Landis Valley Christian Fellowship (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
The first Mennonite settlers in Landis Valley, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania came about 1718. By 1728, they worshipped in the homes of John Jacob Snavely and John Long. The Benjamin Landis house, formerly the Snavely dwelling on the Reading Road, and Isaac Long's spacious buildings, were frequent meeting points. The latter was also the scene of the meeting in 1767 when the United Brethren Church originated.
By 1814, there were four combined church-school houses at Lehn, Landis, Rudy, and Frick. Since these private schools were functioning well, they opposed the 1834 Pennsylvania School Law. In fact, a separate meetinghouse was not built until 1847.
This log meetinghouse, known as "Reading Road" for 60 years, was located in the present cemetery. On 2 October 1884, the congregation dedicated a new brick meeting house across the road. This served the congregation a larger brick meetinghouse was built and first used on 22 November 1928.
In 1832, the Landis Valley congregation became part of the Hammer Creek Bishop District of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, with Noah L. Landis (1857-1940) as the only bishop ever chosen from the congregation. The first Sunday school, was held in 1888.
Until the 1870s, preaching services were held every four weeks in the morning. Then, until the 1920s, they were held every two weeks, initially in the evenings, but beginning in the 1940s, in the morning. The Sunday school began in 1889, initially meeting in the afternoon every two weeks, then in the morning before church, and later became weekly, regardless of whether it was a "church Sunday" or not.
In 1884, Amelia Hess, originally from the Reading Road Mennonite Church, but a member of the Church of God, experienced a miraculous healing after years of various debilitating ailments. A. B. Simpson, who taught divine healing, made some visits to Lancaster County. These visits led to controversy and a decision by the Lancaster Mennonite Conference to disfellowship members who believed in faith healing. A number of Landis Valley members helped to form a new Christian and Missionary Alliance congregation.
The Landis Valley Mennonite Church changed its name to Landis Valley Christian Fellowship in September 2009.
Bibliography
M. E. H. "Landis Valley congregation." Gospel Herald 21, no. 43 (24 January 1929): 904-905.
Martin, Luke. "Mennonites and CMA." Mennonite Historical Bulletin 71, no. 3 (July 2010): 6.
"New-meetinghouse." Herald of Truth 21, no. 20 (15 October 1884): 312.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 668-670, 1138-1169.
Weaver, Martin G. Mennonites of Lancaster Conference: containing biographical sketches of Mennonite leaders, histories of congregations, missions, and Sunday schools, record of ordinations, and other interesting historical data. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1931. Reprinted Ephrata, PA: Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church Publication Board, 1982: 173-174, 178-179. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 2420 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601
Telephone: 717-569-6051
Website: https://www.landisvalleyfellowship.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Landis Valley Christian Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Christian Frantz (1752-1828) | By 1794-1828 |
| Martin R. Mayer (1798-1873) | 1832-1873 |
| Charles Hostetter (1815-1904) | 1852-1893 |
| Jacob W. Zimmerman (1822-1908) | 1868-1893 |
| Daniel N. Lefevre (1821-1898) | 1852-1860 |
| Adam B. Breneman (1834-1898) | 1885-1898 |
| John M. Lefevre (1848-1927) | 1894-1927 |
| Noah L. Landis (1857-1940) (Bishop) |
1898-1905 1905-1940 |
| Ira D. Landis (1899-1977) | 1921-1977 |
| Levi M. Weaver (1896-1977) | 1942-1977 |
| Elam W. Stauffer (1899-1981)(Bishop) | 1967-1978 |
| Mervin L. Landis (1925-2021) | 1971-1977 |
| Lester M. Hoover (1921-2010) | 1977-1989? |
| Milton L. Stoltzfus | 1987-1990? |
| George M. Hurst | 1987-1992 |
| Thomas A. Horst | 1991?-2010 |
| Steven Gibbs | 2010-2024 |
| Tim Bistline | 2025- |
Landis Valley Christian Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 160 |
| 1920 | 200 |
| 1930 | 285 |
| 1940 | 270 |
| 1950 | 261 |
| 1960 | 212 |
| 1970 | 162 |
| 1980 | 152 |
| 1990 | 109 |
| 2000 | 114 |
| 2009 | 92 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 284. All rights reserved.
The first Mennonites in Landis Valley, who came about 1718, worshiped at first with their brethren at Lampeter, but by 1728 in the homes of John Jacob Snavely and John Long. The Benjamin Landis house, formerly the Snavely dwelling on the Reading Road, and Isaac Long's spacious buildings, were frequent meeting points. The latter was also the scene of the meeting in 1767 when the United Brethren Church originated. By 1814 there were four combined church-school houses at Lehn, Landis, Rudy, and Frick. Since these schools were functioning well, they opposed the 1834 Pennsylvania School Law. In fact the central meetinghouse was not built until 1847, leaving the former for school purposes. This church, called "Reading Road" for 60 years, was built of logs in the present cemetery near the Eden Road. In 1884 a brick meeting house, 40 x 60 ft., was built on the present site through the courtesy of Isaac S. Landis. This served the congregation until 1928, when the present 54 x 96 ft. church was built. Valentine Metzler was an early bishop. In 1832 it became a part of the Hammer Creek Bishop District, with Noah L. Landis (1857-1940), the only bishop ever chosen from the congregation. The first Sunday school, held in 1888, led to a Christian and Missionary Alliance schism in 1892. Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman were bishops in 1956, Ira D. Landis and Levi M. Weaver ministers, and Norman L. Hess deacon. The 1953 membership was 256. Until the 1870s, services were held every four weeks in the morning, then until the 1920s every two weeks, at first in the evenings, but since the 1940s in the morning. The Sunday school started in the afternoon fortnightly (warmer months only), then in the morning before church, then weekly in the morning, whether "church Sunday" or not. Since the gas rationing of the early 1940s, both Sunday school and church services have been held weekly in the morning.
| Author(s) | Ira D. Landis |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | July 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Landis, Ira D. and Samuel J. Steiner. "Landis Valley Christian Fellowship (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2025. Web. 2 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Landis_Valley_Christian_Fellowship_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181009.
APA style
Landis, Ira D. and Samuel J. Steiner. (July 2025). Landis Valley Christian Fellowship (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Landis_Valley_Christian_Fellowship_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181009.
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