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Congregational Profile: Vincent Mennonite Church

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By Dave Mansfield, Pastor

Many participate in the Annual Country Fair event at Vincent Mennonite Church which is held every August and includes an antique tractor show, exotic pet exhibit, food, and more.

Vincent Mennonite Church (Spring City, PA) is still going strong after 285 years. Our current building is just a few miles from the original meetinghouse, which still stands today. We are a congregation that enjoys community and getting together, whether it is on Sunday mornings or whenever else we can find a good excuse. We have regular fellowship meals, seasonal celebrations in our pavilion and grove, holiday celebrations, and more.

Our gatherings allow us to reach out to our surrounding community and invite them to join us. Our Fall Harvest Party and Chili Cook-off is a favorite of our congregation and friends. The Children’s Christmas Musical is always a wonderful addition to our congregational life in December. However, our biggest event is our annual Country Fair which we hold every August. It draws hundreds of people from across the region with our antique tractor show, chicken BBQ, exotic pet exhibit, and more. 

Pastor Dave Mansfield preaches during worship at Vincent Mennonite Church. 

On a typical Sunday morning, you will find about 85 of us gathering for worship. We enjoy singing the old hymns and the new favorites. Many people from the congregation participate in the service, from hosting to praying, music to message. 

Like many of our other rural congregations, we find ourselves still navigating the cultural and geographical changes of the last several decades. Our surrounding landscape has changed from tractors to tracts of houses, and our populace has grown and diversified as well. Please pray that we could learn how to effectively minister into the community in new ways.

As we find ways to connect the values of our faith to modern methods of expressing them, we pray that we might increase our awareness of and compassion for our surrounding community. We dream that someday our church will become a focal point of our neighborhood, rather than a landmark.  

Prayer requests from the Vincent congregation.:

  • Our congregation is looking to hire a new administrative assistant. Please pray that the right person is hired for this position.
  • Please pray for us as we dig deeply this summer into being engaged in our community and more welcoming to guests.
  • Pray that we make good decisions regarding adapting to the pandemic: which ministries should we offer and how do we adapt them to this season?

Congregational Profile: Fairfield Mennonite Church

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Fairfield (PA) Mennonite Church is a place of hope and healing where people from diverse backgrounds seek together “to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Founded in 1927, the church founders, formerly members of Mummasburg Mennonite Church, had more “progressive” views on issues such as education, insurance, dress, and Sunday School and sought to begin a new congregation in Fairfield, PA.  

From the beginning, Fairfield Mennonite has been committed to serving the local community and world.  Throughout the years, our members have been instrumental in creating and supporting local agencies through serving on many local boards and volunteering. 

The Fairfield Food Pantry began inside the church in 1971 to serve local families in need of a hand-up. As the needs of residents in Fairfield and surrounding communities increased, so did the need for more space for the Pantry, so a shed was placed outdoors. Again, in 2006, the need for more space continued, and our current shed was built. To learn more about the Pantry, please visit and like The Pantry Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/FairfieldPALocalPantry/

The first International Gift Festival, held in November 1961 at our church, was the brainchild of Ruth Musselman and the Ladies Service Guild in cooperation with Edna Ruth Byler. Edna Ruth Byler initiated the idea of a jobs creation program within the Mennonite Church and saw the Gift Festival as a new way of marketing her projects and training individuals in other churches wanting to hold their own sales. In this way, Fairfield Mennonite played a significant role in helping to birth what is now Ten Thousand Villages. Pending the status of COVID-19, our 60th International Gift Festival and Sale is scheduled for November 10-14, 2020.

As a church, we seek to be inclusive in our worship and service, recognizing the wisdom of many faith traditions and welcoming everyone in the spirit of Jesus. In doing so, we hope to break down barriers that divide us from each other so that we may unite in faith through service to the world.

We at Fairfield Mennonite share a vision of following Jesus, being accountable to each other and try to agree to disagree in love. We believe that peace and forgiveness are not just possible, but an integral part of following Jesus. We are people from many different walks of life, educational levels, professions, and religious backgrounds who value community and family. We focus on participation, not membership. We value the free expression of ideas and questions about the meaning of life. And, we love music and food!

Please pray that we at Fairfield Mennonite Church will be open to hear and follow the Spirit’s leading on how best to bring the light and good news of Jesus to individuals, families, our broken communities, nation, and world.

Congregational Profile: Salem Mennonite Church

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by Pastor Bruce Eglinton-Woods

Salem Mennonite Church is a worshipping community located in Quakertown, PA. We are a small, gospel-oriented congregation. We desire to impact the world around us through promoting the Kingdom of God. We enjoy being together for worship and fellowship. We enjoy serving God and each other so our world will know salvation in Jesus.

