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

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	August 2025

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)	1968-1980s?
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

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.

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=181035.

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=181035.

Living Light Mennonite Church (Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, USA)

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