West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship
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About Us

We are a welcoming Anabaptist congregation that meets for worship and fellowship, journeying together as followers of Jesus in Philadelphia

Menu
  • Who We Are
  • History
  • Beliefs as Mennonites
  • Discernment Overview
  • Calendar

WHO WE ARE

We are a welcoming Anabaptist congregation that meets for worship and fellowship, journeying together as followers of Jesus in Philadelphia

Our roots are in the Anabaptist experience of the Protestant Reformation. We teach peacemaking, believers baptism, and following the teachings of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. We value the community of faith as a central part of the Gospel.

Average Sunday attendance is about 75 adults and 25 children. We cultivate ministries of worship, nurture and outreach. Some of us come from Mennonite backgrounds, while others of us grew up in other Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Jewish religious traditions, or none at all. We are students, teachers, social workers, homemakers, missionaries, artists, construction workers, computer programmers, health-care workers, and other professionals. Our common faith in God through Jesus Christ binds us together.

Children are important to us. We include a Children’s Time in every Sunday morning worship service, and regularly welcome the participation of children. Sunday School is held every week from September through the beginning of June (no S.S. during the summer). Parents and others in the congregation endeavor to pass on our values to our children through nurture, fun events, and education.

As followers of Christ, our task is to open the door and accept, in love and humility, whomever the Spirit draws inside. And so we welcome people of any ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, status, physical or mental ability to join us on this journey drawing closer to God.

Our History

West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship (WPMF) grew out of a small Bible study group from Diamond Street Mennonite Church in the early 1980s that met in the home of Luke and Miriam Stoltzfus. This group had a vision for an internationally focused Mennonite Church in West Philadelphia. They agreed to be a core group for the emerging congregation and Diane Stitt was named as a church planter by the Franconia and Lancaster Mennonite conferences. Twenty-one people attended WPMF’s first worship service on July 1, 1984. David Greiser and Diane Stitt served as the founding pastoral team.

A small timeline of our growth at WPMF

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Diane Stitt 1983

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David GreiserDave Greiser 1984

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Fed and Minh

Fred Kauffman 1994

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LIbby Case

Libby Caes 1992

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Lorie Hershey

Lorie Hershey 2007-2022

Our Beliefs As Mennonites

At the center of Mennonite teachings is the need to believe in Jesus Christ as the one who died and rose from the dead in order that people could live in union with God. Mennonites believe that the life and teachings of Jesus guide our daily living. We believe that the church should keep Christ’s life and ministry alive in the world, just as though Christ was still living on earth. That’s why the church gets referred to as the “body of Christ.”

Mennonite Church USA uses “Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective” as its guide for beliefs. Copies of this short book are available in the church office. Feel free to discuss your faith questions with others, with Pastor Lorie, or with a member of the pastoral team.

New Life in Christ

Because we are human beings, we all sin: we commit wrongs, we don’t do the things we should, and we’re out of touch with God. In history, God sent Jesus Christ to the world so that all those who believe in Jesus Christ could receive forgiveness for their sins, as well as the gift of a whole life today and the promise of living forever with God. Taking part in a regular worship service enables Christians to respond to God with praise and thanks, and to live for Jesus through the week.

Helping Each Other

“In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Ro. 12:5, NIV). Mennonites feel that Christians need each other for encouragement and growth, for confronting one another in a supportive way, and for help in time of crisis. The church grows in faith, unity, service, and witness when it is a caring and loving community.

Voluntary Membership and Commitment to Christ

A church is strong when its members experience God’s love and are wholeheartedly committed to its purpose. For that reason, “believer’s baptism” is practiced to symbolize the decision of an adult to make a public commitment to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. In baptism the believer shows willingness to share the good news about Jesus by words and actions.

Living Peacefully

As disciples of Jesus, Mennonites try to live under Christ’s rule: for many this means loving the enemy and refusing to use violence or participate in military service, living peaceably with others at all levels, serving the poor and needy, and taking risks to work actively for justice and mercy.

Reaching Out to the World

Jesus Christ said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21, RSV). He sends the church to bring “good news” to all persons throughout the world. Jesus wants his followers to help each other. As Jesus put it, “The Spirit of the Lord … has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, … freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind” (Luke 4:18, RSV). Mennonites also believe it’s important to be concerned for both the “spiritual” and “physical” aspects of life.

Belonging to Each Other

“In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Ro. 12:5, NIV). Mennonites feel that Christians need each other for encouragement and growth, for confronting one another in a supportive way, and for help in time of crisis. The church grows in faith, unity, service, and witness when it is a caring and loving community.

The Bible is Central

The church tries to live in obedience to the Word of God — the Bible. Mennonites believe that God’s spirit, or “Holy Spirit,” helps the community of believers understand that Word. The life and teachings of Jesus as recorded in the Bible help in interpreting the meaning of the “Old Testament” part of the Bible: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 3:1 1, RSV). The Holy Spirit uses the written Word to give new life to the church and to help people grow in faith.

WPMF Vision Prayer

Open us to Your grace, O God, that we may grow as a joyful community of Jesus’ disciples who honor You in worship, seek Your presence daily, encourage each other in faithfulness, welcome others to life in Christ, and work for the shalom of the city. Amen

Our Discernment for Inclusion

In April of 2012, our congregation embarked on a deliberate 6-month discernment process to clarify our position regarding sexual orientation and membership at WPMF.

Click here for more details: Discernment regarding Sexual Orientation and Following Jesus

WPMF is associated with:

Allegheny Mennonite Conference

About US

  • Who We Are
  • History
  • Beliefs as Mennonites
  • Discernment Overview
  • Calendar

Sunday

  • Worship Leading
  • Sunday School
  • What to Expect
  • Sermons

What We Do

  • Retreat
  • Outreach
  • Youth
  • Small Groups

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Our Leadership

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