Blough Mennonite Church (Holsopple, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Blough Mennonite Church was the first Mennonite church established in Conemaugh Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Located near Davidsville, it originated after Jacob Blough was ordained to the ministry in 1804. Blough was ordained as bishop in 1814. Initially, the congregation met in homes.
The congregation initially included all Mennonites living in Conemaugh Township and was known as the Conemaugh Church, with three or four meeting places for the widely scattered families. Blough was the first meetinghouse, built in 1836 on the corner of the Jacob Blough farm. The others were Weaver (1855), Thomas (1874), and Stahl (1882). Initially, services were held every four weeks, then every two weeks for many years. The Blough meetinghouse was the location of the meeting that organized the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference (later Allegheny Mennonite Conference) in 1876.
The language of worship changed from German to English in about 1885. Sunday school began in 1890 but was not held year-round until 1915. Young People's Bible Meeting began in 1912. Summer Bible School began in 1929.
The Blough congregation built a new frame meetinghouse in 1860 near the site of the first building. On 24 October 1909, it dedicated its third meetinghouse--the first one with a full basement. It added electric lights and steam heat in 1921, and in 1949 a new entrance and indoor washrooms.
In 2018, the average Sunday morning attendance was 40.
In 2015 the Blough Mennonite Church left the Allegheny Mennonite Conference and joined the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. This move was part of a more extensive realignment of Mennonite congregations formerly part of Mennonite Church USA. These congregations were unhappy with Mennonite Church USA's failure to take stronger disciplinary actions against area conferences and congregations that expressed openness to the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. The Lancaster Mennonite Conference took action in 2015 to withdraw from Mennonite Church USA by the end of 2017 and became an attractive alternative for these congregations.
Bibliography
Blauch, D. D. "The Bloughs (Blauchs) and the Mennonite Church." Gospel Herald 1, no. 25 (19 September 1908): 393.
Coffman, J. S. "The church in Western Pennsylvania." Herald of Truth 19, no. 4 (15 February 1882): 58-59.
"Congregational profile: Blough Mennonite Church." Shalom News 38, no. 4 (October-December 2018): 8.
"From the Conemaugh Church, Somerset Co., Pa." Herald of Truth 20, no. 2 (15 January 1883): 24.
Shetler, Sanford G. Two centuries of struggle and growth 1763-1963: a history of Allegheny Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Allegheny Mennonite Conference, 1963: 106-112.
Additional Information
Address:
Meeting Place: 794 Woodstown Highway, Hollsopple, Pennsylvania 15935
Telephone: 814-479-7566
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/282432289389310 (private group)
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Blough Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Jacob Blough II (1775-1849) (Bishop) |
1804-1814 1814-1849 |
| Jacob Blough III (1801-1878) | 1830-1878 |
| Samuel Blough (1803-1877) (Bishop) |
1843-1850 1850-1877 |
| Peter A. Blough (1843-1924) | 1875?-1885 |
| Samuel Gindlesperger (1846-1909) | 1878-1909 |
| Jonas Blaugh/Blough (1830-1906)(Bishop) | 1885-1906 |
| Simon Layman (1851-1928) | 1887-1928 |
| Levi A. Blough (1855-1936) | 1890-1936 |
| Stephen D. Yoder (1868-1937) | 1900-1908 |
| Elmer J. Blough (1878-1957) | 1909-1912 |
| Harry C. Blough (1895-1978) (Bishop) |
1920-1947 1947-1974 |
| John A. Lehman (1905-1991) | 1936-1962 |
| Elvin L. Holsopple (1920-2010) | 1963-1974 |
| Winston J. Martin | 1974-1976? |
| David E. Mishler | 1977-1991 |
| Loren L. Johns | 1977-1985 |
| Richard H. Mininger | 1991-2002? |
| Robert Simonsick | 2002?-2004? |
| S. David Garber | 2004?-2010? |
| Eric Charles Lasure | 2008?- |
Blough Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 121 |
| 1913 | 171 |
| 1920 | 188 |
| 1930 | 190 |
| 1940 | 231 |
| 1950 | 216 |
| 1960 | 200 |
| 1970 | 132 |
| 1980 | 128 |
| 1990 | 106 |
| 2000 | 109 |
| 2009 | 102 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ammon Kaufman. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 366. All rights reserved.
Blough Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA) was the first Mennonite church established in Conemaugh Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Located near Davidsville, it had its origin after Jacob Blough was ordained to the ministry in 1804. He was ordained bishop in 1814. The congregation was using its fourth building in the 1950s, three of them having been on the present grounds. The congregation belonged to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Conference (now Allegheny Mennonite Conference) and was the first to entertain the conference after its organization in 1876. Harry C. Blough, bishop, and John A. Lehman, minister, served this congregation of 221 members in 1953.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | October 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Blough Mennonite Church (Holsopple, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2024. Web. 26 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Blough_Mennonite_Church_(Holsopple,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179941.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (October 2024). Blough Mennonite Church (Holsopple, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 26 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Blough_Mennonite_Church_(Holsopple,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179941.
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