Crossroads Community Church (Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Crossroads Community Church (formerly Weaver Mennonite Church), (Mennonite Church USA), located on State Route 56, two miles east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, in Cambria County just across the border from Somerset County, a member of the Allegheny Mennonite Conference, had its beginning before 1800 when the Weaver, Baumgardner, Keim, Blough, and other families, including some Amish and some Dunkers, settled in this fertile region underlaid with good coal. The first services were held (date unknown) in a log schoolhouse deeded on 7 May 1817, to Christian Lehman and Jacob Whetstone as trustees. In 1855 a log meetinghouse (30 x 36 ft.) was erected beside the schoolhouse, replaced in 1878 by the present frame meetinghouse (40 x 50 ft.), which has been remodeled twice.
For many years the congregation had no resident minister and was served once in four weeks by a minister from the Blough church in Somerset County, 10 miles to the south. In 1854 Samuel Blough was ordained as the first resident minister, who also served from 1878-1883 as the third bishop of the Johnstown District. In 1879-80 Sunday school was begun. The first sewing circle in the Johnstown district was established here in 1910. Alexander Weaver was long a minister here, 1893-1952.
In 1900 William C. Hershberger was ordained, but later moved to Spring and in 1912 was serving at the Stahl Mennonite Church. He returned to serve again from 1945 to 1951. Daniel S. Yoder was ordained minister in 1907. 1914 saw Hiram Wingard ordained minister, serving until 1952. Clarence Alwine was ordained here in 1947, but by 1952 was serving at the Headrick Mission, north of Johnstown. Harold E. Thomas served as pastor (ordained to the ministry in 1950) and Hiram Wingard (b. 1914) as assistant. Men who served here as deacons: Tobias Weaver, ?-1896?; Tobias Lehman, 1871-1906; John Henry Blough, 1882-1885?; Daniel S. Yoder, 1900-1907; John F Harshberger, 1909-1913?; Levi H. Weaver, 1911-1952; and Mervin Hostetler, 1952-1971?.
In 1957 the membership was 51.
The congregation reorganized in 2000 as Crossroads Community Church.
Bibliography
Kaufman, Ammon. "Weaver Church." Southwestern-Pennsylvania Conference News 6 (November-December 1947): 3.
Additional Information
Address: 1259 Scalp Avenue, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904-3137
Phone: 814-266-5094
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Allegheny Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at the Crossroads Community Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Samuel Blough (1827-1883) | 1854-1883 |
| Alexander Weaver (1861-1952) | 1893-1952 |
| William C. Hershberger (1876-1951) | 1900-1906? 1945-1951 |
| Daniel S. Yoder (1856-1923) | 1907-1922 |
| Hiram Wingard (1876-1960) | 1914-1952 |
| Clarence Alwine (1915-2014) | 1947-1952 |
| Harold E. Thomas (1911-2001) | 1950-1973? |
| Harry Y. Shetler (1907-1987) | 1972-1981 |
| Jerry Holsopple | 1977-1980 |
| Kurt M. Horst | 1981-1996? |
| David Mishler | 1997?-2000? |
| Nelson R. Roth | 2000-2002 |
| Russ Eanes | 2003-2007 |
Membership at the Crossroads Community Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1916 | 156 |
| 1925 | 112 |
| 1935 | 99 |
| 1945 | 68 |
| 1955 | 54 |
| 1965 | 50 |
| 1975 | 56 |
| 1980 | 53 |
| 1990 | 62 |
| 2000 | 60 |
| 2007 | 50 |
| 2020 | 50 |
| Author(s) | Harold S. Bender |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | September 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bender, Harold S., Richard D. Thiessen and Samuel J. Steiner. "Crossroads Community Church (Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2021. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Community_Church_(Johnstown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172394.
APA style
Bender, Harold S., Richard D. Thiessen and Samuel J. Steiner. (September 2021). Crossroads Community Church (Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Crossroads_Community_Church_(Johnstown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=172394.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 904. All rights reserved.
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