Covenant Community Fellowship (Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA)
In 1984 a core group formed from the Franconia Mennonite congregation to begin planning for a new church plant in the Lansdale/Montgomeryville area of Pennsylvania. In December 1986 the doors of Covenant Community Fellowship church opened for their first official worship service at North Penn Senior Center on Main Street, Lansdale with 24 people in attendance. Earl Anders, from the parent congregation, was the founding pastor of Covenant Community Fellowship. The style of worship at Covenant from the beginning included a blend of contemporary music and hymns with guitars, drums, keyboard, etc. The church envisioned reaching the local community for Christ and helping individuals grow in relationship with God. With this purpose it had connected with a number of persons in the community. There were 28 charter members.
In 1989 with the assistance of the Franconia Mennonite congregation and other Franconia Conference churches, Covenant acquired the Beth-Israel Synagogue located just outside of Lansdale, renovated it, and moved in on their third anniversary with an attendance of 100 people.
Covenant has always looked for opportunities to reach out in the Lansdale community. During times of economic difficulty, the congregation has served as a distributor for discounted food through Angel Food Ministries. Periodically they have held clothing and food drives in addition to preparing snacks for Community Housing Services, in addition to providing monetary assistance to this and similar organizations. The congregation has hosted semiannual free spaghetti dinners for the community and participated in Lansdale’s monthly “First Fridays” community festival as an opportunity to meet more people.
In 1997 Earl Anders stepped down from his role as founding pastor as he and his wife Elaine felt called to Alaska to work in ministry with their son. A new pastoral team was established with Elmer Frederick as part-time senior pastor and two laymen from within the congregation, Keith Nyce and Jay Moyer, as part-time associate pastors. During this time the attendance grew to over 225 and the church began holding two services for a few years. There were many children and youth in the congregation. Land was purchased, and building plans were prepared for a new ministry center in Upper Salford Township. However, due to a downturn in the economy, and congregational issues which brought about leadership transition, the building project was on hold as of 2012.
In 2022 Covenant Community Fellowship withdrew from Mosaic Mennonite Conference after Mennonite Church USA's special delegate assembly in May of that year, which affirmed a more inclusive stance on sexuality.
Bibliography
Hubert, Tim. "Mosaic Conference Evaluating Relationships with MC USA." Anabaptist World. 9 September 2022. Web. 10 September 2022.
Additional Information
Location:: 1080 Sumneytown Pike, Lansdale, PA 19446
Mailing Address: 431 Main Street, Harleysville, PA 19438
Phone: 215-256-7900
Website: www.cc-fellowship.org
Denominational Affiliations:
Mosaic Mennonite Conference (1986-2022)
Mennonite Church USA (1986-2022)
Covenant Community Fellowship Pastors
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Earl Anders | 1986-1997 |
| Elmer Frederick | 1997-2005 |
| Keith Nyce | 1997-2006 |
| Jay L. Moyer | 1997-present |
| Robert Petersheim (Interim) |
2005-2007 |
| Scott Franciscus | 2009-2015 |
Covenant Community Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 41 |
| 1995 | 88 |
| 2000 | 120 |
| 2005 | 177 |
| 2010 | 162 |
| 2015 | 163 |
Maps
Map:Covenant Community Fellowship (Lansdale, Pennsylvania)
| Author(s) | Elaine Derstine |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2012 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Derstine, Elaine. "Covenant Community Fellowship (Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2012. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Covenant_Community_Fellowship_(Lansdale,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=174185.
APA style
Derstine, Elaine. (December 2012). Covenant Community Fellowship (Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Covenant_Community_Fellowship_(Lansdale,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=174185.
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