Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania, USA)
Hans Groff, with his family, came to Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1696, where he lived until he moved to the Pequea River in Lancaster County. In 1717, he built a home near the present location of the Groffdale Mennonite Church, northwest of New Holland. The area became known as Groffdale in recognition of settler Hans Groff.
An early Mennonite minister at Groffdale was Hans Rudolph Nägele, who was ordained by 1720. However, he left the Mennonites in 1725, becoming a convert to Johann Conrad Beissel's group, which became the Seventh Day Baptists who established the Ephrata Cloister. Beissel also influenced other Mennonites.
According to tradition, Martin Groff and the sons of Hans Groff built Groffdale's first log meetinghouse in 1755 on land set apart for this purpose in the original grant to Hans Groff. An acre was set aside for a cemetery then, though burials there preceded this transaction.
Christian Burkholder, ordained as bishop in 1778, provided leadership during tumultuous political and religious times in Lancaster County. This included Mennonites paying fines instead of militia service, resistance to a mandatory oath of allegiance, requests for public schools, migration of some families to Ontario, and competition for members with the new United Brethren in Christ denomination. In response to these challenges, Burkholder wrote a book directed at youth, first printed in 1804. Burkholder's Nützliche und erbauliche Anrede an die Jugend von der wahren Busse provided instruction about Mennonite faith. He used the material much before it was printed, as the forward is dated in 1792.
In 1823, a limestone building replaced the log meetinghouse. Detailed records about its construction have survived. Two other meetinghouses were built in the Groffdale area in the following years—1827 in the Metzler area and "The Pike" east of Hinkletown before 1840. During these years, the bishop of the district usually came from one of the two larger congregations.
In the 1840s, the Groffdale congregation suffered a division when the recently ordained minister Jacob W. Stauffer protested against lax discipline in the Mennonite church. By 1845, Stauffer was silenced, but he and Jacob Weber were among those who formed the conservative Stauffer Mennonite Church. This was a time of larger change within the church, as the English language became more used and pressure to initiate Sunday schools increased. The Civil War also added pressure as some Mennonite young men joined the Union Army or paid for volunteers to take their place.
In about 1886, a frame addition on the meetinghouse's south end increased the worship space. During these years, worship services were held every two weeks. In 1893, the district suffered from the Old Order Mennonite division led by Jonas H. Martin, the bishop ordained at Weaverland, who also served Groffdale. One-third of the district membership joined the Old Order and soon built two Old Order meetinghouses.
The Metzler and Groffdale congregations were served by the same ministers until 1905; after that, a gradual separation took place.
By 1908, the modified stone and frame building needed extensive repairs. On 13 June 1909, the congregation decided to build a new brick meetinghouse with a basement. Stones from the old building were used for the new church's foundation. It opened for worship on 10 February 1910 with a coal furnace and electric lights powered by a generator. The congregation added an extension to the building in 1976 and planned another building project in the 1990s.
The congregation initiated more programs with the new meetinghouse, including singing schools, a sewing circle in 1920, and a young people's meeting in 1921.
In 1948, the congregation helped to launch a mission outpost at Palo Alto, near Pottsville. Lester Hoover from Groffdale served as the founding minister.
Bibliography
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 267, 319, 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: 121-122, 125-135, 151. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Wenger, A. Grace. Frontiers of faithfulness: the story of the Groffdale Mennonite Church. Leola, Pa.: Groffdale Mennonite Church, 1992.
Additional Information
Address: 168 North Groffdale Road, Leola, Pennsylvania 17540
Telephone: 717-656-6388
Website: https://www.groffdale.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Groffdale Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Hans Rudolph Nägele (ca. 1668-1765) | 1720?-1725 |
| Hans Peter Summy (1674?-1740s? | 1730s-1740s |
| Christian Wenger (1698-1772) | 1740s-1772 |
| Martin Groff (ca. 1720-1759) | Before 1755-1759 |
| Martin Huber (1725-1785) | 1760s-1785? |
| Christian Burkholder (1746-1809) (Bishop) |
1770-1778 1778-1809 |
| Abraham Reiff (1735-1788) | 1770s?-1788 |
| Christian Horst (1755-1837) | 1780s-1837 |
| Joseph G. Wenger (1766-1851) | 1800s?-1851 |
| William Westheffer (1785-1851) | 1810-1826 |
| Abraham Burkholder (1768-1840) | 1810?-1820? |
| Jacob Weber (1796-1861) | 1830-1846 |
| Jacob W. Stauffer (1811-1855) | 1840-1845 |
| Abraham S. Martin (1799-1889) | 1847-1885 |
| Joseph E. Wenger (1829-1907) | 1857-1907 |
| Elias W. Nolt (1824-1900) | 1868-1900 |
| Esaias G. Witmer (1856-1937) | 1895-1937 |
| Noah H. Mack (1861-1948) (Bishop) |
1900-1919 1919-1926 |
| Benjamin G. Wenger (1875-1942) | 1908-1942 |
| Banks S. Winey (1858-1918) | 1910-1918 |
| Eli G. Sauder (1888-1979) | 1920-1979 |
| Amos H. Sauder (1912-2000) (Bishop) |
1940-1962 1962- |
| Lester M. Hoover (1921-2010) | 1944-1948 |
| John S. Martin (1908-1964) (Bishop) |
1949-1962 1962-1964 |
| Curvin R. Buchen(Assistant) | 1962- |
| Charles W. Wert (Bishop) |
1965-1988 1988-1996 |
| Keith Blank (Youth) | 1986-1989 |
| Ray M. Martin (Youth/Assistant) | 1989-2000? |
| Timothy L. Herr | 1990-1999 |
| Timothy Horst (Youth) | 1992-2000 |
| Craig Sensenig (Youth/Assistant) | 2000-2004 |
| James R. Martin (Interim) | 2000-2001 |
| James R. Leaman | 2001-2009 |
| Thomas L. Eshleman (Associate) (Lead) |
2005-2009 2009- |
| Kathy Weaver Wenger (Associate) | 2010?-2017 |
| Austin Horning (Youth/Associate) | 2015?-2019 |
| Krista Snader (Associate) | 2021- |
Groffdale Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 240 |
| 1920 | 260 |
| 1930 | 290 |
| 1940 | 328 |
| 1950 | 360 |
| 1960 | 320 |
| 1970 | 301 |
| 1980 | 301 |
| 1990 | 311 |
| 2000 | 267 |
| 2009 | 179 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 587. All rights reserved.
The Groffdale Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located two miles northwest of New Holland, Pennsylvania, is a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The first meetinghouse was built of logs in 1755 on Hans Groff's vast acreage. A stone addition was built in 1823. In 1909 the new brick church was built which was enlarged in 1936. The congregation cooperated in the Palo Alto Mission from the start, releasing one of its ministers, Lester M. Hoover, to serve there. In 1954 Mahlon Witmer was the bishop in charge, with Eli G. Sauder, Arnos Sauder, and John S. Martin as ministers and Floyd Graybill as deacon.
Though a large percentage are still farmers, the Old Order Mennonites were buying up most of the land around them. Until 1905 the Metzler and Groffdale congregations were served by the same ministers; after that a gradual separation took place. First they had separate deacons and gradually a separate ministry. In 1953 all except two ministers were serving both congregations. The membership in 1953 was 348.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2025. Web. 2 Apr 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groffdale_Mennonite_Church_(Leola,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180405.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2025). Groffdale Mennonite Church (Leola, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2 April 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groffdale_Mennonite_Church_(Leola,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180405.
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