James Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
The James Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, began as the Lancaster Mennonite Mission in 1897. It followed the East Chestnut Street Mission. The first Sunday school of the new mission took place on 4 July 1897 at 310 North Street in a rented dwelling, formerly a brothel. Twenty-eight children attended the first Sunday, and 58 on the second. Benjamin F. Herr served as the first superintendent of the mission.
By 1899, this mission of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference had moved to 462 Rockland Street. In July 1908, the conference purchased a former Baptist church at 112 E. Vine Street. The mission became popularly known as the Vine Street Mission. B. F. Herr remained superintendent at the new location, though daily operations were carried by one or two single women who lived on-site at the mission. In the early years, the most prominent of these women were Elizabeth E. Myers and Elizabeth G. Musser.
Some conflict occurred when African Americans attended services, raising objections from some of the traditional Mennonites. Later the Lancaster Mennonites set up a "Colored Mission" within the city.
Renovations took place at the Vine Street Mission in 1920/21, including digging a cellar, adding services like hot water, bath, and toilet, and creating storage space on the first floor. In 1927 Weaver's Book Store began in the basement of the mission. A couple of years later, a building site was purchased further south in the city, with the thought of moving the mission. However, the Vine Street Mission remained at that location until 1974, when urban development led the congregation to purchase and renovate another church building at 343 North Charlotte Street. That facility was dedicated on 16-17 November 1974. In 2000, after renovating a converted brick warehouse in northwest Lancaster, the church moved once again to its 2021 location at 323 West James Street.
On 31 May 1931, the mission held its first Sunday morning worship service. Its superintendent, D. Stoner Krady, was ordained as a minister the following year. This marked a transition from being only mission-focused to becoming a self-standing congregation with its own membership.
During the early part of the Depression, Vine Street became a "Relief Station" in Lancaster City. D. Stoner Krady assessed the needs of cases that came to the mission and referred needy people to sources of food and other necessities. In 1933, the mission served 3458 meals to unemployed men, who received not a meal, but a message of salvation. The lead staff person at the mission in those years was Anna Winters.
In April 2017 James Street transferred its membership to the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA. This decision was taken after the Lancaster Mennonite Conference decided in 2015 to withdraw from Mennonite Church USA.
Throughout its history, James Street has consistently chosen to remain an urban church that welcomed a diversity of thought. In 2018 it modified its membership guidelines, promoting inclusion based on active participation, became a welcoming church for LGBTQ individuals and couples.
Part of its mission statement read, "We envision being a gracious Christian community in a world that is increasingly polarized, offering a safe context where people are welcome to embrace our uniqueness and express their differences in an atmosphere of belonging."
Bibliography
"Charlotte Street Mennonite Church." Gospel Herald 67, no. 48 (10 December 1974): 941.
"James Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 40, no. 3 (Fall 2019): 10.
Krady, D. Stoner. "Lancaster, Pa." Gospel Herald 24, no. 9 (4 Jaune 1931): 238.
Mininger, J. D. "Mennonite Mission, Lancaster, Pa." Gospel Herald 8, no. 28 (7 October 1915): 452-453.
Myers, Elizabeth E. "Lancaster, Pa." Gospel Herald 13, no. 32 (4 November 1920): 605.
"Our history." James Street Mennonite Church. Web. 11 December 2021. https://www.jsmchurch.org/about-jsmc/our-history/.
"Report of the Quarterly Meeting of the Mennonite S. S. Mission, held in Paradise, Lancaster County, Pa. on Thursday, July 22, 1897." Herald of Truth 34, no. 16 (15 August 1897): 250.
Sauder, J. Paul. "Lancaster Relief Station." Gospel Herald 25, no. 38 (22 December 1932): 812-813.
Winters, Anna. "Lancaster, Pa." Gospel Herald 26, no. 42 (18 January 1934): 884.
Additional Information
Address: 323 West James Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603-2911
Phone: 717-397-6707
Website: James Street Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations:
Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA
Superintendents and Pastoral Leaders at James Street Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Benjamin F. Herr (1845-1921) (Superintendent) |
1896-1911 |
| Christian H. Mosemann (1881-1942) (Superintendent) |
1911-1914 |
| David H. Mosemann (1875-1946) (Superintendent) |
1914-1915 |
| Eli W. Weaver (Superintendent) | 1915-1919 |
| Abram Eby (Superintendent | 1919-1923 |
| C. Z. Martin (1893-1961) (Superintendent) |
1919-1920 |
| D. Stoner Krady (1894-1966) (Superintendent) (Bishop) |
1923-1937 1937-1966 |
| Amos S. Rutt (1903-1966) | 1938-1944 |
| Franklin M. Enck (1906-1966) (Bishop) |
1946-1957 1957-1966 |
| J. Clair Hollinger (1929-2017) | 1958-1979 |
| Harold E. Reed (1934-2017) | 1980-1983 |
| Jeryl Hollinger (Bishop) |
1983-1993 1993-1994 |
| Leon J. Miller | 1989-2001 |
| B. Frank Peachey | 1994-2002 |
| Marlin E. Thomas (Interim) | 2002-2004 |
| Elizabeth G. Nissley (Associate) | 2002-2013 |
| Stanley R. Shantz | 2004-present |
| Kathy Keener Shantz (Associate) | 2005-2016 |
| Carmen D. Horst Okanya (Associate) | 2011-present |
Membership at James Street Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1920 | Part of East Chestnut |
| 1930 | Part of East Chestnut |
| 1940 | 95 |
| 1950 | 100 |
| 1960 | 80 |
| 1970 | 79 |
| 1980 | 129 |
| 1990 | 152 |
| 2000 | 236 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2020 | 256 |
Map
Map:James Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 279. All rights reserved.
The Lancaster Mennonite Mission (Mennonite Church), often called the Vine Street Mission, located in a former Baptist church at 112 E. Vine Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was first was opened on North Street on 4 July 1896 following the organization of the Lancaster Sunday School Mission. B. F. Herr and David Lantz were the first superintendents. By 1899 the mission was located at 462 Rockland Street, and by 1908 at the Vine Street address. The John Mosemanns, D. Parke Lantz, D. Stoner Krady, and others received valuable missionary experience here. For a time Weaver's Book Store and Printery was housed in the basement. The 1954 membership was 85, with Frank M. Enck as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "James Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2021. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=James_Street_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172870.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2021). James Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=James_Street_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172870.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.