The Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Grantsville, Maryland, had its beginning in 1874 in a Sunday school held in a log schoolhouse near Christ Gingerich's property. Charles Warner led a union Sunday school for ten years, followed by Peter Royer and Lewis Gingerich. In 1888, three persons were received into membership of the Mennonite Church (MC).

In 1890, a congregation was organized, and property was purchased to build a church. By August 1890, the church was ready for services. It was dedicated on 5 August 1890; M. S. Steiner preached the dedication sermon. The congregation became part of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference (later Allegheny Mennonite Conference).

The building underwent numerous changes over the years, including a new chimney and furnace in 1953. A major renovation in 1959 included the excavation of the basement and the addition of a vestibule. A fellowship hall and upstairs classrooms were added in 1980.

The congregation held services every two weeks into the 1950s.

In 2016, the Oak Grove congregation left the Allegheny Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Church USA and joined the Lancaster Mennonite Conference.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	January 2026

"New Meeting House." Herald of Truth 37, no. 17 (1 September 1900): 265.

"Oak Grove Mennonite Church." Shalom News 38, no. 2 (April-June 2018): 8

Shetler, Sanford G. Two centuries of struggle and growth 1763-1963: a history of Allegheny Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Allegheny Mennonite Conference, 1963: 68-71.

Additional Information

Address: 188 Zehner Road, Grantsville, Maryland 21536

Telephone:

Website: https://www.facebook.com/OakGroveMennoniteChurch/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA (Until 2016)

Pastoral Leaders at Oak Grove Mennonite Church

Name	Years of Service
Visiting Ministers/Superintendents	1890-1919
Elmer E. Bittinger (Superintendent)(1888-1969)	1919-1925
Alfred Charles "A. C." Walls (1887-1965)	1927-1960
Ressley Tressler (1897-1956)	1937-1956
Claude R. Beachy (1927-2020)	1955?-1958
Alva D. Tice (1926-2017)	1958-1965
Earl A. Yoder	1967-1994
Timothy Fetterly	1994-2010
?	2011-2015
Merlin "Mert" Maust	2015-

Oak Grove Mennonite Church Membership

Year	Members
1914	23
1920	45
1930	40
1940	59
1950	21
1960	29
1970	67
1980	128
1990	136
2000	86
2009	56

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Oak Grove Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) located 2 miles west of Grantsville, Maryland, on top of Negro Mountain, a member of the Allegheny Conference, was started as a Sunday school in a log schoolhouse. The first members were received in 1888. The first meetinghouse was built in 1900 and remodeled in 1954. The church membership reached 45 in 1920 and then gradually declined. Since 1950 the work has been revived and in 1957 there were 30 members, with A. C. Walls as pastor.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Oak Grove Mennonite Church (Grantsville, Maryland, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2026. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oak_Grove_Mennonite_Church_(Grantsville,_Maryland,_USA)&oldid=181444.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2026). Oak Grove Mennonite Church (Grantsville, Maryland, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oak_Grove_Mennonite_Church_(Grantsville,_Maryland,_USA)&oldid=181444.

Oak Grove Mennonite Church (Grantsville, Maryland, USA)

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