Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Boyertown

Boyertown Closes, Congregation Unites with 2/42 Community

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by Noel Santiago, Leadership Minister 

© Google Maps

“While it seems like a distant memory, it was just six months ago (Aug. 2023) that Boyertown (PA) Mennonite (BMC) began to make a final discernment as to whether we would simply continue to function as a small congregation with a part-time pastor, or if we would entertain the concept of merging with another congregation in the Boyertown area using the BMC church facility as the new entity’s ministry location,” shared the report of Walt Morton, merger process mediator and coach for Boyertown, on Jan. 29, 2024. 

The congregation sensed God’s leading to merge with another local community congregation who also had a heart for ministering to the people of the Boyertown community. That congregation was 2/42 Community Church, a nondenominational church, whose pastor is Bryan Raught. 

“On April 28, 2024, both Boyertown Mennonite Church and 2/42 Community Church Members voted unanimously to merge into 2/42 Community Church, effective May 1, 2024,” reads the letter Mosaic Mennonite Conference leaders received from Boyertown Mennonite Church Council Chair Doug Kern, writing on behalf of the congregation. “As a result of this merger, as of May 1, 2024, Boyertown Mennonite ceased to exist.” 

The process of discernment was an almost two-year intentional interim process led by Walt Morton, Intentional Interim Minister from Ohio. The process was heavily oriented toward relationally healthy conversations among congregants, which provided ample opportunities, options, and possibilities for discerning the sense of the congregation. It’s safe to say that when this process began, no one envisioned where it would end up. 

The letter ends with a desire from the Boyertown Mennonite Church members expressing a desire to maintain a relationship with Mosaic Conference. Although no one quite knows what that might look like, we remain open to the further leading of God’s Holy Spirit. 

So, as Boyertown Mennonite Church transitions to 2/42 Community Church, and continues to carry on the work of God’s Kingdom in this new way, we offer this prayer of blessing for her leaders, people, and ministries: 

Gracious and loving God, the builder and sustainer of the Church,

We give thanks for your Spirit and your people at Boyertown Mennonite and 2/42 Community Church.

We give thanks for the challenging work that the Boyertown Mennonite has engaged in these past several years, with transparency, vulnerability, difficult, and sometimes painful conversations, yet also with hope, possibilities, and a view toward a new horizon.

We ask that as Boyertown unites with 2/42 Community Church, your Spirit would bless this joining together as one. That all you have done historically in and through Boyertown Mennonite would be multiplied to that which you have done and are doing in and through 2/42 Community Church so that your kingdom rule and reign may be further established and expanded.

Thank you for the blessing that Boyertown Mennonite has been to Franconia and Mosaic Mennonite Conference over these many years. May all that continues to be said and done, bring you honor, glory, and praise we pray in Jesus name, Amen!  

Congregational Profile: Boyertown Mennonite Church

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by Nelson Shenk, Boyertown congregation

Boyertown (PA) Mennonite Church began in 1780 as an extension of nearby Bally Mennonite Church to accommodate folks who lived in the Boyertown (Colebrookdale) area. For many years they shared ministerial leadership and even alternated meeting houses. As of 1847, we have been operating as our own entity completely separate from Bally but still a sister congregation in Franconia Mennonite Conference.

The Boyertown community is a mainly blue-collar town although it is also a bedroom community for the King of Prussia area as more people move westward along the Route 422 corridor. Our membership is drawn mostly from the Boyertown, Gilbertsville, and Pottstown area, although we do extend well beyond that with some of our members.

Outdoor Worship

Our mission statement is “to be a Christian community of healing and growth.” We work at that by ministering to folks who have come to us with some significant issues in their lives such as divorce, blended families, drug and alcohol abuse, and incarceration. We attempt to be “family” to each other through consistent nurture and support.

We plan regular “Family Days” events that appeal to a wide range of ages so that we interact on many different levels. Other strong means of connections are found in senior fellowship, men’s and women’s Bible studies, small groups, monthly prayer meetings, men’s and women’s retreats and an active group of quilters. As a small congregation we believe that healing and growth happens best in these contexts where we get to know each other in-depth.

Knotting Blitz

We tend to be very informal in our structure and our interactions. We have drawn in folks of all stripes and backgrounds, including those on disability, ex-offenders, farmers, educated professionals, truck drivers, factory workers, child care workers, mechanics, teachers, and many retired folks. In our diversity what everyone has in common is a love of Jesus and a desire to share that love with a wide variety of folks. We also strive to encourage a world-view through missions support and monthly giving projects.

Men’s Retreat

Our local congregational ministry is filled with joys and sorrows. We have seen both great successes in healing and growth while experiencing devastating losses. We realize that God has called us to be present with one another in ministry as we leave the results up to him.

One amazing story from the past two years centers on a woman and her daughter who were undocumented citizens from Mexico. She had married a man from our church and they had two children together when she and her daughter decided to take the necessary steps to get their green cards. When the mother returned to Mexico for the final step in the process she did not receive her green card and had to stay in Mexico for over a year. With much prayer and petitioning, however, she eventually got her green card and is now back home with her family and they are moving on in praise of what God and our congregation did for them.

Church Bazaar

One struggle we face on a regular basis is finding enough folks to carry on the tasks of ministry. So often the same people are called on to lead us, and that can result in burn out, so please keep us in prayer. We call on God to send us workers because the need is great.

Boyertown Mennonite Church asks for your prayers, that God would continue to raise up younger folks to take the places of older leaders in the church who have passed away.

 

Introducing Boyertown Mennonite Church

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Boyertown Mennontie ChurchOur congregation was a “church plant” from the Bally congregation and began worshiping in Colebrookdale Township of Berks county in the year 1780. For many years these two faith communities continued to share pastors and many other aspects of church life. It wasn’t until the late 1940’s that Boyertown became completely separate with its own pastor and leadership. Our first buildings were located at the center of Boyertown, but in 1969 we built the present facility on a hill outside the borough of Boyertown.

Al Detweiler served the congregation for about 25 years until 1993. In 1995 the present pastor, Nelson Shenk, began serving upon Al’s retirement. The Leadership Team is made up of the pastor, two elders, and two deaconesses who serve the spiritual needs. The administrative body is the Church Council which is composed of the chair persons of various ministries within the congregation.

Our mission statement is: “We strive to be a Christian community of healing and growth.” We have become a faith community that ministers to a wide variety of needs within the Boyertown area and have attracted folks with addictions, background of abuse, poverty, etc. Folks have found this to be a place of safety and acceptance. As a result we are very diverse in every way possible.

We have been doing several annual events that expose us to our community and provide ministry to those who participate. These include Red Cross blood drives, a community yard sale, a pig roast, a Christmas bazaar, and a Christmas Eve service.

We are a very informal, blue collar congregation who has become known for how open we are to many different kinds of people. We pull together to minister to all of the needs of the folks that God has placed in our care.