Crossroads Fellowship (Corry, Pennsylvania, USA)
Source: Mennonite Community Photograph Collection, The Congregation (HM4-134 Box 1 photo 010.1-1).
Mennonite Church USA Archives, Goshen, Indiana.
Beaverdam Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA) is located near Corry, Erie County, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1940, members of Britton Run Mennonite Church (later called Britton Run congregation), 15 miles (25 km) south, organized a Sunday school in the village of Beaverdam, where they rented the unused Methodist Church building. A group of Mennonites were beginning a settlement in Beaverdam on account of soil and atmospheric conditions favorable for growing potatoes. Ivan W. Miller, extensive potato grower from Wayne County, Ohio, had a prominent part in the development of the settlement.
The church's first pastor was Lewis Kletzley, a lay minister who also assisted in the leadership of Britton Run Mennonite Church, followed by Jacob Weirich. In the early years, the congregation began a two week Summer Bible School for the children and youth of the surrounding communities.
Between 1957 and 1967, many of the church's youth served in Voluntary Service projects and many special spiritual renewal meetings were held with a variety of guest evangelists. In May 1985 the church assisted Mennonite Disaster Service, which used their church building as their base of operations, in the repair and rebuilding of the community after seven tornadoes tore through the area. The church has continued to support the work of Mennonite Disaster Service.
Over the years the church has hosted a free dinner on Thanksgiving Day for anyone who wanted or needed it, and has worked closely with Love INC and other churches in both Corry and Union City with many different social service projects. An International Gift Festival has been hosted for several decades, raising funds for Ten Thousand Villages. The congregation has supported several missionary families and also gathered supplies for Mennonite Central Committee.
In 2016 the congregation was a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. It also became a member of the Evana Network.
By 2024, the congregation identified itself as Crossroads Fellowship and its Mennonite connections were no longer evident on its website.
The 1953 membership was 95; in 2003 it was 134.
Bibliography
"Beaverdam Mennonite Church: History & Today." Beaverdam Mennonite Church. 2016. Web. 29 November 2016. http://beaverdammennonitechurch.org/about-us/history-today/.
Additional Information
Address: 17721 Route 89, Corry, PA 16407
Phone: 814-665-5465
Website: Crossroads Fellowship
Denominational/Network Affiliations:
Lancaster Mennonite Conference (2016-2024?)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2016)
Evana Network (2016- )
Beaverdam Mennonite Church Ministers
| Minister | Years of service |
|---|---|
| Lewis Kletzley | 1940-1943 |
| Jacob F. Weirich | 1943-1952 |
| Kenneth E. Snyder | 1952-1957 |
| Richard Hostetler | 1957-1966 |
| Leonard Adams (interim) | 1966-1967 |
| Donald Nofziger | 1967-1973 |
| Dale Hilty (summers) | 1973-1976 |
| Gerald Martin | 1976-1978 |
| Leonard Adams (interim) | 1978-1980 |
| James Hershberger | 1980-1984 |
| James Powers | 1985 |
| Herman F. Myers | 1986-1995 |
| Philip Clemens | 1995-2004 |
| George Kennedy (interim) | 2004-2005 |
| Jay Conn | 2005-2012 |
| Deb Horst (interim) | 2012-2013 |
| Dale Francis (interim) | 2014 |
| Randy Carr | 2014-present |
Maps
Beaverdam Mennonite Church (Corry, Pennsylvania)
| Author(s) | John S. Umble |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | November 2016 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Umble, John S. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Crossroads Fellowship (Corry, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2016. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Fellowship_(Corry,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179744.
APA style
Umble, John S. and Richard D. Thiessen. (November 2016). Crossroads Fellowship (Corry, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Fellowship_(Corry,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179744.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 257. All rights reserved.
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