Our Mission
Restoring lives by encountering Christ
Our Core Values
- Being authentic with God and others
- Extending our reach for Christ
- Providing a place to belong
- Offering healing, hope and wholeness through Jesus Christ
- Committed to excellence in all we do
Our Measurables
These measurables rise out of Acts 9:1-22 in the form of questions to guide our ministry!
- How is God speaking? (Acts 9:11)
- Is "Ananias" on the road? (Acts 9:17)
- Are "Saul's" becoming "Paul's"? (Acts 9:19)
- Is "Paul" reaching future "Saul's"? (Acts 9:20-21)
- What are the stories only God can write? (Acts 9:22)
Weaverland is an active participating congregation in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference (LMC). LMC includes a broad and ethnically diverse partnership of over 250 congregations located throughout the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, who share a common vision of reaching the world for Jesus Christ. LMC provides a wide variety of congregational resources and assists in leadership development. Within LMC, Weaverland is a part of the Valley-Mountain PA-East District comprised of eighteen congregations and church plants located in East Earl to Nanticoke, PA.
Our Story
Who are the Mennonites?
The Mennonites are a religious group adhering to the principles of the Anabaptist movement, which began as the left wing of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland. Regarding the Bible as the foundation for Christian faith and practice, they believe that the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and that its teachings take priority over the old. Members are received by baptism upon voluntary adult confession of faith. They endeavor to follow the peace teachings of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and believe it encourages nonviolence, and forbids the swearing of oaths, and the holding of offices that require the use of force. As a practical expression of their Christian discipleship, they strive to promote peace and justice and alleviate the sufferings of the poor.
How did Weaverland come to be?
To escape religious persecution and achieve greater economic opportunity, the Mennonites accepted Penn’s invitation to settle in the New World. Arriving in Germantown as early as 1683, some of these immigrants moved westward to establish their homes. Early in the 18th century, several Webers emigrated from the Palatinate to Lancaster County. The brothers Jacob, Henry, George, and John Weber are known to have arrived before 1718. In 1723, the first three established a settlement in the fertile valley along the Conestoga Creek that we know today as Weaverland. Other families soon followed. By 1733, a congregation was formed and organized, with ministers from the older settlements preaching and reading the Word of God in the private homes of the early settlers. While there is no town named Weaverland, the community and Weaverland Mennonite Church have been a strong Mennonite center since these days. History records the growth of this congregation by documenting the size and capacity of its meetinghouse throughout the years.
Where did they worship?
After an initial period of worshipping in homes, tradition claims that a log meetinghouse/schoolhouse may have been built prior to 1740. By 1766, there was a 34 by 50-foot meetinghouse built of native limestone with a seating capacity of about 240 people. With a new addition in 1853, the building seated nearly 400 people. Due to increasing membership, a new stone meetinghouse was built in 1883 with a seating capacity of over 600. In 1926, the existing structure was too small for fast-increasing attendance on special occasions, so the stone meetinghouse was replaced by the present brick meetinghouse with a full basement for special meetings, an automatic water system and Sunday school rooms. Growth continued to prompt expansion and remodeling again in 1972, 1987, 1997, 2015 and 2022. Each of these renovations and additions provided more room for ministry to take place. Many generations later, the Weaverland Mennonites continue to worship at the location selected by the forefathers of this growing congregation.