Bossler Mennonite Church

In 1811, a congregation in West Donegal purchased land from Christian Longenecker and built a church along what is now Garber Road where it intersects with Bossler. Both a church and school were built at the same time. Its believed that the first building stood in front of Washington School. Later in the 1880s, the building was torn down and a new building was built where the current white framed building now stands. This building has been renovated several times since.

Before having a building in 1811, this congregation met in homes. The first recorded minister is John Mumma from Dauphin County. The original building is rumored to have burned to the ground. It's unknown at this point what actually happened to the building. It's likely that due the needs of the growing congregation, it was torn down and a new church was built. The current frame building, built in 1881, still serves the congregation with a sanctuary, foyer, 2 anterooms, and nursery. The basement was dug out by hand in the 1950s and remodeled in the late 1980s. It includes a kitchen, restrooms, sunday school rooms, and a library.

The first minister ordained from the Bossler congregation was Martin N. Rutt. Since then the congregation has chosen ministers from within its members. These are Martin N. Rutt, Simon Garber, Martin R. Kraybill, Harlan Hoover, Glen Martin, Fred Garber, and Clair Good. Currently. Bossler is part of the Elizabethtown District with Clair Good as our bishop and Fred Garber as pastor.

In 2011, Bossler Mennonite Church will be celebrating 200 years since this first building was built. To commemorate the event, a celebration is being planned for August 13 & 14, 2011. See the Bicentennial Anniversary tab for more information.