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1959 Article

Author(s)	J. Irvin, D. Richard Martin Lehman
	Richard D. Thiessen
Date Published	October 2010

The earliest reference to this Mennonite Church conference is found in the November 1864 issue of the Herald of Truth, where it is called semiannual; however, only annual sessions are known to have been held.

By earliest reports the moderator of Lancaster Conference served here also, and the Lancaster discipline and actions were used without change until 1915. However, beginning in 1912 additional actions were passed by the Washington County, Maryland, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania Conference. Separate rules and discipline were adopted in 1922, revised in 1930 and 1957. About 1909, 9 congregations and 732 members were reported. Its congregations were all located in the two counties included in its name. Mission outposts are also conducted in Allegany County, Maryland, and Fulton County, Pennsylvania.

The Conference operated nine mission stations and through its District Mission Board the Maugansville Home for the Aged. Its Brotherly Aid Plan was very simply organized but functioned efficiently in case of loss by fire or storm.

The Confession of Dordrecht of 1632 and the Doctrinal Statement of the Mennonite General Conference (MC) were accepted as the basic doctrinal statements. In practice it was among the most conservative of the Mennonite conferences, with most of the men wearing the "plain" coat, and women the "cape" dress in the late 1950s. The woman's veiling was worn at all times. Life insurance, lodge membership, attendance at farm shows, and possession of television were not allowed. A strong home life without radio was encouraged.

This conference belonged to the group related to the Mennonite (MC) General Conference, but has never been organizationally connected with it, though it supported many of its projects, and proportionately contributed largely to the medical, teaching, missionary, and preaching personnel of the church. Since the adoption of the English language at the turn of the century and the use of more aggressive methods the conference has grown. In 1959 there were 14 congregations, 9 mission congregations, 4 resident bishops, 20 ministers, and 1,645 members.

In 1938 Moses K. Horst (1882-1966) became bishop in the Washington County, Maryland churches. Horst believed that the outward symbols of non-conformity as practiced by the Mennonite Church were scriptural and must be kept at all costs. Horst was successful in leading the churches in his district away from the modern trends affecting those in other areas of the Mennonite Church. However, tensions developed between the southern district where Horst was bishop and the northern district, Franklin County. The breaking point came in 1963 when Horst disciplined members for helping at two independent Mennonite missions that had been established on the eastern border of his district. Horst believed that these unauthorized missions had the potential of exerting a more liberal influence on his churches. Horst refused any interference from others, and in 1965 he declared all the ministry in the northern district to be out of order. At that time, there were nine congregations consisting of 597 members in the southern district, all located in Maryland. Three other Maryland congregations that did not agree with Moses Horst's positions had left the southern district in 1964 and later helped to form the Cumberland Valley Mennonite Conference.

For a time the Washington County churches were known as the Washington-Franklin (South) Conference while the Franklin County churches were known as the Washington-Franklin (North) Conference. In 1979 the northern conference changed its name to the Franklin Mennonite Conference, while the southern churches saw themselves as a continuation of the conference and became more commonly known as the Washington-Franklin Mennonite Conference. -- J. Irvin Lehman

1990 Article

The Washington-Franklin Mennonite Conference consisted in 1987 of 10 congregations with a membership of 900. Five congregations were formed since 1959: Pondsville and Pinesburg in Washington County, Maryland; Waynecastle in Franklin County, Pennsylvania; Flintstone in Allegany County, Maryland; and Lockards Creek in Clay County, Kentucky. The conference had one bishop, 13 ministers, and six deacons. Conference sessions were held annually on the second Thursday of September at the Reiff's Meeting House. The conference rules and discipline of 1957 were revised in 1978.

The conference mission board operated the Mennonite Old Peoples Home at Maugansville, Maryland. The conference Mennonite Mutual Aid Plan provided help to those who experienced fire or lightning damage. The Washington County Mennonite Church Association gave aid in case of liability in vehicle accidents. The conference operated the Paradise Mennonite School, Flintstone Mennonite School, and the Lockards Creek Mennonite School. -- D. Richard Martin

2010 Update

In 2010 the Washington-Franklin Mennonite Church was led by bishops Darrel E. Martin, Dale L. Horst, Glenn R. Martin, and Larry R. Weber. The conference periodical was the Brotherhood Builder and it operated eight schools throughout the United States, the Washington County Mennonite Historical Library in Hagerstown, Maryland, the Mennonite Home in Maugansvile, Maryland, and Christian Correspondence and Counsel in Nazareth, Ethiopia. In 2010 the conference had 1,670 members in 17 congregations:

Congregation	Location	State/Country	Founded	Members
Cedar Valley Mennonite Church	Chambersburg	Pennsylvania	2006	110
Clear Spring Mennonite Church	Clear Spring	Maryland	1810	91
Flintstone Mennonite Church	Flintstone	Maryland	1925	51
Friends Cove Mennonite Church	Bedford	Pennsylvania	1998	89
Good Hope Mennonite Church	Washington Court House	Ohio	2006	35
Lincoln County Mennonite Church	Crab Orchard	Kentucky	1998	47
Meadow View Mennonite Church	Hagerstown	Maryland	1988	96
Miller Mennonite Church	Leitersburg	Maryland	1765	177
Nazareth Mennonite Church	Nazareth	Ethiopia	2004	10
Paces Creek Mennonite Church	Manchester	Kentucky	1978	61
Paradise Mennonite Church	Hagerstown	Maryland	1897	141
Pinesburg Mennonite Church	Williamsport	Maryland	1923	88
Pondsville Mennonite Church	Smithsburg	Maryland	1954	86
Port-de-Paix Mennonite Mission	Port-de-Paix	Haiti	1993	35
Reiff Mennonite Church	Hagerstown	Maryland	1833	287
Stouffer Mennonite Church	Edgemont	Maryland	1820	142
Waynecastle Mennonite Church	Waynesboro	Pennsylvania	1982	124
Total				1,670

Bibliography

Horsch, James E., ed. Mennonite Yearbook and Directory. Scottdale: Mennonite Publishing House (1984): 100; (1988-89).

Mennonite Church Directory 2010. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, Inc., 2010: 129-131.

Scott, Stephen. An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups. People's Place Book #12. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1996: 171-172.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Lehman, J. Irvin, D. Richard Martin and Richard D. Thiessen. "Washington County (Maryland) and Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Conference." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2010. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Washington_County_(Maryland)_and_Franklin_County_(Pennsylvania)_Mennonite_Conference&oldid=116481.

APA style

Lehman, J. Irvin, D. Richard Martin and Richard D. Thiessen. (October 2010). Washington County (Maryland) and Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Conference. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Washington_County_(Maryland)_and_Franklin_County_(Pennsylvania)_Mennonite_Conference&oldid=116481.

Washington County (Maryland) and Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Conference

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