Scottdale Mennonite Church (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, USA)
Scottdale Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) is an outgrowth of the Mennonite settlement in the Jacobs Creek Valley of Fayette and Westmoreland counties, Pennsylvania, which began in 1789. A log meetinghouse was erected at Pennsville, in Fayette County, some time before 1800, and another at Stonerville (now Alverton), in Westmoreland County, about 1800. The settlement grew during the first fifty years, reaching a membership of 200 or more in 1840. The next fifty years was a period of decline for various reasons, such as shift of population as people moved west, use of the German language after it was outmoded, failure to use progressive methods of Christian work such as the Sunday school, and lack of adequate resident leadership, until the membership dropped to 16 in 1892. The first step toward revival was the ordination of Aaron Loucks to the ministry on 18 September 1892. The Mennonite Church of Scottdale was built on the corner of Market and Grove streets in Scottdale and dedicated on 3 December 1893. The congregation was incorporated on 24 January 1898. It superseded the use of the other two buildings in about ten years. It was replaced by a larger building on the same site in 1939. By 1905 the congregation numbered 50 members. Through the influx of people drawn into the community by the publishing interests established in Scottdale in 1905 and an active missionary program the congregation grew to a membership of 273 in 1954.
In 1906 a mission Sunday school was opened at East Scottdale and in 1934 a similar effort was begun in North Scottdale. In 1952 a new church, called the Kingview Mennonite Church, was built in East Scottdale. The congregation was organized in January 1955 with 50 charter members, a number transferring from the home congregation; in 1957 the membership was 59. The school building at North Scottdale was purchased in 1954. In 1958 the building was remodeled and a congregation of some 55 was organized.
For a number of years, the congregation was known as the Mennonite Church of Scottdale.
After holding summer joint services and combining a number of programs for several years, the Kingview and Scottdale congregations merged on 1 June 2003. At this time the congregation's name reverted again to Scottdale Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
Hartzler, J. S. and D. Kauffman. Mennonite Church History. Scottdale, 1905.
Horst, J. L. and A. Kaufman. Seventy-fifth Anniversary Observance of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference. 1951.
Preheim, Rich. "Scottdale, Pa., congregations to merge." The Mennonite 6, no. 11 (3 June 2003): 6.
Yoder, Edward. The Mennonites of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Scottdale, 1942.
Additional Information
Address: 801 Market Street, Scottdale, Pennsylvania 15683-1929
Phone: 724-887-7470
Website: https://www.facebook.com/scottdalemennonite
Denominational Affiliations: Allegheny Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Scottdale Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Aaron Loucks (1864-1945) (Bishop) |
1892-1893 1893-1933 |
| John A. Brilhart (1857-1937) | 1900-1902 1907-1937 |
| J. A. Ressler (1867-1936) | 1911-1936 |
| H. Frank Reist (1881-1967) | 1916-1918 |
| John L. Horst (1889-1964) (Bishop) |
1929-1946 1946-1957 |
| Daniel Kauffman (1865-1944)(Bishop) | 1933-1944 |
| Abram J. Metzler (1902-1996) (Bishop) |
1935-1944 1944-1946 1957-1967 |
| Harold Brenneman (1918-2010) | 1944-1954 |
| Paul Erb (1894-1984) | 1944-1955 |
| Millard C. Lind (1918-2015) | 1948-1955 |
| Willis Hallman | 1955-1959 |
| Urie Bender (1925–2018) | 1959-1960 |
| Gerald C. Studer (1927-2013) | 1961-1973 |
| John M. Drescher (1928-2014) | 1973-1978 |
| James E. Horsch | 1978-1980 |
| Robert N. Johnson (1932-1990) | 1980-1990 |
| John E. Sharp | 1991-1995 |
| Doug Amstutz | 1996-2001 |
| Wanda Roth Amstutz | 1996-2001 |
| Charles Shenk (Interim) | 2001-2003 |
| Conrad Mast | 2003-2015 |
| Donna Mast | 2003-2009? |
| David E. Mishler | 2016-present |
Membership at Scottdale Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1905 | 50 |
| 1915 | 69 |
| 1925 | 110 |
| 1930 | 129 |
| 1940 | 174 |
| 1950 | 201 |
| 1960 | 207 |
| 1970 | 213 |
| 1980 | 204 |
| 1990 | 191 |
| 2000 | 148 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2020 | 120 |
| Author(s) | John L Horst |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | October 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Horst, John L, Richard D. Thiessen and Samuel J. Steiner. "Scottdale Mennonite Church (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2021. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Scottdale_Mennonite_Church_(Scottdale,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172458.
APA style
Horst, John L, Richard D. Thiessen and Samuel J. Steiner. (October 2021). Scottdale Mennonite Church (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Scottdale_Mennonite_Church_(Scottdale,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172458.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 490. All rights reserved.
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