Stony Brook Mennonite Church (York, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Stony Brook Mennonite Church, initially known as Witmer's Meetinghouse until the 1890s, was located on the Lincoln Highway east of York, Pennsylvania. It had a meetinghouse by 1803, one block southwest of the present site. A deed of 1818 states that "David Sprenkle of West Manchester Township sold to David Witmer, Rudolph Forry, both of Spring Garden Township, and Michael Strickler of Hellam Township, Trustees of congregation worshiping at the Mennonist Meetinghouse at the stone ridge in Spring Garden Township 77 P for $72.18, for the Mennist Church, worshiping in and around Spring Garden Township, and for those permitted by said congregation to bury their dead on the Grave Yard, contained on same Lot and for no other purpose whatsoever." This was alongside an earlier family cemetery. The meetinghouse was enlarged several times, and in 1884 it was enlarged and considerably renovated.
The congregation began a Sunday school in 1896.
In 1912, the Stony Brook congregation moved into town and built a brick church, 50 x 75 feet. One stated reason for the move was to be nearer the trolley line. The congregation dedicated the new meetinghouse on Good Friday, 21 March 1913.
Bibliography
"Arrangements have been made...." Gospel Herald 5, no. 24 (12 September 1912): 376.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 420, 1138-1169.
Weaver, Martin G. Mennonites of Lancaster Conference: containing biographical sketches of Mennonite leaders, histories of congregations, missions, and Sunday schools, record of ordinations, and other interesting historical data. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1931. Reprinted Ephrata, PA: Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church Publication Board, 1982: 260-264, 274, 286. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 15 Locust Grove Road, York, Pennsylvania 17402
Telephone: 717-757-5533
Website: https://www.stonybrookmennonite.com/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2018)
Pastoral Leaders at Stony Brook Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Henry Strickler (1750-1816) | By 1815-1816 |
| Abraham Roth (1773-1854) (Bishop) |
?-1835? 1835?-1854 |
| David Witmer (1772-1843) | ?-1843 |
| Jacob Lehman (1803-1858) (Bishop) |
1835-1854 1854-1858 |
| John Hostetter (1791-1866) (Bishop) |
?-1845 1845-1866 |
| Frederick Stauffer (1813-1884) (Bishop) |
1841-1870 1870-1884 |
| Daniel Stauffer (1808-1881) | ?-1881 |
| Daniel Shank (1832-1906) (Bishop) |
1854-1878 1878-1906 |
| David K. Witmer (1811-1891) | 1871-1891 |
| Joseph Forry, Sr. (1821-1892) | 1884-1892 |
| Theodore B. Forry (1847-1918) | 1888-1918 |
| Eli Hursh (1840-1901) | 1891-1901 |
| Moses Stauffer (1842-1927) | 1901-1927 |
| Joseph S. Forry (1853-1933) | 1903-1933 |
| Harvey Lehman (1871-1950) | 1918-1950 |
| Noah H. Mack (1861-1948)(Bishop) | 1926-1940s |
| Walter H. Gable (1900-1974) | 1929-1950? |
| Herbert "H. Frank" Leaman (1888-1970) | 1935-1950? |
| Richard E. Danner (1907-1982)(Bishop) | 1935-1970s |
| Bela L. Bucher (1894-1988) | 1944-1980s |
| Ralph J. Miller (1916-2001) | 1964-1975? |
| H. Raymond Charles (1918-1988)(Bishop) | 1964-1980s |
| Glenn H. Martin (1938-2024) | 1975?-1979 |
| Lloyd L. Hollinger (1922-2012) | 1977-1994? |
| Carlton D. Stambaugh (1944-2025) (Bishop) |
1904-1984 1984-2010s? |
| Jeffrey A. Grosh | 1990-2008 |
| James I. Heindel | 2008-2021? |
| Brenden Colla | 2019- |
Stony Brook Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1907 | 68 In District |
| 1915 | 120 In District |
| 1920 | 113 In District |
| 1930 | 120 In District |
| 1940 | 125 In District |
| 1950 | 85 |
| 1960 | 74 |
| 1970 | 92 |
| 1980 | 95 |
| 1990 | 101 |
| 2000 | 110 |
| 2009 | 92 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 637. All rights reserved.
Stony Brook Mennonite Church (MC), located on the Lincoln Highway, 4 miles east of York, Pennsylvania, had a meetinghouse by 1803, one block southwest of the present site, known as Witmer's. A deed of 1818 states that "David Sprenkle of West Manchester Township sold to David Witmer, Rudolph Forry, both of Spring Garden Township, and Michael Strickler of Hellam Township, Trustees of congregation worshiping at the Mennonist Meetinghouse at the stone ridge in Spring Garden Township 77 P for $72.18, for the Mennist Church, worshiping in and around Spring Garden Township, and for those permitted by said congregation to bury their dead on the Grave Yard, contained on same Lot and for no other purpose whatsoever." This was alongside an earlier family cemetery.
The meetinghouse was enlarged several times, and in 1884 it was enlarged and considerably renovated. In 1912, the congregation moved into the town, building a brick church, 50 x 75 ft.
B. L. Bucher was the pastor in 1957, with a membership of 79. This was a part of the Strickler-Witmer-Liverpool circuit a century ago, but now it is a separate congregation. Winterstown is an outpost of this congregation.
| Author(s) | Ira D. Landis |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | March 2026 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Landis, Ira D. and Samuel J. Steiner. "Stony Brook Mennonite Church (York, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2026. Web. 15 Apr 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Stony_Brook_Mennonite_Church_(York,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181920.
APA style
Landis, Ira D. and Samuel J. Steiner. (March 2026). Stony Brook Mennonite Church (York, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 April 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Stony_Brook_Mennonite_Church_(York,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181920.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.