ECSMC is located on the ancestral land of the Susquehannock people.
Mennonites are Anabaptist Christians. Three of our core values are:
1) Jesus is the center of our faith.
2) Community is the center of our lives.
3) Reconciliation is the center of our work.
Our church was established in 1879 as the first Mennonite congregation in the city of Lancaster. Our sanctuary, which looks like many of our county’s traditional meeting houses, was built in 1906. In our early years, preachers often needed to pause whenever a trolley came rumbling by.
Our location at the corner of Chestnut & Sherman has helped us to see new things in the Bible, especially God’s deep love for our city and its people. In Jeremiah 29, for example, we began to hear God’s call for us to find our wellbeing in the wellbeing of our city neighbors.
Today, our reading of the Bible continues to inspire our congregation to join what God is already doing in our city. Every Monday evening (since 2001), we build community and share a warm meal with 100+ of our city neighbors. We work through the Chestnut Housing Corporation, founded in 2010, to provide affordable housing for those coming out of homelessness. In recent years, we have walked with several refugee families as they’ve resettled in our city.
In 2016, we moved from Lancaster Mennonite Conference to Atlantic Coast Conference in order to maintain our cherished denominational ties with Mennonite Church USA. We also deeply value our connections with other communities of faith in our city and around the world.
In 2016, our congregation voted to welcome gay and lesbian persons into membership. In 2021, our congregation expanded that welcome to all LGBTQ+ persons in every aspect of church life, including the blessing of marriage and opportunity to serve in pastoral ministry.
We are a church that loves to sing, pray, and worship God together. We seek to read and interpret the Bible through the “lens” of Jesus. We care deeply about justice, peace, creation care, and dismantling racism. We are passionate about our shared spiritual formation as the followers of Jesus, at every stage of life, from beginning to end. We seek to ground all that we do in a deep and prayerful connection with God.
We welcome you to come follow Jesus with us!
(he, him)
I love being part of a faith community that is deeply committed to following Jesus in daily life and joining what God is doing here in the city of Lancaster, especially in our surrounding neighborhood. If being part of that kind of church appeals to you then come check us out!
A bit about my own story. As a college student and young adult, I had little interest in faith or connecting with the church. That slowly began to change during the seven years that my wife and I spent working in China. I was surprised to hear God’s call to become a pastor through the beautiful lives of the Chinese Christians we came to know. I graduated from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, IN) in 2000 and then pastored a church in suburban Chicago for 13 years. East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church called me to be their lead pastor in 2013.
A couple spiritual disciplines are especially dear to me: contemplative prayer helps me to connect with God and walking helps me connect with our city neighbors. Here are links to articles where I reflect on each one: Out of My Mind, Into My Heart and Pastor Learns About His Community. I’m also a trained spiritual director (AMBS, 2011) and a commissioned presenter in Centering Prayer (Contemplative Outreach, 2015).
My wife is a massage therapist and our daughter is a college student. I enjoy bird photography, studying Mandarin Chinese, reading novels, and gardening.
(she, her)
Having grown up in Lancaster County, I was drawn to East Chestnut St. Mennonite Church for the ways the congregation choses to show up in our community. During the time I’ve been at ECSMC, I’ve seen its deep commitment to the welfare of our city.
As a young person, faith did not come easy to me. But the church always seemed like the right place to be. I loved to explore big questions, much like Francis of Assisi, who asks, “Who are you, Lord my God, and who am I?” When my faith became my own, I was drawn to accompanying children and youth as they embarked on the challenging journey of exploring a relationship with God through the way of Jesus. I graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Student Ministry. Following school, I spent 12 years serving people with intellectual impairments. They were wonderful years!
In 2021, my sense of calling was reawakened while serving as the bible teacher at Summer Camp. I love working with kids and youth, encouraging faith exploration, teaching interpretive tools for reading scripture, and sharing spiritual practices.
I’m currently enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at Lancaster Theological Seminary, and plan to graduate in May of 2026. I enjoy poetry, drawing, singing, and musical theater. I live with my wife and our adorable pup Rudy.
(he, him)
Nice to meet you! I’ve lived in central PA for most of my life, though I called Texas and California home during my 20’s. I am a proud left-hander, a (very) novice gardener, and I love a good story. I am an arranger & organizer to my core, and I find process development and collaborative innovation to be energizing (truly). I have a professional background in higher education and community engagement, and I occasionally moonlight as a restorative justice practitioner. I live in Lancaster City with my husband, our greyhound, and far too many houseplants. If you find yourself at ECSMC during the workweek, swing by the office to say hello!
