Crossroads Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Lancaster Colored Mission (Mennonite Church), a mission for African American people, opened in 1933 as an outpost for the East Vine Street Mission, Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Earlier in the 1930s, Elam Stauffer held evangelistic meetings at the Rawlinsville Mennonite Church during which five African American children from one family were converted. This led to a discussion on giving membership to African Americans in a heretofore-white church. Some African Americans were already worshipping at the East Vine Street Mission. The Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities authorized the formation of a church for Blacks, thus the Lancaster Colored Mission. The first Sunday school was held on 5 November 1933, with six teachers and 22 students.
The mission opened on Howard Street but moved to 460 Rockland Street in July 1934. In 1938, the conference constructed a church building at the corner of Locust and South Christian Street, and the South Christian Street Mennonite Church became the new name. The new facility was dedicated on 19 February 1939.
By the 1970s, urban renewal had changed the local population's character. This reduced African American participation in the church, but the membership continued to include diverse ethnic backgrounds.
In 1999, the congregation moved to a building formerly inhabited by St. Stephen's Lutheran Church at the corner of South Duke and Church Streets. Shortly thereafter, the congregation changed its name to Crossroads Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
Bechler, Le Roy. The Black Mennonite Church in North America, 1886-1986. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1986: 62-64.
Lehman, Esther K. "Lancaster, Pa." Gospel Herald 31, no. 15 (14 July 1938): 332-333.
_____. "Lancaster, Pa." Gospel Herald 31, no. 45 (9 February 1939): 972-973.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001:
Showalter, Jewel. "Growing and bringing forth fruit." theMennonite 2, no. 47 (21 December 1999): 10.
Additional Information
Address: 401 Church St, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602
Telephone: 717-391-0904
Website: https://crossroadsmc.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Crossroads Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Visiting Ministers | 1933-1934 |
| Joseph S. Lehman (1889-1968) | 1935-1964 |
| Lester T. Weaver (1916-1990) | 1955-1976 |
| James R. Garman (1947-2022) | 1976-1982 |
| Nelson H. Lehman (1939-2015) | 1982-1984 |
| Lawrence F. Chiles | 1984-2002? |
| Delray L. Martin (Youth) | 1987-1989? |
| Vincent Whitman | 1991-2017 |
| Richard Rutter | 2019- |
Crossroads Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1936 | 10 |
| 1940 | 14 |
| 1950 | 35 |
| 1960 | 70 |
| 1970 | 65 |
| 1980 | 51 |
| 1990 | 68 |
| 2000 | 97 |
| 2009 | 141 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 271. All rights reserved.
Lancaster Christian Street Mission (Mennonite Church), a mission for African American people, was opened in 1933 as an outpost for the East Vine Street Mission, Lancaster Mennonite Conference. It opened on Howard Street, moved to 460 Rockland Street, and after 1939 was located in a meetinghouse at South Christian and Locust Street. Joseph S. Lehman was superintendent of the work from the start and was also pastor 1935-1955. In 1955 D. Stoner Krady was bishop and Lester T. Weaver minister. The membership in 1956 was 51.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Crossroads Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2025. Web. 16 Mar 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180112.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2025). Crossroads Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 March 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180112.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.