View source for Good's Mennonite Church (Clarence Center, New York, USA)

Good's Mennonite ([[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church]]) Church was established in [[Clarence Center (New York, USA)|Clarence Center]], [[New York (USA)|New York]] in 1824 by Mennonites from [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]], among them the Leibs, [[Lehman (Lehmann, Layman, Leemann, Leeman, Leaman) family|Lehmans]], Sherers, [[Martin family name|Martins]]. The first minister was Jacob Lapp, who (according to the Hartzler-Kauffman <em>Mennonite Church History</em>) came in 1828. John Martin was the first deacon (according to Cassel's <em>History of the Mennonites</em>, p. 169). In 1831 Jacob Krehbiel, a Mennonite minister, moved in from [[Germany|Germany]]. He became bishop in 1839. His son Frederick and Abraham Leib were ordained deacons with the growth of the congregation. They soon built a stone church a few miles west of Clarence Center known as the Good's Church. The congregation prospered both by immigration and by accessions. John Lapp (1798-1878) was ordained as minister in 1828 and as bishop about 10 years later. Peter Lehman and Abram Lapp were also ordained ministers. Jacob Krehbiel, Jr., became minister at this place in 1872 but withdrew about 1875, becoming affiliated with the [[General Conference Mennonite Church (United States)|General Conference of Mennonites]] by the time of their 1884 conference. Jacob Hahn became minister in 1866; he was the father of Sarah Lapp, missionary to India. The [[Herald of Truth (Periodical)|&lt;em&gt;Herald of Truth&lt;/em&gt;]] in 1872 reported German Sunday school and preaching held every Sunday. John Strickler of the [[Miller Mennonite Church (Clarence, New York, USA)|Miller Church]] near [[Clarence (New York, USA)|Clarence]] later identified himself with this flock. Following the active years of Bishop John Lapp the church dwindled, and with the loss of the Krehbiel followers became very weak. The [[Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec|Ontario Conference]] supplied the ministers for a number of years until about 1920. New families moving in from various states gave rise to a revived congregation in a more easterly location (see [[Clarence Center-Akron Mennonite Church (Akron, New York, USA)|Clarence Center]]). The Good cemetery is still the burying grounds for the Clarence Center congregation.
{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 2, p. 541|date=1956|a1_last=Fretz|a1_first=Joseph C|a2_last=|a2_first=}}