Pray for Salem that we will become unified in Christ, as Jesus builds the church here. May we love each other and build each other up in Christ. May we celebrate each other’s gifting as we represent Christ to the community around us.

Congregational Profile: Garden Chapel

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by Maria Hart

The Garden Chapel is located in Victory Gardens, New Jersey and is the only church in the town. In 1941, the borough of Victory Gardens was acquired by the federal government to build a housing project for war industry employees. The borough was named for the “victory gardens” planted at private homes during World War II.  The chapel where our congregation meets originally housed military personnel.  After the war ended, the building was eventually re-purposed to foster peace and was established as a Mennonite church in 1971.   

Since its inception in 1972, Garden Chapel, the chapel at the “bottom of the hill,” has served Victory Gardens and its neighboring communities in many ways.  Led by Claris and Mavis Baker, the Sprouts Garden Club welcomes youth and grown-ups each spring to help grow a garden full of kale, eggplant, carrots, string beans, strawberries and more to share with the community.  

WALL (Worship Arts League), founded by Maria Hart, provides quality music instruction for those who desire to play an instrument but may not have the resources for lessons. Annual performances are held to showcase the students’ gifts as well as to inspire others to use their gifts in the arts to make a positive difference in society.  Our Summer Program had traditionally provided quality childcare in a vibrant summer camp setting focused on teaching Christian values as well as the Arts. It is momentarily paused until building repairs are completed.  

Members from Garden Chapel participate in worship. Provided by Maria Hart.

We currently are led by two pastors who tirelessly work for the good of our church and community. Pastor Timothy Hart grew up in the Dover, NJ area and attended the chapel during his childhood.  Prior to his ministry at The Garden Chapel, he was a Youth Pastor in Bloomfield, NJ.  In 2010, The Garden Chapel invited Pastor Tim to “revive” the ministry of the church.  

Now, a decade later, Pastor Tim continues to pastor the church as he serves the community and beyond, with his wife, Maria, and daughter, Melody.  “Team Hart” brings forth a vision of a church that embraces people from all walks of life and different places of the world in order to share and celebrate the grace and goodness of God.  

In 2015, a bilingual service was introduced to better serve those who speak Spanish but are not quite fluent yet in English. Pastor Héctor Quiñones was ordained and installed that year.  He initiated free ESL classes and continues to help residents who need to learn English for employment and attain basic English literacy.  His wife, Lisa Quiñones, brings her expertise in music and has richly grown the bilingual worship team and choir groups. “Team Quinones” (which includes Lyah, Josias, and baby Yannah) have blessed us with their passionate pursuit to do all for the glory of God. 

Pastors Tim Hart and Héctor Quiñones. Photo provided by Maria Hart.

The Garden Chapel Council is a team of leaders who are committed to being diligent stewards of the house of God.  They give generously of themselves and offer tremendous support to The Garden Chapel. Presently, they are: Aileen Ince, president; Jeannine Adams, vice president; Donna Patierno, treasurer; Mavis Baker, and Maria Hart, secretary.  

The Garden Chapel’s mission “to love God, love our neighbors, and love each other” simply expresses the heart of every activity and event held within and outside the walls of the church. It is our love for God and the love for all people that underlies the ministry and inspires the Garden Chapel team to serve relentlessly. 

Prayer requests:

1. Pray for guidance/wisdom in regards to reopening the church. Pray for the leadership team, especially that they stay in accord with God’s will. 

2. Pray for protection and provision over the congregation & their community.

3. Pray for God to heal those who are ill.

Congregational Profile: Frederick Mennonite Church

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by Greg Law

Frederick Mennonite Church began around 1950 when some Perkiomenville Mennonite Church members wanted to expand their outreach further west. The original meeting place was the Bertolet Meetinghouse (which had no indoor water or bathrooms) in Frederick, PA. In 1966 our current location was built (with indoor plumbing) across the street from the Bertolet Meetinghouse with an addition in 1994.

The first minister was unsalaried which was common for the time. Gradually, we moved along until we had a full-time pastor.  After his departure, we had a half-time interim pastor. Over the past few years, we mostly utilize a “self-employed truck driving preacher” from within the congregation as our main speaker.

Once a month we forgo the normal Sunday morning routine and have a potluck breakfast together in the fellowship hall. This is followed by a free form gathering around the same tables where each person is encouraged to share. We share prayer requests, concerns, how God is speaking to us, and sometimes choose a song to sing together.  We really do feel like a family!

Being a small congregation presents challenges, but it also provides the opportunity of being able to know each other pretty well.  We have a weekly women’s Bible study and a monthly men’s breakfast which are both open to anyone from Frederick or beyond.

The Bertolet meetinghouse

Twice a year we partner with several other small Mennonite congregations for a joint service and picnic in the summer and a rotating Thanksgiving service.  Frederick also hosts two hymn sings in the old Bertolet Meetinghouse in June and October.  For many years there has been a nursery school in our church building that runs during the school year.  This has provided some connections to the local community.

