Alive Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA)
In the later part of the 19th century, Mennonite families from the Weaverland and Hammer Creek bishop districts of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference began settling in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. After some discussion, the two districts agreed to build a brick meetinghouse on West Fulton Street in 1901. It was dedicated on 1 December 1901. Until 1918, bishop and ministerial services came from the nearby rural churches. Eventually, Ephrata Mennonite Church became part of the Hammer Creek bishop district.
The original building became too small, so the congregation erected a new meetinghouse of limestone construction on Sunset Avenue that was dedicated on Ascension Day, 6 May 1937. An observer called it "the most modern--yet plain--Mennonite Church building in the United States and Canada."[1] The original meetinghouse later served as a clothing depot for the Mennonite Central Committee.
In 1998, the Ephrata Mennonite Church again built a new church facility on Stevens Road. It sold the Sunset Avenue/South Oak Street building to the new Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship.
In 2012, the Ephrata Mennonite Church changed its name to Alive Church. The name change came from a desire to be more engaged in its city and was part of a fresh vision for outreach. The Alive Church building came to include a daycare, a youth program that grew beyond the building, and a Spanish-speaking congregation.
Notes
- ↑ Bernard B. Kautz. "Observations." Gospel Herald (20 May 1937): 170.
Bibliography
Beyer, Karen Louise Groff. Bringing in the Sheaves: History of Ephrata Mennonite Church. 1st ed. Ephrata, Pa.: Ephrata Mennonite Church, 2009.
"A few words about us." Cornerstone Mennonite Fellowship. 2022. Web. 9 September 2024. https://cmfchurch.org/about-us/.
Kautz, Bernard B. "Observations." Gospel Herald 30, no. 8 (20 May 1937): 170.
Roth, Brad. "By any other name." Anabaptist World 3, no. 6 (6 May 2022): 13-14.
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: 179-180. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 510 Stevens Road, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 17522
Telephone: 717-733-6688
Website: https://www.alivechurchephrata.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Alive Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Ministers from neighboring districts |
1901-1918 |
| Amos S. Horst (1893-1963) (Bishop) |
1918-1934 1934-1963 |
| Abraham A. Landis (1870-1957) | 1923-1938 |
| Mahlon M. Zimmerman (1895-1971) (Bishop) |
1941-1952 1952-1971 |
| Noah N. Burkholder (1890-1961) | 1946-1947 |
| Roy "Eugene" Landis (1931-2011) | 1953-1959 |
| John "Elvin" Martin | 1953-1993 |
| Noah G. Good (1904-2002) | 1959-1990 |
| Nevin L. Horst (1930-2006) | 1966-1967 |
| Wilbert Lind (1920-2007) | 1967-1984 |
| David L. Kniss (1935-2020) | 1984-1990 |
| Leroy W. Martin (Youth) (Associate) |
1987-1990 1990-1995 |
| Thomas J. Martin (Youth) | 1990-1992 |
| Aaron "Richard" Weaver (Associate) | 1990-1994 |
| Merle "John" Nissley | 1993-2000 |
| Marlin Martin (Associate) | 1995-1997 |
| Jeffrey High (Associate) (Lead) |
2000-2023 2023- |
| Carl Kniss (Associate) | 1995-2001 |
| Clifford L. Martin (Associate) | 1996-2004 |
| Chester I. Kurtz (1934-2003)(Interim) | 2001-2002 |
| Ray K. Yoder (1938-2023)(Interim) | 2001?-2003? |
| Kendrick "Jack" Scandrett (Lead) | 2004-2017 |
| David W. Fry (Associate) | 2005-2014 |
| Peter C. Cook (Associate) (Lead) |
2015-2017 2017-2023 |
| Kevin D. Martin (Associate) | 2023- |
| David R. Buch (Associate) | 2023- |
Alive Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1908 | 125 |
| 1920 | 160 |
| 1930 | 300 |
| 1940 | 309 |
| 1950 | 367 |
| 1960 | 368 |
| 1970 | 310 |
| 1980 | 296 |
| 1990 | 326 |
| 2000 | 338 |
| 2009 | 336 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 230. All rights reserved.
Ephrata Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), Lancaster County, is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. After the city of Ephrata became a center for Mennonite families from the Metzler and Hammer Creek districts of Lancaster County, a meetinghouse was built on West Fulton Street in 1901. The above-named districts supplied bishop and ministerial oversight until Amos S. Horst was ordained to the ministry in 1918. The 1901 building was the location of the Winter Bible School of Lancaster Conference, 1939-1943. It now serves as a clothing center for the Mennonite Central Committee.
On 6 May 1937, a large new meetinghouse on Sunset Avenue was dedicated. In 1953 the bishops were Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman; the ministers were Eugene Landis and J. Elvin Martin; and the deacon was Elam S. Stoner. The 1953 membership was 383.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | September 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Alive Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2024. Web. 1 Dec 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Alive_Church_(Ephrata,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179690.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (September 2024). Alive Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 1 December 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Alive_Church_(Ephrata,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179690.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.