Salem Ridge Community Church (Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Cedar Grove congregation in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, withdrew from the Washington County (Maryland) and Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Conference in 1937, and became an independent congregation. Some of its members wished to remain in the conference. For some years, they met at the Reiff Mennonite Church, but wanted their own meetinghouse. This group, led by Deacon Jonas Eshleman, began meeting in homes in June 1947, and in September 1947 began using an abandoned Church of the Brethren building south of Greencastle known as Eshlemans Church. The Mennonite group also used this name. Visiting ministers led biweekly worship services. In December 1948, it launched a Sunday school. Despite some controversy, it was finally accepted as a Franklin Mennonite Conference member.
In 1955, the congregation built a new building and named itself the Salem Ridge Mennonite Church. It dedicated the new building on 7-8 January 1956. In about 2010, the congregation changed its name to Salem Ridge Community Church.
In 2017, the congregation became part of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference when the small Franklin Mennonite Conference withdrew from Mennonite Church USA and voted to become a bishop district of the Lancaster Conference (later LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches).
Bibliography
Burdge Jr., Edsel and Samuel Horst. Building on the Gospel Foundation: The Mennonites of Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Washington County, Maryland, 1730-1970. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2004: 558-561, 653-656, 693,
Additional Information
Address: 441 Pensinger Road, Greencastle, Pennsylvania 17225
Telephone: 717-597-8426
Website: https://www.salemridge.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2016)
Pastoral Leaders at Salem Ridge Community Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Visiting Ministers | 1947-1958 |
| John "J. Irvin" Lehman (1895-1985) | 1958-1985 |
| Glenn L. Eby (1924-2003) | 1961-1967 |
| Norman H. Martin (1910-1985) | 1967-1985 |
| Darwin R. Martin | 1972-1993? |
| Glenn "G. Joseph" Martin | 1983-2006? |
| Galen H. Lehman (1943-2023) | 2006?-2012? |
| Brian Emery | 2013- |
Salem Ridge Community Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1947 | 29 |
| 1950 | 43 |
| 1960 | 69 |
| 1970 | 146 |
| 1980 | 145 |
| 1990 | 164 |
| 2000 | 142 |
| 2009 | 96 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Melvin Gingerich. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 354. All rights reserved.
Salem Ridge Mennonite Church (MC), Route 3, Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was established in 1946 and had 60 members in 1957, with Charles E. Shank as minister. Its location is 3 miles south of Greencastle and one-half mile east of Route 11.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2026 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Salem Ridge Community Church (Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2026. Web. 15 Apr 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Salem_Ridge_Community_Church_(Greencastle,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181564.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2026). Salem Ridge Community Church (Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 April 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Salem_Ridge_Community_Church_(Greencastle,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181564.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.