East Petersburg Mennonite Church (East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Petersburg Mennonite Church began in homes in East Hempfield Township of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, before the 1830s and as early as the 1720s. In April 1831, Jacob Hershey donated land and a building for the "use and benefit" of the Society called Mennonites, though other Protestant ministers were welcome to use the building when the Mennonites were not using it. The log building may have been built before the Revolutionary War and had also been used as a school. The congregation met for worship every four weeks into the 1940s.
In 1867, the congregation built a brick church in the northern part of the village and transferred the original church and land to a Church of the Brethren congregation. The brick church was dismantled in 1896, and a larger meetinghouse with a basement was erected. It was enlarged and remodeled, with a dedication on 27 December 1933. It had further renovations in 1961 and 1997.
In 1882, the town became known as East Petersburg to help the postal system distinguish it from other Petersburgs in Pennsylvania. Consequently, the church eventually became East Petersburg Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
"East Petersburg Mennonite Church." Shalom News 34, no. 5 (October-December 2014)ː 17.
"East Petersburg, Pa." Gospel Herald 26, no. 43 (25 January 1934): 926.
"Our Mennonite Churches: East Petersburg." Gospel Herald 55, no. 46 (20 November 1962): 1022.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 1138-1169.
"Walking tour of historic East Petersburg." 2006. Web. 20 January 2025. https://www.eastpetersburgborough.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/East-Pete-Walking-Tour-Brochure.pdf
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: 192-194, 206-207. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 6279 Main Street, East Petersburg, Pennsylvania 17520
Telephone: 717-569-9931
Website: https://www.eastpetemc.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at East Petersburg Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| John Sloat (1798-1848) | bef. 1837?-1848 |
| Christian Becker (1799-1875) | 1837-1875 |
| John B. Landis (1820-1902) | 1849-1902 |
| Tobias Shenk (1822-1915) | 1868-1915 |
| John Rohrer (1827-1908) | 1892-1908 |
| Christian M. Lefever (1861-1920) | 1902-1920 |
| Frank N. Kreider (1868-1957) | 1907-1957 |
| John H. Gochnauer (1877-1948) | 1922-1948 |
| James B. Siegrist (1924-2009) | 1944-1960 |
| Irvin K. Kreider (1899-1991) | 1948-1980s |
| John B. Shenk (1930-2022) | 1963-1998 |
| Donald W. Good (1941-2022) | 1973-1985 |
| Glen M. Sell (Interim) | 1984?-1987? |
| Karl E. Steffy | 1988-2007 |
| Kenneth "Eugene" Forrey (Associate) | 1999?-2007 |
| Derrick Garber (Youth) | 2004?-2009 |
| William D. Blank (Interim) | 2008-2010 |
| Luann Yutzy | 2010-2013? |
| Robert E. Nolt | 2011-2017 |
| Jeffrey McLain (Associate) (Lead) |
2013-2017 2017-2020 |
| Chelsea Delp (Children and Youth) | 2014-2017 |
| Joshua Buser (Worship) | 2018- |
| Chad Sufficool | 2023- |
East Petersburg Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 12-15 |
| 1913 | 350 |
| 1920 | 343 |
| 1930 | 460 |
| 1940 | 454 |
| 1950 | 402 |
| 1960 | 390 |
| 1970 | 355 |
| 1980 | 354 |
| 1990 | 343 |
| 2000 | 317 |
| 2009 | 332 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 122-123. All rights reserved.
The East Petersburg Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. From 1831 this congregation had a meetinghouse in East Petersburg on the site of the present Brethren church. It was an old log house that had formerly been a union church-schoolhouse, probably built in pre-Revolution days. The membership at that date was but 12-15, although numerous Mennonite families had settled in this area. But by 1867 the group was sufficiently large to build a brick church 40 x 60 ft. on the present location on the north edge of the village, and by 1896 the present church became necessary. This has since been enlarged and remodeled. David B. Huber and Benjamin F. Charles were the first Sunday-school superintendents (1893). In 1954 the membership was 450. The deacon is Wallace M. Hottenstein and the ministers are Frank N. Kreider, his son Irvin Kreider, and James B. Siegrist.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "East Petersburg Mennonite Church (East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2025. Web. 3 Apr 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=East_Petersburg_Mennonite_Church_(East_Petersburg,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180135.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2025). East Petersburg Mennonite Church (East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 April 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=East_Petersburg_Mennonite_Church_(East_Petersburg,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180135.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.