Sandy Hill Community Church (Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA)
The Sandy Hill Mennonite Church began as outreach of the Maple Grove Mennonite Church, near Atglen, Pennsylvania. In September 1947 Maple Grove congregation investigated an area north of Sadsburyville as the possible location for a new work, and undertook visits to homes in the community as well as local officials, leading Maple Grove to pursue the vision for a new congregation. They received permission to use the one room Sandy Hill Schoolhouse for services.
The first Sunday school and worship service was held 7 December 1947. The schoolhouse remained the new group's place of worship until May of 1953 when it moved into a new church on the corner of South Sandy Hill Road and Old Wilmington Road.
The facility has expanded twice since 1953 -- first in 1967 to increase seating capacity to 180, and secondly in 1999 to increase seating capacity to 270.
In the mid-1980s Sandy Hill began a preschool program, and more recently a food pantry program for the community.
Sandy Hill was originally a member of the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference; it became part of the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA when that regional conference formed in 1978. At a time of controversy in the larger Mennonite Church USA, it withdrew from the Atlantic Coast Conference in October 2014 in order to become a member of the Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations.
In about 2006 the congregation changed its name to Sandy Hill Community Church.
Bibliography
Huber, Tim. "Atlantic Coast Conference adds one, loses another." Mennonite World Review (10 November 2014): 3.
Sandy Hill Community Church. "How Sandy Hill Community Church Began." Web. 5 November 2014. http://www.sandyhill.net/about/who-we-are/our-history.
Additional Information
Address: 420 South Sandy Hill Road, Coatesville, Pennsylvania 19320
Phone: (610) 857-3959
Website http://www.sandyhill.net/
Denominational Affiliations:
Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations
Sandy Hill Community Church Pastoral Leaders
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Maple Grove pastors | 1947-1953 |
| R. Clair Umble | 1953-1974 1993 |
| Paul Stoltzfus (Assistant) |
1965-1973 |
| P. Melville Nafziger | 1974-1980 |
| Andrew Leatherman | 1981-1993 |
| Omer King | 1994-2002 |
| Dale Weaver | 2006-Present |
| David Klingensmith {Associate} |
2003-Present |
Sandy Hill Community Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1955 | 63 |
| 1965 | 140 |
| 1975 | 155 |
| 1985 | 161 |
| 1995 | 165 |
| 2005 | 118 |
Map
Map:Sandy Hill Community Church (Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA)
Original Article from Mennonite Encyclopedia
By Melvin Gingerich. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, vol. 4, p. 416. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
1959 Article
Sandy Hill Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), located at Sadsburyville, PA, was established in 1947. In 1957 it had 80 members with R. Clair Umble as pastor, in the Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference.
| Author(s) | Sam Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2014 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Sam. "Sandy Hill Community Church (Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2014. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Hill_Community_Church_(Coatesville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=126778.
APA style
Steiner, Sam. (November 2014). Sandy Hill Community Church (Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Hill_Community_Church_(Coatesville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=126778.
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