Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Groffdale Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), located two miles (three km) northwest of New Holland, Pennsylvania, is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The first meetinghouse was built of logs in 1755 on Hans Groff's vast acreage. A stone addition was built in 1823. In 1909 the new brick church was built which was enlarged in 1936. The congregation cooperated in the Palo Alto Mission from the start, releasing one of its ministers, Lester M. Hoover, to serve there. In 1954 Mahlon Witmer was the bishop in charge, with Eli G. Sauder, Arnos Sauder, and John S. Martin as ministers and Floyd Graybill as deacon. Though a large percentage were still farmers in the 1950s, the Old Order Mennonites were buying up most of the land around them. Until 1905 the Metzler and Groffdale congregations were served by the same ministers; after that a gradual separation took place. First they had separate deacons and gradually a separate ministry. In 1953 all except two ministers were still serving both congregations. The membership in 1953 was 348. In 2010 the membership was 172; the lead pastor was Thomas L. Eshleman.
Additional Information
Address: 168 North Groffdale Road, Leola, Pennsylvania 17540
Phone: 717-656-6388
Website: Groffdale Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Lancaster Mennonite Conference
Maps
Map:Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania)
| Author(s) | Ira D Landis |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Landis, Ira D. "Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 10 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groffdale_Mennonite_Church_(Leola,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=140110.
APA style
Landis, Ira D. (1956). Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 10 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groffdale_Mennonite_Church_(Leola,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=140110.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 587. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.