Crossroads Community Fellowship (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)
Crossroads Community Fellowship (formerly known as Hess Mennonite Church) (Mennonite Church), a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, located northeast of Lititz, Pennsylvania. The original Hess Church was located ¼ mile north of Rothsville on the farm of Sam and Christine Oberholtzer, immigrants from Switzerland in the early 1700s. They erected a church on a hill site and named it after Martha Hess, their daughter-in-law. The community eventually outgrew the original church and purchased a small lot of land in 1856 from John Hess, who acquired his land in 1735. The first service was held on Sunday morning, 27 September 1856. This brick meetinghouse was replaced by a new one, 54 x 70 ft, (16.5 x 21.4 m.) in 1891, which was renovated in 1947 (this is the present location of Lititz Dunkard Brethren Church).
In 1898, the Hess Church became the first to have an organized Sunday school in the area. The congregation was a part of the Hammer Creek Bishop District. It was the home of preachers John Hess (1768-1830), a grandson of Jacob, Jonas H. Hess (1841-1919), John S. Hess, Richard Hess, and Raymond Bucher. The last three were serving in 1959, with Amos S. Horst and Mahlon Zimmerman as bishops. The membership in 1959 was 274.
In the early 1970s, the congregation decided to build a new building. Land was purchased from Richard Hess at the corner of Clay and Newport Road. The current building was dedicated on 29 August 1976. In 2003, the congregation discerned that a change to the name would better represent the vision God had given them. While remaining a Mennonite church, the congregation wanted their neighbors to know that the church is indeed here for the community. So in January 2004, Hess Mennonite Church became Crossroads Community Fellowship (CCF).
Bibliography
Crossroads Community Fellowship. "Crossroads Community Fellowship: About Us." http://www.ccflititz.org/about-us/ (accessed 15 December 2008).
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 147.
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: 162-172, 177-178. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 1060 East Newport Road, Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543
Phone: 717-626-0774
Website: https://www.ccflititz.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Crossroads Community Fellowship
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Hammer Creek District Ministers |
1700s-1800 |
| John Hess, Jr. (1768-1830) | 1800-1830 |
| District Ministers | 1830-1889 |
| Jonas H. Hess (1841-1919) | 1889-1919 |
| John S. Hess (1884-1968) | 1919-1968 |
| Richard B. Hess (1914-2003) | 1943-1990? |
| Raymond N. Bucher (1917-2002) | 1946-1985 |
| Glen M. Sell | 1977-1981 |
| Mark B. Boll (1941-2024) | 1979-1990 |
| Elvin R. Huyard (1960-2006) | 1994-2006 |
| Wilbur A. Lentz (1928-2009) | 1991-2002? |
| Donald L. Brubaker (1945-2012)(Associate) | 1994-1998? |
| Kyle D. Buckwalter (Associate/Lead) | 2002?-2023? |
| Natan Pierce | 2024- |
Crossroads Community Fellowship Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1915 | 140 |
| 1920 | 199 |
| 1930 | 460 In District |
| 1940 | 556 In District |
| 1950 | 256 |
| 1960 | 282 |
| 1970 | 190 |
| 1980 | 194 |
| 1990 | 199 |
| 2000 | 116 |
| 2009 | 115 |
Map
Map:Crossroads Community Fellowship (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)
| Author(s) | Ira D. Landis |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | January 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Landis, Ira D. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Crossroads Community Fellowship (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2025. Web. 21 May 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Community_Fellowship_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180111.
APA style
Landis, Ira D. and Richard D. Thiessen. (January 2025). Crossroads Community Fellowship (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 May 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Community_Fellowship_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180111.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1091. All rights reserved.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.