Keystone Mennonite Fellowship

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The Keystone Mennonite Fellowship (KMF) officially formed on 19 March 1999 when 15 congregations with a total of 906 members, three bishops, 23 ministers, 14 deacons, and six retired leaders were granted release from Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The separation was by mutual agreement and with the official sanction and blessing of Lancaster conference, and resulted from a discussion process that extended over 14 years, 1985-1999. KMF was organized to provide a structure for fellowship and practice among congregations of like beliefs and convictions. The 15 congregations included: Blandon Mennonite Fellowship, Bradford Mennonite Church, Cross Roads Mennonite Church, East District Mennonite Church, Fairview Mennonite Church, Faith Mennonite Fellowship, Living Water Mennonite Fellowship, Marietta Mennonite Church, Myerstown Mennonite Church, Oak Shade Mennonite Church, Oakwood Mennonite Church, Rawlinsville Mennonite Church, Tidings of Peace Mennonite Church, Valley Mennonite Church, and Womelsdorf Mennonite Church. They were joined by Lock Haven Mennonite Church, an unaffiliated congregation.

In 2009 there were 19 congregations with a total of 1,473 members located in eight counties in Pennsylvania and Cecil County, Maryland.

Keystone Mennonite Fellowship adheres to the 1963 Mennonite Confession of Faith and an additional written supplement as its standard of faith and practice. Some areas addressed in the supplement include: the sanctity of life, God’s delegation of leadership in the church to men, the permanency of marriage, discipleship and nonconformity, love and nonresistance, and the separation of church and state.

The KMF Messenger is the bimonthly periodical published by the publication committee. It contains fellowship-wide news and articles on Christian living and biblical doctrines.

Fellowship programs include: Christian worker workshops, leadership training sessions, semi-annual assembly conferences, monthly bishop meetings, and annual winter Bible schools. Other activities include summer children’s camps, youth activities, a three-day summer youth conference, and activities for singles.

KMF is a participating member of Olive Branch Mennonite Missions. KMF provides several board members as well as personnel for programs in Grenada, Nicaragua, and Cherry Creek, South Dakota. It also participates with Christian Aid Ministries for world material aid and for disaster response.

In 2014 there were 26 congregations with a total of 1,620 members located in ten counties of Pennsylvania and two in Maryland:

Congregation City State Founded Members
Blandon Mennonite Fellowship Blandon Pennsylvania 1989 41
Bradford Mennonite Church Bradford Pennsylvania 1992 35
Cross Roads Mennonite Church Richfield Pennsylvania 1774 76
East District Mennonite Church Watsontown Pennsylvania 1959 130
Fairview Mennonite Church Reading Pennsylvania 1946 130
Faith Mennonite Fellowship Stevens Pennsylvania 1985 193
Hampden Mennonite Fellowship Baltimore Maryland 2011 6
Kane Mennonite Church Kane Pennsylvania 2010 12
Lakeside Mennonite Church Howard Pennsylvania 2011 11
Lichty's Mennonite Church East Earl Pennsylvania 1889 144
Lincoln Mennonite Church Ephrata Pennsylvania 2014 53
Living Hope Mennonite Church Denver Pennsylvania 2012 27
Living Water Mennonite Fellowship Reinholds Pennsylvania 1995 76
Lock Haven Mennonite Church Lock Haven Pennsylvania 1996 43
Marietta Mennonite Church Marietta Pennsylvania 1938 57
Mount Hope Mennonite Church Manheim Pennsylvania 1982 62
Myerstown Mennonite Church Myerstown Pennsylvania 1958 154
Oak Shade Mennonite Church Quarryville Pennsylvania 1933 32
Oakwood Mennonite Church Conowingo Maryland 1950 26
Rawlinsville Mennonite Church Holtwood Pennsylvania 1926 44
Shenandoah Mennonite Church Shenandoah Pennsylvania 2010 10
Susquehanna Mennonite Church Port Treverton Pennsylvania 2012 72
Tidings of Peace Mennonite Church York Pennsylvania 1950 26
Valley Mennonite Church Madisonburg Pennsylvania 1958 40
Word of Life Mennonite Fellowship Lititz Pennsylvania 2003 96
Zion Christian Fellowship Lebanon Pennsylvania 2000 24
Total 1,620

Bibliography

Mennonite Church Directory 2010. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 74-76.

Oswald, Laurie L. "15 Churches Leave Lancaster Conference." Mennonite Weekly Review (27 May 1999): 1-2.


Author(s) Isaac W. Gehman
Date Published May 2012

Cite This Article

MLA style

Gehman, Isaac W.. "Keystone Mennonite Fellowship." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Keystone_Mennonite_Fellowship&oldid=177039.

APA style

Gehman, Isaac W.. (May 2012). Keystone Mennonite Fellowship. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Keystone_Mennonite_Fellowship&oldid=177039.



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