Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church

Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church was formed in 1968 when a group of bishops, ministers, and deacons were granted a release from the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The separation was by mutual agreement and by official sanction of the conference.

The group adheres to the Mennonite Confession of Faith (Christian Fundamentals, 1921, Garden City, Missouri) and to many of the practices which had been upheld by the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, including the conference-type of church organization and government (polity). The Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church has a written statement of standards known as the Rules and Discipline, which is reviewed every three or four years and then ratified again by the congregations. The purpose for seeking release from the Lancaster Mennonite Conference was to develop a church program that would help preserve biblical practice and the historic Mennonite values. The Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church does not accept divorce and remarriage. Women wear headcoverings and have uncut hair. Men, as a rule, do not enter the professions. They wear plain clothing (dress), and their life is built around the church, schools, and religious activities. They do not engage in worldly amusements, nor do they follow organized sports. The use of radio and television is not allowed. Their life-style reflects the old Mennonite traditions.

Regular worship services include Sunday school and preaching every Sunday morning, Sunday evening services, and midweek prayer meetings. The singing is in four-part harmony without accompaniment, with some emphasis on singing instruction and special song services. No special group singing is allowed in worship services. Ministers are unsalaried and chosen from the congregation by nomination and the use of the lot.

Life insurance is not permitted and generally members do not use auto, health, fire, or other insurances, but rather employ a unique method of brotherhood assistance (mutual aid) that is directed by the deacons of the congregations.

Children of members do not attend public schools. Private schools are provided by the group so that all the member families have access to them. Teachers are not college-trained. Many of the students continue in school through 10th grade.

The Mennonite Messianic Mission, Inc. directs the group's missions in Guatemala, the Bahamas, Paraguay and Ghana. The church's monthly periodical, Eastern Mennonite Testimony, is published by the Publication Board.

The group sponsors a 15-week winter Bible school at Numidia, Pennsylvania. The school is especially provided for young people in their late teens and early 20s, and offers a wide variety of Bible and practical studies. Each summer the school offers a two-week training course for school teachers, and in December a ministers' fellowship and seminar is provided. Service opportunities are provided in relief work, literature evangelism, child care, and in elderly care.

Many congregations are located in eastern Pennsylvania. Congregations are also located in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Vermont, Texas, Ohio, Maine, Wisconsin, Indiana, Washington, Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Manitoba, and British Columbia, and in the mission countries mentioned above.

In 2010 the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church had 77 congregations with 5,333 members. The conference also had 59 schools.

