected a new meetinghouse of limestone construction on Sunset Avenue that was dedicated on Ascension Day, 6 May 1937. An observer called it "the most modern--yet plain--Mennonite Church building in the United States and Canada."[1] The original meetinghouse later served as a clothing depot for the Mennonite Central Committee.

In 1998, the Ephrata Mennonite Church again built a new church facility on Stevens Road. It sold the Sunset Avenue/South Oak Street building to the new Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship.

In 2012, the Ephrata Mennonite Church changed its name to Alive Church. The name change came from a desire to be more engaged in its city and was part of a fresh vision for outreach. The Alive Church building came to include a daycare, a youth program that grew beyond the building, and a Spanish-speaking congregation.

Notes

  1. ↑ Bernard B. Kautz. "Observations." Gospel Herald (20 May 1937): 170.

Bibliography

Beyer, Karen Louise Groff. Bringing in the Sheaves: History of Ephrata Mennonite Church. 1st ed. Ephrata, Pa.: Ephrata Mennonite Church, 2009.

"A few words about us." Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship. 2022. Web. 9 September 2024. https://cmfchurch.org/about-us/.

Kautz, Bernard B. "Observations." Gospel Herald 30, no. 8 (20 May 1937): 170.

Roth, Brad. "By any other name." Anabaptist World 3, no. 6 (6 May 2022): 13-14.

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: 179-180. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.

Additional Information

Address: 510 Stevens Road, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 17522

Telephone: 717-733-6688

Website: https://www.alivechurchephrata.com/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)

Pastoral Leaders at Alive Church

Name Years
of Service
Ministers from
neighboring districts		 1901-1918
Amos S. Horst (1893-1963)
(Bishop)		 1918-1934
1934-1963
Abraham A. Landis (1870-1957) 1923-1938
Mahlon M. Zimmerman (1895-1971)
(Bishop)		 1941-1952
1952-1971
Noah N. Burkholder (1890-1961) 1946-1947
Roy "Eugene" Landis (1931-2011) 1953-1959
John "Elvin" Martin 1953-1993
Noah G. Good (1904-2002) 1959-1990
Nevin L. Horst (1930-2006) 1966-1967
Wilbert Lind (1920-2007) 1967-1984
David L. Kniss (1935-2020) 1984-1990
Leroy W. Martin (Youth)
(Associate)		 1987-1990
1990-1995
Thomas J. Martin (Youth) 1990-1992
Aaron "Richard" Weaver (Associate) 1990-1994
Merle "John" Nissley 1993-2000
Marlin Martin (Associate) 1995-1997
Jeffrey High (Associate)
(Lead)		 2000-2023
2023-
Carl Kniss (Associate) 1995-2001
Clifford L. Martin (Associate) 1996-2004
Chester I. Kurtz (1934-2003)(Interim) 2001-2002
Ray K. Yoder (1938-2023)(Interim) 2001?-2003?
Kendrick "Jack" Scandrett (Lead) 2004-2017
David W. Fry (Associate) 2005-2014
Peter C. Cook (Associate)
(Lead)		 2015-2017
2017-2023
Kevin D. Martin (Associate) 2023-
David R. Buch (Associate) 2023-

Alive Church Membership

Year Members
1908 125
1920 160
1930 300
1940 309
1950 367
1960 368
1970 310
1980 296
1990 326
2000 338
2009 336

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 230. All rights reserved.

Ephrata Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), Lancaster County, is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. After the city of Ephrata became a center for Mennonite families from the Metzler and Hammer Creek districts of Lancaster County, a meetinghouse was built on West Fulton Street in 1901. The above-named districts supplied bishop and ministerial oversight until Amos S. Horst was ordained to the ministry in 1918. The 1901 building was the location of the Winter Bible School of Lancaster Conference, 1939-1943. It now serves as a clothing center for the Mennonite Central Committee.

On 6 May 1937, a large new meetinghouse on Sunset Avenue was dedicated. In 1953 the bishops were Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman; the ministers were Eugene Landis and J. Elvin Martin; and the deacon was Elam S. Stoner. The 1953 membership was 383.


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published September 2024

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Alive Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2024. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Alive_Church_(Ephrata,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179690.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (September 2024). Alive Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Alive_Church_(Ephrata,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179690.



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

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