Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)
The Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, Taftsville, Vermont, USA was formed by Mennonite families who temporarily moved into the area for I-W alternative service to the draft in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Most worked at a local teaching hospital. Many of these families decided to stay, and the congregation grew to a membership that has remained stable at around 60.
Taftsville Chapel, formally organized in 1959, has met in an old school house in the rural village of Taftsville, which is situated in the Ottauquechee River valley between the tourist towns of Woodstock and Quechee, along the US Route 4 corridor.
In 2013 the congregation was composed of 50% ethnic Mennonites, mostly from Pennsylvania, with the rest representing a wide diversity of spiritual backgrounds. It has not been a “community” church since no members have lived in the immediate village of Taftsville. Instead members represent a wide geographic area of rural communities, home towns and workplaces.
Leadership at Taftsville has been shared among several administrative, pastoral care and leadership small teams of volunteers.
Taftsville has discovered that its mission is primarily as a place of healing, describing this as being “preparers of good soil.” It has found that many people’s hearts are unable to receive the gospel because of hurts, traumas, and confusion, sadly often at the hands of other Christian churches. Taftsville has provided a safe place of welcome, rest, and grace and delight to find that broken people who become part of its faith community begin to learn to trust again and grow in their own discipleship and faith.
Bibliography
Additional Information
Address: 7505 Happy Valley Road, Taftsville, Vermont 05073
Phone: 802-296-1425
Website: http://taftsvillechapel.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
Franconia Mennonite Conference
Taftsville Chapel Pastoral Leaders
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Arden Godshall | 1959-1963 |
| Homer Detweiler | 1963-1966 |
| James E. Millen | 1964-1970 |
| John A. Lutz | 1971-1978 1980-1983 |
| Omar Zook | 1979-1981 |
| Nelson Kraybill | 1983-1987 |
| Martha Kolb-Wyckoff | 1987-1996 |
| Randy Good | 1997-2012 |
Taftsville Chapel Membership
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 6 |
| 1975 | 32 |
| 1985 | 35 |
| 1995 | 51 |
| 2005 | 67 |
| 2015 | 58 |
Map
Map:Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)
| Author(s) | Sam Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | October 2016 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Sam. "Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2016. Web. 16 Feb 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Taftsville_Chapel_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Taftsville,_Vermont,_USA)&oldid=139661.
APA style
Steiner, Sam. (October 2016). Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship (Taftsville, Vermont, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 February 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Taftsville_Chapel_Mennonite_Fellowship_(Taftsville,_Vermont,_USA)&oldid=139661.
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