Sharon Mennonite Church (Steelton, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Steelton Colored Mission in Steelton, Pennsylvania, opened in 1952 as a mission outreach of the Elizabethtown Mennonite Church. In 1955, it changed its name to Sharon Mennonite Church. It dedicated a building for the mission on 11 September 1955. This mission was an effort to create a separate African American Mennonite congregation in Steelton. Some African Americans had participated in the Steelton Gospel Mission, but Steelton community life remained segregated in the early 1950s.
Integration became possible when Steelton's young people from both congregations participated together at Camp Hebron in 1958. The community's high schools were then integrated, followed by various clubs. The Mennonites integrated the Summer Bible Schools in 1961.
On 27 October 1963, the Sharon Mennonite Church and the Steelton Mennonite Gospel Mission merged as one congregation at the latter's site.
Bibliography
Cline, Richard. "Joy unspeakableː outreach, revival, and racial integration in Steelton, Pa." Shalom News 37, no. 4 (October-December 2017)ː 3-5.
"Dedication of Sharon Mission...." Gospel Herald 48,, no. 35 (30 August 1955): 836.
"The middle wall falls again." Gospel Herald 57. no. 3 (21 January 1964): 59.
"Steelton missions integrate." Gospel Herald 56, no. 45 (12 November 1963)J: 1015.
Additional Information
Address: Main & Francis Streets, Steelton, Pennsylvania
Meeting Place:
Telephone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church (MC)
Pastoral Leaders at Sharon Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Supplied Ministers | 1952-1963 |
Sharon Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 20 |
| 1963 | 15 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 512. All rights reserved.
Sharon Mennonite Church located in Steelton, Pennsylvania, at 401 Main St., an African American congregation, an outpost of the Elizabethtown congregation of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, opened in 1952.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2026 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Sharon Mennonite Church (Steelton, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2026. Web. 16 Apr 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Sharon_Mennonite_Church_(Steelton,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181915.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2026). Sharon Mennonite Church (Steelton, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Sharon_Mennonite_Church_(Steelton,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181915.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.