Waterway Church (Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA)
Members of the Maple Grove Mennonite Church Missions Committee found Media Chapel when searching for unused church buildings in the countryside near Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA. The chapel was built in 1912 but had been closed for 20 years. The new Media Mennonite Church first rented, then bought the building for a nominal sum. The first service was held in the church on 27 April 1947. In 1954 the church purchased the nearby schoolhouse. When the congregation built its own facility in 1962/63, the schoolhouse was razed.
Maple Grove pastors led services until Aaron F. Stoltzfus was ordained to pastor the congregation on 6 July 1949.
In April 2004, the Media Mennonite Church withdrew from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Mennonite Church USA. It subsequently joined the Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations.
In 2020 the congregation moved to a property it had purchased on Waterway Road; at that time, it changed its name to Waterway Church.
In 2021 the congregation remained part of the Alliance of Evangelical Mennonite Churches.
Bibliography
Boyer, H. Wesley. "Media Mennonite celebrates 50th." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 18, no. 4 (July August 1997): 4.
Mast, Edna. "Media Mennonite Church." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 3, no. 1 (January-February 1982): 1.
Summers, Sara. "Media congregation celebrates 40th anniversary." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 8, no. 3 (May-June 1987): 2.
Whisler, Lois. "Delegates consider core values for ACC." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 25, no. 3 (May-June 2004): 1, 3.
Additional Information
Address: 550 Waterway Road, Oxford, Pennsylvania 19363
Phone: 610-932-9096
Website: https://www.waterwaychurch.com/
Denominational Affiliations: Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations
Pastoral Leaders at Waterway Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Maple Grove Pastors |
1947-1949 |
| Aaron F. Stoltzfus (1895-1986) (Bishop) |
1949-1952 1952-1968? |
| Leroy D. Umble (1920-2009) | 1952-1979 |
| Phares O. Lantz (1923-2011)(Assistant) | 1958-1974 |
| H. Wesley Boyer | 1980-2001 |
| Richard Umble (Interim) | 2001-2003 |
| Jesse S. Johnson | 2003-present |
| Steve Doutrich (Associate) | 2019-present |
Membership at Waterway Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 51 |
| 1960 | 83 |
| 1970 | 81 |
| 1980 | 48 |
| 1990 | 84 |
| 2000 | 96 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Melvin Gingerich. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1105. All rights reserved.
Media Mennonite Chapel (Mennonite Church) is located on the South 5th Street Road, Oxford, Pennsylvania. It was originally a member of the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference and was organized in 1947. Its membership in 1959 was 82, with Leroy D. Umble and Phares I. Lantz as ministers.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2022 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Waterway Church (Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2022. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Waterway_Church_(Oxford,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172897.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2022). Waterway Church (Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Waterway_Church_(Oxford,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172897.
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