Lost Creek Mennonite Church (Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Settlers began settling on land disputed by the Lenape People in what became Juniata County, Pennsylvania, by the 1750s, including Mennonite land speculators like Abraham Herr. John Graybill (1735-1806) was the first Mennonite settler in the 1770s.
A log meetinghouse for the Lost Creek Mennonite Church was built in 1819. Prior to that, the congregation met in homes. The 1819 building also served as a schoolhouse. In 1867, a brick building replaced the log building. This building was enlarged and remodeled in 1962. A large expansion in 1990 added a new sanctuary and fellowship hall. The previous structure was converted to classrooms, offices, a nursery, and a library.
Jacob S. Graybill was the first minister to preach in English. Because travel was often by foot over undeveloped roads, and was inconvenient, between 1880 and 1919, Lost Creek also held services in various area schoolhouses, including Mexico, Locust Run, Mount Pleasant, Swamp, Fairview, and Rockland.
The first Sunday school was held in 1893.
Services were held at Lost Creek every four weeks until the 1910s, when the congregation changed to every two weeks. During these decades, the Lost Creek and nearby Delaware Mennonite congregations alternated Sunday morning services. They began holding weekly services at both places in July 1979.
Bibliography
Landis, Betty Ann. "The Anabaptists of Juniata County: a historical profile." Pennsylvania History 83, no. 2 (2016): 231-245.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 275-278, 301-303, 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: 248-255, 258. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 2682 Long Road, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania 17059
Telephone: 717-463-2258
Website: http://www.lostcreekmennonitechurch.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2018)
Pastoral Leaders at Lost Creek Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John Graybill (1735-1806) | 1770s-1806 |
| John Graybill (1766-1838) (Bishop) |
1788-1808 1808-1838 |
| Abraham Witmer (1780-1829) (Bishop) |
?-1820 1820-1829 |
| Christian Kraybill (1789-1876) | 1828-1876 |
| George Leiter (1782-1872) (Bishop) |
1829-1830 1830-1837 |
| Abraham Halteman (1780-1865)(Bishop) | 1842-1865 |
| Christian Auker (1792-1849) | ?-1849 |
| John Shirk (1808-1863) | By 1850-1863 |
| Henry Shelly (1810-1850) | 1849?-1850 |
| Jacob S. Graybill (1817-1892) (Bishop) |
1850-1854 1854-1892 |
| Samuel Gehman (1810-1889) | 1854-1889 |
| Samuel Winey (1822-1882) (Bishop) |
1858-1873 1873-1882 |
| Jacob Kurtz (1817-1890) | 1863-1890 |
| William Graybill (1833-1902) | 1868-1902 |
| William Auker (1829-1908) (Bishop) |
1873-1891 1891-1908 |
| John S. Kurtz (1859-1927) | 1886-1892 |
| Samuel Leiter (1860-1941) | 1890-1930s |
| Simon P. Auker (1848-1927) | 1897-1927 |
| William W. Graybill (1880-1958) (Bishop) |
1904-1906 1906-1952 |
| Samuel Gehman, Jr. (1842-1912) | 1889-1912 |
| William G. Sieber (1853-1923) | 1899-1923 |
| William G. Lauver (1896-1984) | 1917-1921 |
| Ammon G. Brubaker (1880-1936) | 1919-1936 |
| Donald E. Lauver (1912-1987) (Bishop) |
1936-1952 1952-1987 |
| Raymond C. Lauver (1917-1998) | 1954-1993 |
| Roy L. Brubaker (1941-2017) | 1983-1993 |
| Gary L. Krabill (1965- ) | 1993-2002? |
| Kenneth Litwiller | 2002?-2005 |
| K. Eugene Forrey (Interim) | 2007-2009 |
| Sherman Stoltzfus | 2009-2013? |
| Keith A. Graybill | 2015-2021 |
| Chad Weaver | 2022- |
| Chris Mummau (Associate) | 2022- |
Lost Creek Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 400 In District |
| 1913 | 56 |
| 1920 | 67 |
| 1930 | 119 In District |
| 1940 | 70 |
| 1950 | 65 |
| 1960 | 87 |
| 1970 | 112 |
| 1980 | 118 |
| 1990 | 160 |
| 2000 | 185 |
| 2009 | 127 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1103. All rights reserved.
Lost Creek Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, is located one mile (1.6 km.) south of Oakland Mills, Juniata County, Pennsylvania. Mennonite families named Musser, Sherck, Shellenberger, and Funk moved into this locality in the late 18th century and by 1819 had a log meetinghouse for worship and school. After a few enlargements a new brick structure was built in 1869. A large old cemetery adjoins the church. This was the home congregation of Bishop Jacob Graybill, and preachers Michael Funk, Christian Auker, Henry Shelley, Samuel Gehman Sr. and Jr., Jacob Kurtz, William Graybill, and William Sieber. Sunday school was opened in 1891. The congregation is a part of the Delaware Circuit. The membership in 1958 was 97, with Raymond Lauver as minister.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | August 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Lost Creek Mennonite Church (Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2025. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lost_Creek_Mennonite_Church_(Mifflintown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181041.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (August 2025). Lost Creek Mennonite Church (Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lost_Creek_Mennonite_Church_(Mifflintown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181041.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.