Carpenter Park Mennonite Church (Davidsville, Pennsylvania, USA)
Mennonites opened a Sunday school in two adjacent schoolhouses in Carpenter Park, near Davidsville, Pennsylvania, in October 1929. The enrolment reached as high as 130 before some opposition closed the work. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC) made another effort in 1933 through congregations in its Johnstown bishop district. In 1936, oversight devolved to the Stahl, Kaufman, and Blough churches, later primarily only to Stahl, whose ministers led the preaching services at Carpenter Park every two weeks.
In 1938, school consolidation saw the two schoolhouses sold to a private businessman in Johnstown. He allowed the original schoolhouse to be used for worship and deeded the lot and building to the Mennonites in 1947.
Finally, on 24 September 1961, the Carpenter Park Mennonite Church, separate from the Stahl congregation, began as an independent congregation. It enlarged and put a basement under the building in 1962-1963.
In 2016, the Carpenter Park Mennonite Church withdrew from the Allegheny Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Church USA and joined the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. This was part of a larger realignment of churches that were unhappy with the theological direction of Mennonite Church USA on matters of same-sex relationships.
Bibliography
Shetler, Sanford G. Two centuries of struggle and growth 1763-1963: a history of Allegheny Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Allegheny Mennonite Conference, 1963: 147-151.
Additional Information
Address: 2662 Carpenters Park Road, Davidsville, Pennsylvania 15928
Telephone: 814-288-3264
Website: https://www.facebook.com/carpenterparkchurch/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2016)
Pastoral Leaders at Carpenter Park Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Stahl Ministers | 1929-1961 |
| Sanford G. Shetler (1912-1989) (Bishop) | 1961-1967 |
| John Stahl | 1967-1969 |
| Ammon S. Shetler (1919-1969) | 1968-1969 |
| Glenn M. Steiner | 1970-1977 |
| Marvin L. Kaufman (1933-2017) | 1977-1997 |
| Stephen F. "Steve" Kriss | 1996-2001 |
| Thomas "Tom" Croyle | 1997-2002 |
| Todd Brenneman | 2002-2005 |
| Shirley Yoder Brubaker (Interim) | 2006-2007? |
| Robert C. Larimore | 2007?-2010? |
| D. Wayne Lasure | 2010?- |
Carpenter Park Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 2 |
| 1970 | 47 |
| 1980 | 77 |
| 1990 | 149 |
| 2000 | 185 |
| 2009 | 75 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Carpenter Park Mennonite Church (Davidsville, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2024. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Carpenter_Park_Mennonite_Church_(Davidsville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179995.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (November 2024). Carpenter Park Mennonite Church (Davidsville, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Carpenter_Park_Mennonite_Church_(Davidsville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179995.
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