Habecker Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
The first meetinghouse of the Habecker Mennonite Church in Manor Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was built before 1761, as in that year a deed for one acre of land with a log meetinghouse was conveyed to Henry Nave, for the use of the "Anabaptists." This meetinghouse was used until 1820, when a new brick meetinghouse was built. The congregation bought land for the graveyard from John N. Lehman in 1881.
In 1898, the congregation built its third meetinghouse, also made of brick, with a basement and an improved heating system. It was located on a plot of land owned by a neighboring farmer to the west of the original meetinghouse. It opened for public worship on 8 November 1898.
Sunday school started in Manor Township in 1880 and at the Habecker meetinghouse in 1888. Until 1945, the congregation met every other week for Sunday worship. The ministers at Habecker were shared with the Masonville and Mountville congregations. In the early 1960s, each congregation obtained a minister ordained specifically for that congregation.
In 2008, the congregation sponsored a Karen refugee family from Myanmar. More Karen families began to attend, so that by the 2020s, the congregation was three-fourths native Karen speaking and one-fourth native English speaking.
Bibliography
"Habecker Mennonite Church." Shalom News 38, no. 3 (July-September 2018): 8.
"History." Habecker Mennonite Church. Web. 31 March 2025. https://habeckerchurch.com/history.
Kauffman, Ida. "Correspondence." Herald of Truth 35, no. 23 (1 December 1898): 361.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 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: 97-100, 111, 282-283. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 451 Habecker Church Road, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603
Telephone: 717-808-5572
Website: https://habeckerchurch.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Habecker Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Christian Hershey (1690-1745) | 1739?-1745 |
| Christian Hershey (1734-1806) | By 1777-1806 |
| Christian Kauffman (1765-1849) (Bishop) |
1799-1813? 1813?-1840s |
| John Seitz (1762-1847) | 1799-1800s? |
| Christian Kauffman (1791-1863) | 1840s-1863 |
| John Kendig (1795-1849) | 1840s-1849 |
| Abraham E. Witmer (1812-1882) | 1849-1882 |
| Benjamin K. Lehman (1817-1904) | 1862-1904 |
| Ephraim Rohrer (1811-1891) | 1881-1891 |
| Jacob K. Newcomer (1832-1919) | 1883-1919 |
| Abraham M. Witmer (1842-1906) | 1892-1906 |
| Peter L. Ebersole (1856-1921) | 1903-1908 |
| Harry H. Haverstick (1857-1916) | 1907-1910s |
| Jacob C. Habecker (1868-1957) | 1908-1957 |
| John K. Charles (1884-1948) (Bishop) |
1913-1918 1918-1948 |
| Christian K. Lehman (1888-1961) (Bishop) |
1917-1938 1938-1961 |
| Christian B. Charles (1905-1995) | 1945-1980s |
| Landis E. Myer (1915-2005) | 1952-1985? |
| Samuel W. Zeiset | 1978-1984 |
| Norman C. Shertzer (1929-2022) | 1978-1993 |
| Randall J. Martin | 1989-2005 |
| Joshua R. VanderPlate (Youth) | 2004 |
| George L. Zimmerman (Interim) | 2005?-2007 |
| Karen Sensenig | 2008-2016 |
| Chris Landes | 2016- |
| Dawn Landes | 2016- |
Habecker Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 340 In District |
| 1920 | 375 In District |
| 1930 | 119 |
| 1940 | 131 |
| 1950 | 125 |
| 1960 | 127 |
| 1970 | 110 |
| 1980 | 130 |
| 1990 | 98 |
| 2000 | 87 |
| 2009 | 59 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1089. All rights reserved.
Habecker Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), in the Manorland of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, among the settlers of which were Neff, Kauffman, and Baughman families. David Martin was one of the first preachers, followed by Henry Neff. Christian Kauffman was the first native bishop. In 1761 the Penn heirs granted a tract of land to "Henry Neave for the Society of Anna Baptists within and in the neighborhood of said Township (of Manor)." They built a log church, replaced in 1820 by a brick church 35 x 45 ft. (10.68 x 13.73 m.), in 1898 again by a brick church, 50 x 75 ft. (15.25 x 22.88 m.). A beautiful cemetery adjoins the church. Sunday school started in 1888. The congregation is a part of the Manor District. In 1959 the membership was 125, and Christian B. Charles and Landis E. Myer were the ministers
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Habecker Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2025. Web. 3 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Habecker_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180415.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2025). Habecker Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Habecker_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180415.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.