Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA
The Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA was originally the eastern section of the Ohio and Eastern Conference (Mennonite Church). The congregations forming in this section were part of the Conestoga-Maple Grove and the Atlantic States mission districts.
On 4 November 1978 these congregations approved a constitution that formed a new sister conference: the Atlantic Coast Conference of the Mennonite Church. Its primary purpose was to bring more continuity to mission, leadership, and youth activities. The new conference held its first full session in March 1979. The constitution was adopted on 28 March 1980, and revised in 1986, 1999 and 2003.
When it was formed, the conference was composed of 36 congregations and 3,887 members. By 1986 there were 44 congregations and 4,630 members divided into eight overseer districts that spanned an area from Massachusetts to North Carolina, and from the Atlantic Coast to the Appalachian Mountains. By 2003 there were 35 congregations and 4,635 members. After the merger of the Mennonite Church and General Conference Mennonite Church in 1999, the Atlantic Coast Conference became part of Mennonite Church USA. In July 2009 there were 35 congregations, including several church plants in formation, and 3,972 members located in Massachusetts, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania. New church initiatives continued to evolve, especially in New England. The majority of congregations are concentrated in the mid-Atlantic region, as the conference's name implies.
Currents was the conference's bimonthly periodical in 2014. Founded in 1979, it has been published in a newspaper format, carrying conference and churchwide news.
The conference developed a mission statement in 2007: Centered in Christ, Building Connections, Sharing God's Love.
In 2014 the following congregations were members (full members, associate members, or emerging/church plants) of the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA:
| Congregation | City | State |
|---|---|---|
| African Community Church of Lancaster | Lancaster | Pennsylvania |
| African Community Church of Lancaster, Steelton Outreach | Steelton | Pennsylvania |
| Akron Mennonite Church | Akron | Pennsylvania |
| Ark Bible Chapel | Boyertown | Pennsylvania |
| Bethel Mennonite Church | Gettysburg | Pennsylvania |
| Birch Grove Mennonite Church | Port Allegany | Pennsylvania |
| Blossom Hill Mennonite Church | Lancaster | Pennsylvania |
| Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster | Lancaster | Pennsylvania |
| Conestoga Mennonite Church | Morgantown | Pennsylvania |
| CrossWay Church | Ocean City | Maryland |
| Ebenezer Evangelical Mennonite Church | Columbia | Pennsylvania |
| Forest Hills Mennonite Church | Leola | Pennsylvania |
| Frazer Mennonite Church | Frazer | Pennslvania |
| Friendship Community Church | Bronx | New York |
| Grace Ubuntu Fellowship | Lancaster | Pennsylvania |
| Great Joy Christian Fellowship | Bear | Delaware |
| Hebron Mennonite Church | Hagerstown | Maryland |
| Hiwet Legeta Church (Life for Christ) | Lancaster | Pennsylvania |
| Holly Grove Mennonite Church | Westover | Maryland |
| Hope Community Church | Fleetwood | Pennsylvania |
| Hopewell Mennonite Church | Reading | Pennsylvania |
| Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Eben-Ezer | Bronx | New York |
| Iglesia Menonita de Aibonito | Aibonito | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Bauta | Orocovis | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Bayamón | Toa Alta | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Betania | Aibonito | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Botijas | Orocovis | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Cayey | Cayey | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de La Plata | La Plata | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Palo Hincado | La Plata | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Ponce | Ponce | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Summit Hills | Cayey | Puerto Rico |
| Iglesia Menonita de Coamo | Coamo | Puerto Rico |
| Immanuel Community Church | Flushing | New York |
| Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship | New York | New York |
| Maple Grove Mennonite Church of Atglen | Atglen | Pennsylvania |
| Mennonite Congregation of Boston | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
| Neffsville Mennonite Church | Lancaster | Pennsylvania |
| North Baltimore Mennonite Church | Baltimore | Maryland |
| Oley Valley Mennonite Church | Oley | Pennsylvania |
| Pocomoke River Church | Pocomoke City | Maryland |
| Primera Iglesia Menonita de Brooklyn | Brooklyn | New York |
| Promilenio Iglesia Menonita Cristiana | Queens | New York |
| Radical Living Community | Brooklyn | New York |
| Ridgeview Mennonite Church | Gordonville | Pennsylvania |
| Sandy Hill Community Church | Coatesville | Pennsylvania |
| Zion Mennonite Church | Birdsboro | Pennsylvania |
Bibliography
Mennonite Yearbook and Directory (1986-87): 49-51.
Mennonite Church USA Directory (2003): 38-40.
Lehman, Glenn. "Pennsylvania Seeds, Ohio Fruit." Gospel Herald (14 July 1987): 488-500.
Rudy, John. Unity and Diversity: Historical Highlights and Commentaries of God and His People 1978-2003. Morgantown, PA: Masthof Press, 2003. Includes ACC 25th anniversary highlights.
Additional Information
Address: 2257 Old Philadelphia Pike Lancaster, PA 17602
Phone: 717-394-8107
Website: Atlantic Coast Conference
| Author(s) | Dennis R. Kuhns |
|---|---|
| Warren Tyson | |
| Date Published | July 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Kuhns, Dennis R. and Warren Tyson. "Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2010. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Atlantic_Coast_Conference_of_Mennonite_Church_USA&oldid=146836.
APA style
Kuhns, Dennis R. and Warren Tyson. (July 2010). Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Atlantic_Coast_Conference_of_Mennonite_Church_USA&oldid=146836.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, pp. 42-43. All rights reserved.
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