Living Light Mennonite Church (Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Manor Township area of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was among the last areas from which Native Americans were displaced by European settlers, including Mennonites. These settlers began arriving in the 1730s. Michael Baughman, a Mennonite land speculator, purchased land in the area in 1737. He specified land to be used by the Society of Mennonites between properties owned by his son and his daughter. It was possibly first used as a cemetery.
The first meetinghouse, known as Bachman's, was erected in 1760. The stone building included a dwelling in the eastern section. The benches were in a U formation around a singers' table, which was typical of Lancaster Mennonite Conference meetinghouses. Usually, the caretaker of the church and his family lived in the dwelling. In 1892, the congregation purchased additional land and, in 1893, erected a new brick meetinghouse. At this time, the congregation began to use the name Masonville Mennonite Church. Additions were made to this building in 1952 and 1955.
Until the mid-20th century, ministers were ordained for the Manor District of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, serving Masonville, Habecker, and Mountville. Worship services were held every two weeks at Masonville until the 1940s.
Sunday school began at Bachman's in 1890, and revival meetings began in 1907. Young People's Bible Meetings began in the Manor District in 1917. A district sewing circle began in 1914 in the home of Sue H. Charles.
In January 2011, the congregation changed its name to Living Light Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
Hess, Mahlon M., ed. Gleanings from our past: Masonville Mennonite Church. Washington Boro, Pa.: The Church, 1975.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 690, 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, 112. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 2625 Safe Harbor Road, Washington Boro, Pennsylvania 17582
Telephone: 717-872-2222
Website: https://livinglightmc.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2018)
Pastoral Leaders at Living Light Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Christian Hershey (1719-1782) | By 1777-1782 |
| Jacob Brubacher (1751-1832) (Bishop) |
1780?-1783? 1783?-1832 |
| Christian Kauffman (1765-1849) | 1799?-1849 |
| John Seitz (1762-1847) | 1799-180? |
| John Brubaker (1787-1842) (Bishop) |
1829-1831 1831-1842 |
| Henry Shenk (1794-1865) (Bishop) |
1839-1843 1843-1865 |
| Christian Kauffman (1791-1863) | By 1849-1863 |
| John Kendig (1795-1849) | 1840s?-1849 |
| Joseph Burkholder (1803-1875) (Bishop) |
1846-1864 1864-1875 |
| Abraham K. Witmer (1812-1882) | 1849-1882 |
| Jacob K. Brubaker (1814-1879) (Bishop) |
1859-1875 1875-1879 |
| Benjamin K. Lehman (1817-1904) | 1862-1904 |
| Abraham B. Herr (1845-1925) (Bishop) |
1875-1899 1899-1925 |
| Amos R. Shenk (1832-1909) (Bishop) |
1876-1879 1879-1891 |
| Ephraim Rohrer (1811-1891) | 1881-1891 |
| Jacob K. Newcomer (1832-1919) | 1885-1919 |
| Abram M. Witmer (1842-1906) | 1892-1906 |
| Daniel N. Lehman (1852-1925 (Bishop) |
1898-1921 1921-1925 |
| Peter L. Ebersole (1856-1921) | 1903-1921 |
| Henry H. Haverstick (1857-1916) | 1907-1910s |
| Jacob C. Habecker (1868-1957) | 1908-1957 |
| John K. Charles (1884-1948) (Bishop) |
1913-1918 1918-1920 |
| Christian K. Lehman (1888-1961) (Bishop) |
1888-1938 1938-1961 |
| Benjamin C. Eshbach (1916-2006)(Bishop) | 1957-1968 |
| Mahlon M. Hess (1917-2014) | 1940-1945 1965-1985 |
| Elmer F. Kennel (1910-2001) | 1945-1950s |
| Christian B. Charles (1905-1995) | 1945-1950s |
| Benjamin H. Miller (1891-1971) | 1948-1971 |
| Aaron H. Souders (1930-2016) | 1961-2001 |
| Ivan D. Leaman (1906-1998)(Bishop) | 1968- |
| J. Wilmer Eby (1939-2018) | 1990-2010 |
| Paul C. Sangree (Interim) | 1998?-2000? |
| Paul L. Dagen (1924-2015) | 2000?-2002? |
| Robert L. Kanagy | 2004?-2017 |
| Audrey A. Kanagy | 2011-2017 |
| A. Willard Shertzer (Interim) | 2017-2018 |
| Troy Landis | 2018- |
| Michelle Landis | 2018- |
Living Light Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 250 In District |
| 1915 | 340 In District |
| 1920 | 375 In District |
| 1930 | 165 |
| 1940 | 183 |
| 1950 | 118 |
| 1960 | 155 |
| 1970 | 119 |
| 1980 | 133 |
| 1990 | 123 |
| 2000 | 100 |
| 2009 | 83 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 535. All rights reserved.
Masonville Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), Manor Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is one of the older Lancaster Conference congregations. A meetinghouse was built here in 1760, long known as Bachman's because it was built on land donated by Christian Baughman. In 1893 a new brick meetinghouse was erected on nearby land and the name changed to Masonville.
Christian Kauffman (1765-1840) was one of the first bishops in the immediate area. The congregation was a part of the Manor circuit. In 1954 Christian K. Lehman was bishop with Benjamin Miller as preacher. The membership was 162. Slackwater, formerly an outpost of Masonville, is now an independent congregation with 26 members and Frank K. Garman as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | August 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Living Light Mennonite Church (Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2025. Web. 3 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Living_Light_Mennonite_Church_(Washington_Boro,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181034.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (August 2025). Living Light Mennonite Church (Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Living_Light_Mennonite_Church_(Washington_Boro,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181034.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.