Diller Mennonite Church (Newville, Pennsylvania, USA)
Abram and Anna Diller and their family came to Bowmansville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1754. His widowed wife, Anna, and three sons moved to Cumberland County in 1790. Minister Andrew Bechtel was part of the Mennonite migration to the area at that time.
The congregation met in homes until it built a meetinghouse in 1826. This building was remodeled and enlarged in 1905. In 1967, the church built a new facility.
Bibliography
Burkhart, J. Paul. "The Diller Mennonite Church, Newville, Pa." Christian Monitor 14, no. 8 (August 1927): 246-247.
"Diller Mennonite Church." Shalom News 33, no. 4 (June-July 2013): 17.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 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: 244-246. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 345 Creek Road, Newville, Pennsylvania 17241
Telephone: 267-403-0639
Website: https://www.dillermennonitechurch.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Diller Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Andrew Bechtel (1751-1820) | bef. 1790-1820 |
| Francis Diller, Jr. (1743-1814) | ?-1814 |
| Emanuel Newswanger (1757-1846) | 1820?-1846 |
| Joseph Burkholder (1801-1848) | 1820s-1848 |
| Joseph Bomberger (1801-1869) | 1841-1869 |
| Abraham Burkhart (1820-1889) | 1851-1889 |
| John O. Lehman (1823-1887 | bef. 1867-1887 |
| Martin M. Whisler (1846-1906) | 1877-1884 |
| Abraham Burkholder (1847-1917) | 1885-1917 |
| Christian R. Burkholder (1848-1909) | 1890-1909 |
| Walter F. Charlton (1881-1958) | 1910-1920 1933-1958 |
| Jacob "J. Paul" Burkhart (1899-1991) | 1920-1927 |
| Visiting Ministers | 1927-1933 |
| Earl W. Mosemann (1918-2001) | 1941-1967 |
| Marvin L. Ruth (1925-2019) | 1959-1990 |
| Marlin E. Ebersole | 1974-1996 |
| Samuel L. Sheeler | 1990-1995 |
| William M. Weaver (1929-2016) | 1995-1998 |
| Lawrence A. Strouse (Interim) | 1998-2003 |
| Dennis L. Witmer (1958-2021) | 2003-2015 |
| Ezra Tice (Interim) | 2016-2017 |
| Joseph P. Kindon | 2017-2024? |
| Glenn Lauver | 2024- |
Diller Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1915 | 54 |
| 1920 | 60 |
| 1930 | 43 |
| 1940 | 32 |
| 1950 | 22 |
| 1960 | 32 |
| 1970 | 59 |
| 1980 | 68 |
| 1990 | 85 |
| 2000 | 60 |
| 2009 | 48 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 61. All rights reserved.
Diller Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located near Newville, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The Bowmansville Dillers moved near Newville in 1790. Their farmhouse was used as a meetinghouse until 1820, when a new church was built, which was enlarged in 1903. The 1954 membership and Sunday-school enrollment were 23 and 32 respectively
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Diller Mennonite Church (Newville, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2025. Web. 3 Apr 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Diller_Mennonite_Church_(Newville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180126.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2025). Diller Mennonite Church (Newville, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 April 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Diller_Mennonite_Church_(Newville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180126.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.