Laurel Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Laurel Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, began as a Sunday school mission of the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities on Groff Avenue. Known as the Groff Avenue Mennonite Mission, it used a rented six-room house and held Sunday school on Sunday afternoons. A preaching service was held every two weeks following the Sunday school. Other services included prayer meetings on Thursday evenings, sewing school on Saturday afternoons, and children's meetings on Sunday evenings.
In 1947 the mission to the intersection of Laurel and Tremont Streets, about two blocks away. The mission board had purchased a former United Brethren in Christ church. Dedication services were held 13 July 1947. Sunday morning services began to be held, and the first minister, Sanford Hess, was ordained on 21 November 1947.
In April 2017 Laurel Street transferred its membership to the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA. This decision was taken after the Lancaster Mennonite Conference decided in 2015 to withdraw from Mennonite Church USA before the end of 2017. .
Bibliography
"An all-day Bible and dedication service." Gospel Herald 40, no. 14 (1 July 1947): 296.
Groff, David B. "Lancaster, Pa.: Groff Avenue Mennonite Mission." Gospel Herald 38, no. 47 (22 February 1946): 907.
"Laurel Street Mennonite Church." Gospel Herald 40, no. 31 (28 October 1947): 668.
Additional Information
Address: 301 Laurel Street, Lancaster PA 17603-5429
Phone: 717-392-7527
Website: https://www.laurelstreetmennonite.com/
Denominational Affiliations: Atlantic Coast Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Laurel Street Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| David B. Groff (1875-1961) (Superintendent) | 1945-1948 |
| Sanford H. Hess (1923-2010) | 1948-1951 |
| Ira W. Nafziger (1919-2008) | 1952-1975 |
| J. Clair Hollinger (Interim) (1929-2017) | 1975-1976 |
| Marvin L. Weaver | 1976-1987 |
| Lay leadership | 1987-1988 |
| Randall L. Witmer | 1988-2004 |
| Janet M. Breneman | 2004-2014 |
| Ron Zook (Co-Pastor) | 2015-present |
| Judy Zook (Co-Pastor) | 2015-present |
Membership at Laurel Street Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 35 |
| 1960 | 33 |
| 1970 | 25 |
| 1980 | 39 |
| 1990 | 83 |
| 2000 | 71 |
| 2007 | 35 |
| 2020 | 54 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1101. All rights reserved.
Laurel Street Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) is located at Laurel and Fremont Streets, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is the outgrowth of a mission started in 1945 on Groff Avenue, which moved to the present location in 1947. It is now an organized congregation; it had 37 members in 1958, with Ira Nafziger as pastor.
Map
Map:Laurel Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Laurel Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2021. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Laurel_Street_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177019.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2021). Laurel Street Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Laurel_Street_Mennonite_Church_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177019.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.