Congregations

Congregation	City	State/Province/Country	Members
Antrim Mennonite Church	Greencastle	Pennsylvania	105
Arroyo Claro Mennonite Church	Itapua	Paraguay	13
Bairs Codorus Mennonite Church	York	Pennsylvania	37
Bernville Mennonite Church	Bernville	Pennsylvania	79
Bethel Mennonite Church	Quarryville	Pennsylvania	85
Blanket Sound Mennonite Church	N Andros Island	Bahamas	33
Blue Rock Mennonite Church	Lancaster	Pennsylvania	122
Centerville Mennonite Church	Martindale	Pennsylvania	127
Chilliwack Mennonite Church	Chilliwack	British Columbia, Canada	8
Churchtown Mennonite Church	Carlisle	Pennsylvania	62
Clearview Mennonite Church	Arthur	Illinois	27
Conestoga Drive Mennonite Church	Lancaster	Pennsylvania	53
Crystal Light Mennonite Church	Croghan	New York	76
Culbertson Mennonite Church	Chambersburg	Pennsylvania	139
Danskin Mennonite Church	Burns Lake	British Columbia, Canada	59
Danville Mennonite Church	Danville	Pennsylvania	123
Decker Lake Mennonite Church	Burns Lake	British Columbia, Canada	57
Deer Park Mennonite Church	Loon Lake	Washington	35
Denver Mennonite Church	Denver	Pennsylvania	107
Dohner Mennonite Church	Lebanon	Pennsylvania	88
Eden Mennonite Church	Palestina	Guatemala	68
Ewing Mennonite Church	Ewing	Illinois	114
Flora Mennonite Church	Flora	Indiana	29
French Creek Mennonite Church	Cambridge Springs	Pennsylvania	82
Goodwill Mennonite Church	Thompsontown	Pennsylvania	85
Gray's Prairie Mennonite Church	Scurry	Texas	66
Guiscoyol Mennonite Church	La Maquina	Retalhuleu, Guatemala	41
Hartleton Mennonite Church	Millmont	Pennsylvania	84
Hegins Valley Mennonite Church	Hegins	Pennsylvania	77
Highland Mennonite Church	Bear	Delaware	69
Hildebrand Mennonite Church	Hermitage	Virginia	5
Honey Brook Mennonite Church	Honey Brook	Pennsylvania	118
Hopewell Mennonite Church	Mount Airy	Maryland	61
Indian Creek Mennonite Church	Telford	Pennsylvania	78
Kenton Mennonite Church	Clayton	Delaware	60
La Cumbre Mennonite Church	Quetzaltenango	Guatemala	31
La Montana de Fe Mennonite Church	Catupyry	Itapua, Paraguay	52
La Victoria Mennonite Church	Quetzaltenango	Guatemala	35
Latimore Mennonite Church	York Springs	Pennsylvania	64
Little Mountain Mennonite Church	Fredericksburg	Pennsylvania	154
Maple River Mennonite Church	Ionia	Michigan	2
Mechanicsville Mennonite Church	Mechanicsville	Maryland	53
Mendon Mennonite Church	Mendon	Massachusetts	45
Metter Mennonite Church	Metter	Georgia	71
Millerstown Mennonite Church	Millerstown	Pennsylvania	108
Miners Village Mennonite Church	Cornwall	Pennsylvania	122
Montney Mennonite Church	Montney	British Columbia, Canada	53
Mount Pleasant Mennonite Church	Dongola	Illinois	70
Mountain View Mennonite Church	Carlisle	Pennsylvania	85
New England Valley Mennonite Church	Tamaqua	Pennsylvania	56
New Hope Mennonite Church	Altona	Manitoba, Canada	36
Orchardville Mennonite Church	Keenes	Illinois	98
Owasco Lake Mennonite Church	Auburn	New York	63
Owen Mennonite Church	Owen	Wisconsin	116
Peace River Mennonite Church	Arcadia	Florida	40
Pira Poi Mennonite Church	Colonia La Montana	Itapua, Paraguay	6
Pleasant Ridge Mennonite Church	Thorp	Wisconsin	44
Rheems Mennonite Church	Mount Joy	Pennsylvania	88
Richland Mennonite Church	Richland	Pennsylvania	113
Riverside Mennonite Church	Kenton	Ohio	58
Rochester Mennonite Church	Rochester	Washington	61
Santo Domingo Mennonite Church	San Marcos	Guatemala	10
Shepherd's River Mennonite Church	Brownfield	Maine	9
Simmontown Mennonite Church	Gap	Pennsylvania	62
Texter Mountain Mennonite Church	Robesonia	Pennsylvania	72
Valley View Mennonite Church	Stevens	Pennsylvania	142
Vanderhoof Mennonite Church	Vanderhoof	British Columbia, Canada	65
Varana Mennonite Church	Itapua	Paraguay	57
Versailles Mennonite Church	Versailles	Missouri	84
Vineland Mennonite Church	Vineland	New Jersey	49
Warrensburg Mennonite Church	Centerview	Missouri	48
Waterloo Mennonite Church	Waterloo	New York	100
White Oak Mennonite Church	Manheim	Pennsylvania	222
Williamsburg Mennonite Church	Williamsburg	Pennsylvania	26
Willow Springs Mennonite Church	Emory	Texas	51
Wolcott Mennonite Church	Wolcott	Vermont	48
Woodbury Mennonite Church	Woodbury	Pennsylvania	92
Total			5,333

Bibliography

Mennonite Church Directory 2010. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 62-71.

Mennonite Church Information (2001): 38-46.

Mennonite Yearbook (1986-87): 175-78; (1997): 121-123.

Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage 7 (October 1984): 2-10.

Author(s)	Jesse Neuenschwander
Date Published	September 2010

Cite This Article

MLA style

Neuenschwander, Jesse. "Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2010. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eastern_Pennsylvania_Mennonite_Church&oldid=176825.

APA style

Neuenschwander, Jesse. (September 2010). Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eastern_Pennsylvania_Mennonite_Church&oldid=176825.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 253. All rights reserved.

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