Muddy Creek Mennonite Church (Denver, Pennsylvania, USA)
Muddy Creek Mennonite Church was the second Hope Mennonite Fellowship (HMF) congregation to be formed. The first HMF congregation was established at Millbach and later moved to Schaefferstown. The Muddy Creek congregation formed from HMF members living in northern Lancaster County who attended Millbach. The first service on 3 January 1982 was attended by 137 people at the Grace Chapel, a vacant church building rented from the Lutherans. There were 21 charter members. Earl Horst served as bishop, Edwin Gehman and Harold Herr as ministers, and Elvin Horst as deacon.
Edwin Gehman had been ordained in Lancaster Conference in 1961 at the age of 59 years. After transferring to HMF, he preached at Muddy Creek until just before his death at 96 years of age. He had transferred from Lancaster Mennonite Conference to the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church (EPMC) in 1969, and from EPMC to HMF in 1981. Another minister who transferred his ministry to HMF at Muddy Creek was Richard Hoover, who had been ordained at Blue Ball Mennonite Church in 1988 in Mid-Atlantic Mennonite Fellowship and transferred to HMF in 2001. He was given ministerial charge at Muddy Creek in 2007. Four ordained men at Muddy Creek have resigned from their duties. They include Harold Herr, who became a missionary to Haiti; Lloyd Horst, who returned to EPMC; Clifford Stauffer, who was later given ministerial charge in the Leola congregation of Pilgrim Mennonite Conference; and Carl Martin.
In 1991 the Muddy Creek congregation purchased a six-acre tract of land near Fivepointville, Pennsylvania and built a school there. In 1997, a church building was erected and attached to the school building. In the 2015-2016 school term the school offered grades one through twelve to 53 students in five classrooms.
The Muddy Creek Mennonite Church is about three miles (five km) from the Muddy Creek Old Order Mennonite Meetinghouse that is part of the Groffdale Conference.
On 1 January 2016 the Muddy Creek Mennonite Church consisted of 110 members. The Muddy Creek congregation has given much support in personnel and finances to the HMF city mission, Allentown Mennonite Church, in Allentown Pennsylvania.
Bibliography
Burkholder, Lester M., compiler. History of Hope Mennonite Fellowship 1981-2015. Myerstown, Pa.: Little Mountain Printing, 2016.
Additional Information
Address: 988 Beam Road, Denver, PA 117517
Phone: (717) 336-7718
Website:
Denominational Affiliation: Hope Mennonite Fellowship
Muddy Creek Mennonite Church Pastoral Leaders
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Earl Horst (Bishop) | 1982-1990 |
| Edwin Gehman (Minister) | 1982–1997 |
| Elvin Horst (Deacon) (Minister) (Bishop) (Bishop) |
1981-1984 1984-1989 1989-1998 & 2006-present |
| Harold Herr (Minister) | 1981-1986 |
| Lloyd Horst (Deacon) | 1984-2001 |
| Clifford Stauffer (Minister) | 1986-2004 |
| Carl Martin (Minister) | 1994-2004 |
| Donald Stelfox (Bishop) | 1998-2006 |
| Wilmer Burkholder (Deacon) | 2001-present |
| Richard Hoover (Minister) | 2007-present |
| Jolan Martin (Minister) | 2008-present |
| Clinton Burkholder (Minister) | 2013-present |
Muddy Creek Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 110 |
Map
Map:Muddy Creek Mennonite Church (Denver, Pennsylvania, USA)
| Author(s) | Lester M Burkholder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2016 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Burkholder, Lester M. "Muddy Creek Mennonite Church (Denver, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2016. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Muddy_Creek_Mennonite_Church_(Denver,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177094.
APA style
Burkholder, Lester M. (June 2016). Muddy Creek Mennonite Church (Denver, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Muddy_Creek_Mennonite_Church_(Denver,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177094.
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