Oley Valley Mennonite Church (Oley, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Oley Valley Mennonite Church began after John K. Stoltzfus, a telephone company entrepreneur, began to encourage members of his Conestoga Mennonite Church to purchase cheaper farms in the Oley Valley, located between Reading and Boyertown. By 1942, 14 families had made such a move.
In May 1942 these families held their first worship service in the Bertolet Chapel located at the Bertolet family cemetery. On 3 January 1943 John S. Mast ordained Omar A. Kurtz as minister for the new congregation.
The Sam Mast family donated 1.5 acres of land for a church in 1949. The dedication service for the new building took place on 24 September 1950.
The Ark Bible Chapel arose in 1964 from Oley Valley members launching a Sunday school in the town of Oley.
In 2021 the congregation was part of the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA. That conference was formerly the eastern part of the Ohio and Eastern Conference before it became a separate conference in 1978.
Bibliography
"Forty years of church leadership." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 4, no. 2 (March-April 1983): 1.
Stoltzfus, Roy Y. "Atlantic Coast Conference Church." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 5, no. 1 (January-February 1984): 1.
Additional Information
Address: 1571 Memorial Highway, Oley, Pennsylvania 19547
Phone: 610-987-3315
Website: https://oleyvalleymennonitechurch.com/
Denominational Affiliations: Atlantic Coast Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Oley Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Omar A. Kurtz (1912-2006) (Bishop/Overseer) (Interim) |
1943-1974 1974-1983 1984-1985 |
| John L. Glick (1916-1996)(Assistant) | 1946-1968 |
| Kenneth L. Horning (1934-2011) | 1972-1984 |
| David L. Gehman (Interim) |
1985-1990 2021-present |
| R. Clair Umble (1919-2017)(Interim) | 1991-1992 |
| Michael M. Mast | 1992-2000 |
| Lawrence Brunk (Interim) | 2000 |
| David W. Bartow (Interim) | 2001-2002 |
| Jeffrey A. Ludwig | 2002-2003 |
| Harvey Z. Stoltzfus (1935-2016) (Interim) | 2004-2005 |
| Craig Pelkey-Landes | 2006-2009 |
| Jon Carlson | 2010-2014 |
| Ezra Tice (Interim) | 2014-2016 |
| Gary E. Lloyd (1952-2021) | 2016-2021 |
Membership at Oley Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 56 |
| 1950 | 92 |
| 1960 | 113 |
| 1970 | 111 |
| 1980 | 66 |
| 1990 | 89 |
| 2000 | 73 |
| 2007 | 76 |
| 2020 | 70 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Omar A. Kurtz. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 54. All rights reserved.
Oley Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), located in Oley Valley, Berks County, Pennsylvania, a member of the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference, was the outgrowth of both an agricultural extension and an evangelical outreach from the Conestoga Mennonite Church near Morgantown, Pennsylvania. The first family moved into the valley in 1938, and by 1942 there were 13 families. Sunday-school services were begun in May 1942. On 3 January 1943, Omar Kurtz was ordained as the first pastor. On 18 July 1946, John L. Glick was ordained assistant pastor. For eight years the services were held in a rented union chapel; in September 1950 a new church was dedicated. A number from the community have been received into the church, and from here have gone at least six missionaries. The membership in 1957 was 115, with Ira A. Kurtz of the Conestoga congregation serving as bishop.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Oley Valley Mennonite Church (Oley, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2021. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oley_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Oley,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172817.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2021). Oley Valley Mennonite Church (Oley, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oley_Valley_Mennonite_Church_(Oley,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172817.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.