Our location does not help us in our desire to be more connected to the community, since we are not on a main road nor centrally located. However, we are on the same road used to get to the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival, so we do get a lot of traffic for a few days in August. We open our church building for interaction, prayer, cold water, and bathrooms during the festival.

Perhaps the biggest recent change for our congregation has been having a “roommate.”  Through a God-led encounter, we connected with a small Assemblies of God congregation (“Ignite”) that needed to relocate its meeting place.  From that encounter, we now have two congregations using the same building at different times.  Frederick uses the building first, then Ignite follows.  Both of us overlap in the lobby between services and we have been known to even sneak in on each other’s services.  The shared space has worked well and we are grateful that our church building is being used more regularly.

We love what Jesus has done for us and want others to know Him too!  The pandemic has changed worship patterns, and we’ve seen many views of Grant’s sermons on Facebook.  Only time will tell if any of those watching from home choose to unite with local congregations. We’d love to see new faces.

Frederick Mennonite is like a gem: small but precious, hidden until you can see the inner beauty. Come visit us – if you can find us! (526 Colonial Rd, Frederick, PA 19435)

Congregational Profile: Vietnamese Gospel Mennonite Church

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Vietnamese Gospel Mennonite Church (VGMC) is a church with a full history.  Since the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled their homeland and came to the United States. Many congregations in Franconia Mennonite Conference and other denominations in southeastern PA assisted in resettling these individuals and families.

In September 1977, Luke Martin, who had served in Vietnam as a missionary, moved with his family to Allentown, PA to pastor the Allentown Mennonite Church. Occasionally, he and his wife, Mary, organized Bible studies for Vietnamese immigrants at Methacton Mennonite Church (Norristown, PA). Other Mennonite congregations invited Luke and Mary Martin, Quang Xuan Tran (a Vietnamese immigrant who had served as a Mennonite pastor in Vietnam), and Donald Sensenig to lead Vietnamese Bible study and worship services for the refugees during this time.

In 1983, Vietnamese Christian Fellowship (VCF) was formed, meeting in the old schoolhouse near Penn View Christian School (Souderton, PA).  From 1984-1987, Hao Duy Tran was the leader of VCF, assisted by his wife, Rose Tran. After Hao Duy resigned in 1987, the church disbanded for a brief time.  In 1988 Luke Martin assumed pastoral leadership of the Vietnamese Christian Fellowship and the congregation began to meet again. Ca Nguyen and Phi Tran moved from Philadelphia to Telford, PA to support the leadership of the church.

In April 1996, Thanh Cong Pham was installed as pastor. By the end of May 1996, the congregation began to meet regularly on Sunday mornings, using the Franconia Conference Center in Souderton, PA as their gathering place. On June 2, 1996, Vietnamese Gospel Mennonite Church (VGMC) was formally organized with bylaws, a church council, and a membership list (23 members).  VGMC was received as a member of Franconia Mennonite Conference on November 8. 1996. In 2004, the congregation was able to secure the use of Allentown (PA) Mennonite Church building and has been meeting there since.

During the next ten years, the congregation had different leaders, but since 2016, Pastor Bao has served as the regular pulpit preacher and now pastor. Pastor Bao lives and works in New York City but commits to driving himself each Sunday to preach at VGMC. In 2019, Pastor Bao was licensed for ministry with Franconia Mennonite Conference.

Congregational Profile: Ambler Mennonite Church

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by Dorcas Lehman, Interim Pastor 

90 E Mt Pleasant Ave, Ambler. Photo by Randy Martin

Ambler Mennonite Church is located on the corner of Mt Pleasant Avenue and N. Spring Garden Street in the borough of Ambler, Montgomery County, PA, 15 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

We want our neighbors, near or far, to know that when you join us for Sunday morning worship, you will find a small congregation that loves to sing, listen to scripture, share concerns and joys, pray for each other and the world, and inspire one another in the way of Jesus. As part of a historic peace church, we hope to share that much-needed perspective, and to live it ourselves.

Whether you arrive by walking, driving, or public transit, you will notice a Monarch butterfly station, a little free library, and a rain garden, reflecting our enjoyment of neighbors, care for the earth, and desire to add beauty to our block.

Our mission statement says: “We are a diverse community of believers following Jesus in building relationships by serving those among and around us with love, and offering the good news of peace, hope, and healing.”

AMC in front of the rain garden. Photo by Glenn Lehman

As a church that began as a mission with ministries to children and youth, we may have thought, “When we serve others, they may want to be part of us.” But now we think, “We want to provide opportunities for people who want to serve God and contribute to the community, whether or not they become part of the congregation.”

