The Steelton Mennonite Gospel Mission, in a blue-collar suburb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, began on 26 July 1936 in rented facilities on Second Street. Frank Hertzler had sold produce in Steelton for years and saw a mission opportunity. Tent meetings began in August of that year. The first baptismal and communion services were held in November 1936. The outreach was sponsored by the Elizabethtown and Strickler-Shope congregations. The Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions took over the mission in 1937.

In 1938, the mission moved to a three-story building at Meyer and Conestoga Streets, which the Eastern Board purchased and remodelled. Located on the west side of Steelton, it was more central to attendees, including Mexican workers and African Americans.

Beginning with World War II, the Steelton congregation was supported by Civilian Public Service men and, later, I-W men performing alternative service at the Harrisburg State Hospital.

Integration with the African American Sharon Mennonite Church two blocks away became possible when Steelton young people from both congregations participated together at Camp Hebron in 1958. The community's high schools integrated, followed by various clubs. The Mennonites integrated their 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.

In 1965, the congregation built a new church on North Third Street.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	March 2026

Brandt, Verna. "Steelton, Pa." Gospel Herald 31, no. 13 (7 July 1938): 307-308.

"The first baptismal and communion services...." Gospel Herald 29, no. 35 (26 November 1936): 744.

"The middle wall falls again." Gospel Herald 57. no. 3 (21 January 1964): 59.

Miller, Menno E. "Activities of Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, 1937." Mennonite Year-Book and Directory (1938): 14.

"Our history." Steelton Mennonite Church. Web. 13 March 2026. https://steeltonmennonite.com/history.

"Steelton missions integrate." Gospel Herald 56, no. 45 (12 November 1963): 1015.

"Tent meetings at Steelton." Gospel Herald 29, no. 22 (27 August 1936): 473.

Additional Information

Address: 501 North 3rd Street, Steelton, Pennsylvania 17113

Telephone: 717-939-2261

Website: https://steeltonmennonite.com/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA (Until 2018)

Pastoral Leaders at Steelton Mennonite Church

Name	Years of Service
Visiting ministers	1936-1939
Ira E. Miller (1912-2003)	1939-1953
Isaac M. Baer (1892-1988)	1946-1948 1950-1953
Samuel E. Miller (1898-1973)(Interim)	1948-1949
Russel J. Baer (1921-1999)	1953-1963
William Z. Yovanovich (1934-2022)	1963-1974
David "Wilbur" Erb (1916-2006)	1974-1980
Leon H. Oberholtzer	1974-1984
Ray M. Geigley	1985?-1993
Jeffrey W. Nicely	1993-1999?
Lay Leadership	1999?-2000
Victor H. Romain, Jr.	2000-

Steelton Mennonite Church Membership

Year	Members
1938	12
1940	14
1950	45
1960	45
1970	63
1980	119
1990	90
2000	82
2009	43

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Steelton Mennonite Gospel Mission (Mennonite Church) began in 1936, when a club building on South Second Street was rented for Sunday morning services. Tent meeting in the fall of 1936 with Stoner Krady as evangelist resulted in a number of responses. At the first baptismal service five were received.

Within a year another place for worship was provided in an Episcopal parish house on Pine Street. As the greater part of the growing Sunday school was from the west side of Steelton a store building was purchased on the west side at 304 Myers Street, by the Eastern Mission Board. The superintendents have been Ira Miller, Warren Metzler, Samuel Longenecker, Isaac M. Baer, and Russell J. Baer, who has been serving since 1953. The membership in 1957 was 45.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Steelton Mennonite Church (Steelton, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2026. Web. 16 Apr 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Steelton_Mennonite_Church_(Steelton,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181918.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2026). Steelton Mennonite Church (Steelton, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Steelton_Mennonite_Church_(Steelton,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181918.

Steelton Mennonite Church (Steelton, Pennsylvania, USA)

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