Petra Church (New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Petra Christian Fellowship in New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA, began as an outreach church of the Hopewell Mennonite Church of Elverson. The church began in January 1983 with a send-off service for 40 people on 2 January 1983. Lester and Erma Zimmerman provided the initial leadership for the new group.
The group initially met in the New Holland Fire Station. In 1985 the congregation bought eight acres of land on Airport Road for $57,000. It broke ground for an all-purpose building on 1 June 1986. In 1987, it dedicated a $550,000 building with a 500-seat sanctuary. In 1991, it added an education wing and, in 1999, dedicated a $3.7-million sanctuary seating 1,800. In 2004 it expanded its land to include a cemetery, athletic fields, and community gardens.
In 1991, Petra launched an outreach in the Lititz-Manheim area that became the Immanuel Christian Fellowship.
Petra Christian Fellowship became part of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1985. In 2001 it was part of the decision by a group of congregations to form the Hopewell Network of Churches that left the Atlantic Coast Conference and Mennonite Church USA. It then became a non-denominational congregation. In 2013 it had about 1,500 members.
In 2022 the congregation remained part of the Hopewell Network of Churches. Sometime in the 2010s, it changed its name to Petra Church.
Bibliography
Hanlon, Audrey. "Outreach in New Holland." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 4, no. 2 (March-April 1983): 2.
Kern, Joan. "Petra Christian Fellowship celebrates 30 years." LancasterOnline. 19 September 2013. Web. 27 January 2022. https://lancasteronline.com/religion/petra-christian-fellowship-celebrates-30-years/article_c1f498bf-33c2-57c3-9e99-5714496eb4ab.html.
"Petra Christian Fellowship holds ground-breaking service." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 7, no. 5 (September-October 1986): 2.
Zimmerman, Lester. A Barn for the Harvest-Thirty Years of Faithfulness: The Story of Petra Christian Fellowship. New Holland, Pa.: Petra Christian Fellowship, 2013.
Additional Information
Address: 565 Airport Road, New Holland, Pennsylvania 17557
Phone: 717-354-5394
Website: https://petra.church/
Denominational Affiliations: Hopewell Network
Pastoral Leaders at Petra Church to 2001
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Lester Zimmerman | 1983-2020 |
| Timothy M. Gorno (Associate) | 1989-1994 |
| Michael A. Tangert (Assistant) | 1990-1994 |
| Michael Ingold (Assistant) | 1994-1997 |
| Darryl S. Henson (Associate) | 1995-2009 |
| J. C. Ebersole (Youth) | 1998-? |
| Titus Kauffman | 2000-present |
Membership at Petra Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 30 |
| 1990 | 135 |
| 2000 | 264 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2022 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Petra Church (New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2022. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Petra_Church_(New_Holland,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=173038.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2022). Petra Church (New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Petra_Church_(New_Holland,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=173038.
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