A Brief History of Our Church

The Mennonite Church began in 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland when several so called “Anabaptist” believers went beyond the major reformers of the time. Anabaptism, a vigorous minority force within the Reformation, called for a separation of church and state, baptism on confession of faith, freedom of conscience and a seemingly radical but practical life of discipleship based on Jesus’ way of love and nonviolence. The name “Mennonite” is derived from one of the major Duch Anabaptist leaders, Menno Simons. Today Mennonite-related groups form an international body of 775,000 in nearly sixty nations of the world.

Swamp Mennonite Church was established in 1847, but has roots in the area known as the Swamp or “Great Meadows” dating back to 1719. Our original building was called the “Millford Meetinghouse.” This structure which is still standing has been enlarged through the years and currently houses part of our Sunday School program. Steady growth necessitated expansion projects which were completed in 1947, 1961, 1972, and 1991. It was a need for more educational space which prompted the most recent building program. We praise God for providing us with our present beautiful facility.

As important as a building is to the life of the church we at Swamp recognize that the church is not a building. The church is people, people who have experienced new life in Jesus Christ. Our family of believers seek to be transformed in our daily living by the saving power of Christ, to care for one another with a God-like love, to serve our community selflessly and especially to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation which He freely gives to all through faith in Jesus Christ. Above all we seek to worship our wonderful God in spirit and in truth.

Swamp Mennonite Church is affiliated with the Franconia Mennonite Conference, a community of sixty congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Vermont.

Our Purpose...

We celebrate God’s grace, encourage growth in Christ and boldly proclaim the victory of Christ’s love over sin and death; through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

We Believe...

in the inspiration and authority of the Bible;

in God as Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

in Jesus: that he was virgin conceived and born, that He is fully God and fully man, that he is sinless, that he voluntarily died for our sins, that he was physically raised from the dead and that He is presently at God’s right hand interceding for believers;

in the Holy Spirit: that he is fully God and that He is in the world convicting people of sin, providing new life to those who believe the gospel, and giving gifts, guidance and power to believers for life and minisrty;

in the sinfulness of all human beings;

in forgivness of sin only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ;

in faith which is displayed in the daily walk of life and is characterized by love, peace and nonresistance;

in the church as the community of those who have been forgiven in Christ and which is separate from the world;

in the soon return of Jesus Christ to Earth.