What we believe:
We all mess up—no one denies that. So what can we do about it? We want to have a friendship with God, but the God who made us is perfect--so perfect that He can’t even be in the presence of anyone who isn’t also perfect. Sounds impossible, right?
That’s why Jesus is so important. Jesus is God’s son, a part of God Himself. Jesus gave up the rights of being God and became a human just like us. He lived alongside of people just like us and He showed them a better way. He lived as an example of how to relate to one another and to God.
Jesus took it one step further—He made the greatest sacrifice possible; He died a horrible death to take the punishment for everything we’ve ever done wrong. He stepped into the line of fire and took our bullet. Then, to prove that He broke the chains that keep us from living in a way that pleases God, He miraculously returned to life again. He’s still alive today, and because of what He did, we can have a friendship with God.
That’s where our part comes in. If we admit that we’ve done wrong, accept that Jesus is God and died in our place, and we decide to follow His example, we begin to live life the way God intended when He first created us. We treat others with love and respect, and we, like Jesus, can make a difference in the world around us.
Staff
Pastor Verle Brubaker has been married to Maralee for 37 years and they have two grown sons. Born in Oregon, Pastor Verle was one of six children. He has a master’s degree from Western Evangelical Seminary and has spent most of his life as a pastor on the east coast. In his free time, Pastor Verle loves playing golf and is an avid reader, enjoying everything from theology to science-fiction to fantasy.
Associate Pastor of Worship and Youth Nathan Good has lived in Quakertown all of his life. He grew up at Rocky Ridge Mennonite Church and also spent several years at Christ Community Bible Church where he served as an interim Music Director for a year. Nathan was recently married to his lovely wife, Dana, and they live on Main Street in Quakertown. Due to the nature of his position, Nathan is often out of the office doing various things, but he can always be contacted via email (it comes to his phone!). In his free time Nathan enjoys hanging out with his wife, reading books, baking, gardening, playing various sports, hiking, and whatever else happens to come up.
Administrative Secretary Kim Lesh
grew up and is raising her three sons in Quakertown. Currently a student of Lancaster Bible College, Kim enjoys music, art, and spending time with family. She and her family live in Geryville. Kim will share her time between Swamp and East Swamp where she is very active in the Worship Ministries and Coffeehouse programs and helps in the church office.
At Swamp, we have a team of lay ministers who oversee the work of the church:
Christian Ed |
Community Life Linda Jaindl & Laura Rush |
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Stewardship |
Youth & Young Adults |
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What’s the deal with your name?
We know, on first glance, that “Swamp” seems like a strange name for a church. There is a reason for it, though: the Mennonites who established the church back in 1719 referred to our region as “the Swamp” or “Great Meadows.” In 1847, when we settled into our original building (which is now the children’s wing of our current facility), we took the name “Swamp” to differentiate us from “East Swamp” and “West Swamp.” As the number of people in our church grew, we added on to the building several times during the 20th century. Many of the original members of our church were the farmers who drained the area to create the fertile fields we enjoy now; today, our members include farmers, teachers, engineers, construction workers, lawyers, homemakers, and grandparents!
Links to further info
If you want to dig into all this a little deeper, here are some sites that will tell you everything you want to know about Mennonites:
Messages from Japan
Menno Media Links
Third Way Café
MCUSA
Franconia Conference
Mennonite World Conference
Mennonite Confession of Faith
Crossroads Post-Abortion Study