During the past year, we’ve become stronger by honestly facing questions of sustainability, and discovering a wide range of ideas for renewal. Now we’re ready to discern collective vision, and to grow beyond the current number of 45 or so congregants, which reflects a decline from earlier decades.

We come from a variety of backgrounds in culture, ethnicity, education, and lifestyles, and we come together as a worshiping community with Jesus at the center. Some of us live in the borough, and others commute.  Intergenerational relationships are strong. You will especially sense this if you visit on the day of a monthly potluck meal, where you will hear lively conversations rise around good food.

Sylvie and Lena packing Boxes of Love. Photo by Randy Martin

We share a desire for an increased presence in the neighborhood, and renewed connection with other Mennonite congregations nearby. During the Lent-Easter season, we hold joint services with Church of the Brethren, Lutheran, and United Church of Christ congregations. In May, we provide meals and overnight volunteers for the Interfaith Hospitality Network’s emergency shelter program. We fill Boxes of Love with food supplies and support the Wissahickon Valley Boys and Girls Club.

This spring, during Lent, we are following the initiative of Mennonite Church USA’s Creation Care Network to learn, pray, and act in relation to climate injustice. Through Sunday school and worship, we’re noticing the ways that caring for God’s creation is an act of discipleship.

We view ourselves as having a history of capable leadership and gifted laity. We are rooted in a mission initiative that began in 1952, when young adults from larger congregations in Franconia Conference began Sunday school classes in the borough. From that beginning, Summer Bible School was added, then came house church, and the building of the current meetinghouse in 1961.

Pastors Michelle and Jacob Curtis. Photo by Randy Martin

We honor that history, and value the older generation’s wisdom, energy, and resources, even as we transfer leadership and prepare to renew our children and youth ministries.

We are happy to introduce our new co-pastors, Michelle and Jacob Curtis, who will begin their ministry with us in May 2020.

Prayer requests:

  • for Michelle and Jacob Curtis as co-pastors, and our church, as we begin our journey in mutual ministry
  • for wisdom and insight as we discern a collective vision, and move through generational change
  • for creativity and resilience of spirit as we, along with other churches, find ways to practice social solidarity even as we practice social distancing, due to the viral pandemic

Congregational Profile: Swamp Mennonite Church

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by Nathan Good, pastor

Swamp Mennonite Church (Quakertown, PA) is a community of people growing together in Christ as we celebrate God’s grace, encourage growth, and proclaim Christ’s victory over sin and death through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

We recognize our need for grace, with a recent focus being, “As we grow in our understanding of God’s love and grace, we will increase in our ability and willingness to share more of ourselves, deepening our relationships with each other and the community around us.”  We have a member on each of our Church Board and Ministry Team who are open about their journeys as recovering alcoholics.

This desire for honesty and openness in our life together led to last year’s focus of Seeking God Together by Praying Listening Following. Being a part of Swamp means committing to following Jesus daily and to the faith community where we are united to Jesus.  

Our focus for 2020 is Connecting for a Purpose. As the body of Christ, the contribution of each member is important, so we may be the salt of the world, praying and living in such a way that God’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Swamp has a long history of service and outreach in the local community. Many local families share stories of being impacted by Vacation Bible School and Mission Outreach programs over the years. We continually invest time and money in caring for those around us, from helping neighbors clean up after a fire to opening our homes to the homeless. Our ministry extends around the world through individuals in our congregation with active roles in Mennonite Disaster Service, Mennonite Central Committee, and more.

As the community around us transitions from a historic farming community to a mish-mash of rural and suburban, we continue to evaluate what it means to follow Jesus faithfully in this time and place. We support the work of Free Fall Action Sports that uses the local skate park to build relationships with at-risk teens, developing their skills and abilities, and offering the opportunity to believe in the hope of Jesus. We also support the work of Code Blue which offers emergency housing in Quakertown and RIPPLE in Allentown.

Our blended worship style is a perfect expression of the community life of the Swamp congregation. Swamp embraces each person as they are while encouraging everyone to grow further into the image of God through Jesus. This is supported by our vibrant Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Clubs Program. This love for learning and concern for the next generation is seen in the outpouring of love and support for our youth as we work to integrate them into the church. This past summer we had an intergenerational Sunday School class where everyone, from ages 10-100, sat around tables and discussed Scripture, prayed together, and asked honest questions about Christianity.

We are far from perfect. But through the power of the Spirit we are perfecting, as we covenant to growing together in Christ as God’s community of faith in the drained swamp surrounding Milford Township, PA.

Prayer requests:

  •  Pray that we would be faithful in the little things of daily life.
  •  Pray for elastic edges as we reach out to our neighbors.
  •  Pray for creative collaboration with The Church(es) of Quakertown as we work together for God’s kingdom.