Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church
Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church was formed in 1968 when a group of bishops, ministers, and deacons were granted a release from the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The separation was by mutual agreement and by official sanction of the conference.
The group adheres to the Mennonite Confession of Faith (Christian Fundamentals, 1921, Garden City, Missouri) and to many of the practices which had been upheld by the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, including the conference-type of church organization and government (polity). The Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church has a written statement of standards known as the Rules and Discipline, which is reviewed every three or four years and then ratified again by the congregations. The purpose for seeking release from the Lancaster Mennonite Conference was to develop a church program that would help preserve biblical practice and the historic Mennonite values. The Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church does not accept divorce and remarriage. Women wear headcoverings and have uncut hair. Men, as a rule, do not enter the professions. They wear plain clothing (dress), and their life is built around the church, schools, and religious activities. They do not engage in worldly amusements, nor do they follow organized sports. The use of radio and television is not allowed. Their life-style reflects the old Mennonite traditions.
Regular worship services include Sunday school and preaching every Sunday morning, Sunday evening services, and midweek prayer meetings. The singing is in four-part harmony without accompaniment, with some emphasis on singing instruction and special song services. No special group singing is allowed in worship services. Ministers are unsalaried and chosen from the congregation by nomination and the use of the lot.
Life insurance is not permitted and generally members do not use auto, health, fire, or other insurances, but rather employ a unique method of brotherhood assistance (mutual aid) that is directed by the deacons of the congregations.
Children of members do not attend public schools. Private schools are provided by the group so that all the member families have access to them. Teachers are not college-trained. Many of the students continue in school through 10th grade.
The Mennonite Messianic Mission, Inc. directs the group's missions in Guatemala, the Bahamas, Paraguay and Ghana. The church's monthly periodical, Eastern Mennonite Testimony, is published by the Publication Board.
The group sponsors a 15-week winter Bible school at Numidia, Pennsylvania. The school is especially provided for young people in their late teens and early 20s, and offers a wide variety of Bible and practical studies. Each summer the school offers a two-week training course for school teachers, and in December a ministers' fellowship and seminar is provided. Service opportunities are provided in relief work, literature evangelism, child care, and in elderly care.
Many congregations are located in eastern Pennsylvania. Congregations are also located in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Vermont, Texas, Ohio, Maine, Wisconsin, Indiana, Washington, Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Manitoba, and British Columbia, and in the mission countries mentioned above.
In 2010 the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church had 77 congregations with 5,333 members. The conference also had 59 schools.
Congregations
Congregation | City | State/Province/Country | Members |
---|---|---|---|
Antrim Mennonite Church | Greencastle | Pennsylvania | 105 |
Arroyo Claro Mennonite Church | Itapua | Paraguay | 13 |
Bairs Codorus Mennonite Church | York | Pennsylvania | 37 |
Bernville Mennonite Church | Bernville | Pennsylvania | 79 |
Bethel Mennonite Church | Quarryville | Pennsylvania | 85 |
Blanket Sound Mennonite Church | N Andros Island | Bahamas | 33 |
Blue Rock Mennonite Church | Lancaster | Pennsylvania | 122 |
Centerville Mennonite Church | Martindale | Pennsylvania | 127 |
Chilliwack Mennonite Church | Chilliwack | British Columbia, Canada | 8 |
Churchtown Mennonite Church | Carlisle | Pennsylvania | 62 |
Clearview Mennonite Church | Arthur | Illinois | 27 |
Conestoga Drive Mennonite Church | Lancaster | Pennsylvania | 53 |
Crystal Light Mennonite Church | Croghan | New York | 76 |
Culbertson Mennonite Church | Chambersburg | Pennsylvania | 139 |
Danskin Mennonite Church | Burns Lake | British Columbia, Canada | 59 |
Danville Mennonite Church | Danville | Pennsylvania | 123 |
