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The Bart Mennonite Church was organized May 14, 1950, in the Friends Meeting House 21/2 miles southeast of Georgetown, Penn-sylvania, with twelve charter members, by ministers Nevin Bender and Eli Swartzentruber, of Greenwood, Delaware.
This building was used on loan from the Friends Association for nearly six years. As the attendance and membership increased, more room and better facilities were needed for regular church meetings, and especially for Sunday school and Summer Bible school. To meet this need a building lot of two acres was purchased, and a building erected thereon which was finished in early 1956. There is an ample parking lot, and cemetery lots have also been laid out.
The church building has a seating capacity of two hundred per-sons, with rooms for men and women in the basement. Sunday school rooms have also been provided in the basement. Fuel oil is used for heating.
The first Sunday morning service was conducted April 21, 1956. The membership at that time was 44, with an attendance averaging above 60. Summer Bible school, semi-monthly Sunday evening meet-ings, bi-weekly prayer meetings, evangelism, evangelistic meetings, and Winter Bible school are regular features, besides Sunday morning worship, preaching and Sunday school.
Youth activities under adult sponsorship, a Church Activities Council to co-ordinate the various church activities, and a Ministers Advisory Committee to assist the ministry have been provided. A Homemakers Fellowship by the sisters of the congregation has been found to be very salutary. The mothers bring their babies to church, and have found ways to promote quiet, reverent Sunday morning worship. Their Fellowship meets quarterly. Once a year the men are invited.
The Sisters' Sewing Circle meets monthly in the church basement to sew for foreign Relief. Plans have been formulated for a Mens' Fellowship. A Church Constitution is currently being written, which includes a provision for the appointment of three Elders to provide counsel for the pastor, and to assist in the total congregational pro-gram. These elders when provided, shall succeed the present Min-isters Advisory Committee.
The ministers who have served the congregation are Shem Peachey, who served as pastor from 1951 to 1960; M. S. Stoltzfus served as assistant pastor from 1954 to 1964; Jesse Byler, as assistant pastor in 1957, and Urbane Peachey, as pastor from 1960 to 1964, having served as assistant pastor over two years before. The present pastor is Titus Kauffman, with Shem Peachey serving as assistant pastor on a yearly appointment basis. The present pastor is receiving monetary support from the church, covering about 75 per cent of his needs.
The Bart Mennonite Church building is easily accessible, located on good hard roads, one block north of 372, one and one-half miles east of Georgetown on the Christiana Road.
The Congregation is dedicated to serve the community with the gospel of Christ. To all who desire to hear the Word of God ex-pounded and taught, "with the Spirit of the living God," whether saved or lost, we extend a standing invitation to assemble with us. The present membership is 94, with an average attendance of around 120. Visitors will receive a welcome. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath commited unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5: 19).