ABOUT US
We are a Christ-centered, community-focused church, with a heart for peace and reconciliation for all.
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Our PURPOSE, as the hands and feet of Christ, is to meet people where they are while bringing all into a loving relationship with God, self, and each other.
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Our MISSION is to worship God and live Christ's message of love, peace, and reconciliation.
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Our VISION is that our community and the world may know Christ and experience his peace.
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Marci Frederick is preaching half time for Stephens City Mennonite Church. She is a current student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and Director of Libraries at Eastern Mennonite University. She enjoys preaching and talking about the Bible with other people.
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Linda Wenger is the Stephens City Mennonite Church Administrator.
Linda has been a member of our congregation since 2015. Linda enjoys gardening.
Stephens City Mennonite Church---Then and Now
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Mennonites moved to the Stephens City, Frederick County, Virginia area as early as the 1700s. Joist Hite, one of Frederick County’s earliest settlers, along with 16 other Mennonite families had moved from Pennsylvania. It wasn’t until after the Civil War that Mennonites began to settle the second time in Kernstown and the surrounding area.
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Stephens City Mennonite Church began in 1953 when Mark Showalter began holding home Bible study meetings with his friends Maude and Robert Hartley. The group grew, and eventually Showalter rented a basement room in the old Stephens City Post Office on the corner of Main and Fairfax Streets. The Virginia Mennonite Conference recognized the group by 1955. Pastoral leadership was provided by Northern District while Teddy Rollins and J. Otis Yoder preached.
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In January 1960 Mark asked the Northern District Council for permission to build a church. There were 217 in attendance when the current building was dedicated on 27 November 1960. The young church included a group of about 30 Mennonite men who were exempted from the draft as conscientious objectors and came to the area to fulfill their alternate service at Winchester Medical Center. Attendance and membership numbers have varied over the years and currently the congregation is few in numbers but quite active in service to the church, conference, and community.
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The congregation meets for worship each Sunday morning in a traditional though informal service. Approximately once every 2 months, a participatory service called “Ekklesia” replaces the usual format. The congregation enjoys music and sings a variety of musical styles during worship services.
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Adults also meet together for Adult Study Group by Zoom on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM which may involve a discussion of a book, a theme, or Bible study. The Service & Witness Commission collaborates with other churches in the area and coordinates the involvement of the congregation in helping meet local community needs.
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A pavilion was built in 2004 and is used for meals, worship, and other outdoor events.
(Information obtained from the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online)