Decker Lake Mennonite Church | Burns Lake | British Columbia, Canada | 57 |
Deer Park Mennonite Church | Loon Lake | Washington | 35 |
Denver Mennonite Church | Denver | Pennsylvania | 107 |
Dohner Mennonite Church | Lebanon | Pennsylvania | 88 |
Eden Mennonite Church | Palestina | Guatemala | 68 |
Ewing Mennonite Church | Ewing | Illinois | 114 |
Flora Mennonite Church | Flora | Indiana | 29 |
French Creek Mennonite Church | Cambridge Springs | Pennsylvania | 82 |
Goodwill Mennonite Church | Thompsontown | Pennsylvania | 85 |
Gray's Prairie Mennonite Church | Scurry | Texas | 66 |
Guiscoyol Mennonite Church | La Maquina | Retalhuleu, Guatemala | 41 |
Hartleton Mennonite Church | Millmont | Pennsylvania | 84 |
Hegins Valley Mennonite Church | Hegins | Pennsylvania | 77 |
Highland Mennonite Church | Bear | Delaware | 69 |
Hildebrand Mennonite Church | Hermitage | Virginia | 5 |
Honey Brook Mennonite Church | Honey Brook | Pennsylvania | 118 |
Hopewell Mennonite Church | Mount Airy | Maryland | 61 |
Indian Creek Mennonite Church | Telford | Pennsylvania | 78 |
Kenton Mennonite Church | Clayton | Delaware | 60 |
La Cumbre Mennonite Church | Quetzaltenango | Guatemala | 31 |
La Montana de Fe Mennonite Church | Catupyry | Itapua, Paraguay | 52 |
La Victoria Mennonite Church | Quetzaltenango | Guatemala | 35 |
Latimore Mennonite Church | York Springs | Pennsylvania | 64 |
Little Mountain Mennonite Church | Fredericksburg | Pennsylvania | 154 |
Maple River Mennonite Church | Ionia | Michigan | 2 |
Mechanicsville Mennonite Church | Mechanicsville | Maryland | 53 |
Mendon Mennonite Church | Mendon | Massachusetts | 45 |
Metter Mennonite Church | Metter | Georgia | 71 |
Millerstown Mennonite Church | Millerstown | Pennsylvania | 108 |
Miners Village Mennonite Church | Cornwall | Pennsylvania | 122 |
Montney Mennonite Church | Montney | British Columbia, Canada | 53 |
Mount Pleasant Mennonite Church | Dongola | Illinois | 70 |
Mountain View Mennonite Church | Carlisle | Pennsylvania | 85 |
New England Valley Mennonite Church | Tamaqua | Pennsylvania | 56 |
New Hope Mennonite Church | Altona | Manitoba, Canada | 36 |
Orchardville Mennonite Church | Keenes | Illinois | 98 |
Owasco Lake Mennonite Church | Auburn | New York | 63 |
Owen Mennonite Church | Owen | Wisconsin | 116 |
Peace River Mennonite Church | Arcadia | Florida | 40 |
Pira Poi Mennonite Church | Colonia La Montana | Itapua, Paraguay | 6 |
Pleasant Ridge Mennonite Church | Thorp | Wisconsin | 44 |
Rheems Mennonite Church | Mount Joy | Pennsylvania | 88 |
Richland Mennonite Church | Richland | Pennsylvania | 113 |
Riverside Mennonite Church | Kenton | Ohio | 58 |
Rochester Mennonite Church | Rochester | Washington | 61 |
Santo Domingo Mennonite Church | San Marcos | Guatemala | 10 |
Shepherd's River Mennonite Church | Brownfield | Maine | 9 |
Simmontown Mennonite Church | Gap | Pennsylvania | 62 |
Texter Mountain Mennonite Church | Robesonia | Pennsylvania | 72 |
Valley View Mennonite Church | Stevens | Pennsylvania | 142 |
Vanderhoof Mennonite Church | Vanderhoof | British Columbia, Canada | 65 |
Varana Mennonite Church | Itapua | Paraguay | 57 |
Versailles Mennonite Church | Versailles | Missouri | 84 |
Vineland Mennonite Church | Vineland | New Jersey | 49 |
Warrensburg Mennonite Church | Centerview | Missouri | 48 |
Waterloo Mennonite Church | Waterloo | New York | 100 |
White Oak Mennonite Church | Manheim | Pennsylvania | 222 |
Williamsburg Mennonite Church | Williamsburg | Pennsylvania | 26 |
Willow Springs Mennonite Church | Emory | Texas | 51 |
Wolcott Mennonite Church | Wolcott | Vermont | 48 |
Woodbury Mennonite Church | Woodbury | Pennsylvania | 92 |
Total | 5,333 |
Bibliography
Mennonite Church Directory 2010. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 62-71.
Mennonite Church Information (2001): 38-46.
Mennonite Yearbook (1986-87): 175-78; (1997): 121-123.
Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage 7 (October 1984): 2-10.
Author(s) | Jesse Neuenschwander |
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Date Published | September 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Neuenschwander, Jesse. "Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2010. Web. 7 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eastern_Pennsylvania_Mennonite_Church&oldid=177175.
APA style
Neuenschwander, Jesse. (September 2010). Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 7 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eastern_Pennsylvania_Mennonite_Church&oldid=177175.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 253. All rights reserved.
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