Members of five denominations worked together in 1898 to build a meetinghouse in Gortner, Maryland, four miles south of Oakland, on land donated by David Slabach. The five denominations were Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, United Brethren, Lutherans, and Methodists, though the Methodists dropped out before the building was completed. In modern times, only the Mennonites and Church of the Brethren remain part of the "union." In 1937, the building was rotated and placed on a basement. This was done to eliminate the high steps into the original building. Soon after the congregation made this shift, lightning struck the building, shattering 16 glass panes and burning a small hole in the roof.

D. H. Bender preached at the meetinghouse's morning dedication service on 16 October 1898. Other denominational ministers spoke in the afternoon and evening. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference recognized Gortner as a mission outpost in 1899. Gideon D. Miller of the Springs Mennonite Church provided initial leadership. Mennonite services were held every four weeks.

Gortner Union held its first revival meetings in 1899 and its first Summer Bible School in 1934. The congregation started a sewing circle in 1930 to provide school clothing for a local family.

The Mennonite connection to the Union Church appeared to lapse after Daniel L. Swartzentruber died in 1967. Gortner was not listed in the Mennonite Yearbook between 1968 and 1974. It reappeared with lay leadership in 1975. During the 1980s and 1990s, the group was also known as the Gortner Mennonite Fellowship.

In February 2015, Gortner Union Church voted to be released from membership in the Allegheny Mennonite Conference, citing differences about how to deal with same-sex relationships. Subsequently, in about 2019, it became a member of LMCː a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches. In 2024, the Church of the Brethren part of the Union Church withdrew from that denomination, leaving the Gortner Union Church as a Mennonite congregation.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	March 2025

"Arrangements have been made...." Gospel Herald 29, no. 46 (11 February 1937): 984.

"Gortner, Md." Gospel Herald 30, no. 17 (22 July 1937): 381, 384.

Houser, Gordon. "Allegheny Narrowly Votes to Reinstate Hyattsville." The Mennonite. 9 March 2015. Web. 10 March 2025. https://anabaptistworld.org/allegheny-votes-to-reinstate-hyattsville/.

Lichty, Mary. "Worth-while experiences in sewing circle work." Gospel Herald 32, no. 40 (4 January 1940): 858.

"New union church house." Herald of Truth 35, no. 23 (1 December 1898): 361.

Shetler, Sanford G. Two centuries of struggle and growth 1763-1963: a history of Allegheny Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Allegheny Mennonite Conference, 1963: 71-73.

Yoder, Kelli. "After 10 Years, Allegheny Reinstates Hyattsville Church." Mennonite World Review. 11 March 2015. Web. 10 March 2025. https://anabaptistworld.org/after-10-years-allegheny-reinstates-hyattsville-church/.

Additional Information

Address: 4391 Mason School Road, Oakland, Maryland, USA 21550

Telephone: 301-334-4305

Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/5432764806839488

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Pastoral Leaders at Gortner Union Church

Name	Years of Service
Gideon D. Miller (1862-1941)	1899-1903
Edward D. Miller (1876-1968)	1903-1915 1921-1922
Noah E. Miller (1880-1930)	1915-1920
Milton B. Miller (1892- )	1923-1940s
Ressley Tressler (1897-1956)	1940s-1954
Daniel L. Swartzentruber (1895-1967)	1954-1967
Lay Leadership?	1967-1995
Steven E. Sauder (1958-2017)	1995-2017
John Martin	2019-2021?
Ronald Gordon	2022-

Gortner Union Church Mennonite Membership

Year	Members
1913	7
1920	9
1930	8
1940	19
1950	17
1960	17
1970	0
1980	0
1990	12
2000	29
2009	38

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Gortner Union Church, a congregation in Garrett County, Maryland, was organized in the spring of 1893 by the people of the Gortner community. They had a Sunday-school attendance of approximately 40, and some preaching appointments in the schoolhouse by United Brethren and Mennonite ministers.

In 1898 the Gortner Union Church was built (26 x 42 ft). Labor and material were donated, and the building was completed at a cash cost of approximately $600, and dedicated 16 October 1898, three different denominations taking part. In the forenoon, D. H. Bender conducted Mennonite services; afternoon, Tobias Fike, German Baptist; and evening, Franklin M. Glenn, United Brethren. During the first year several denominations conducted revivals. S. G. Shetler conducted the first revival by the Mennonites in 1899. The church was remodeled in 1937. In 1954 it had a membership of 17 Mennonites, with D. L. Swartzentruber as pastor.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Gortner Union Church (Oakland, Maryland, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2025. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gortner_Union_Church_(Oakland,_Maryland,_USA)&oldid=180333.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2025). Gortner Union Church (Oakland, Maryland, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gortner_Union_Church_(Oakland,_Maryland,_USA)&oldid=180333.

Gortner Union Church (Oakland, Maryland, USA)

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