Forest Hills Mennonite Church meets on Quarry Road on the eastern edge of Leola, a small community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The congregation describes itself as followers of Jesus growing in grace, joy, and peace and traces its life back to 1946. Members come from across Lancaster County to worship, learn, and serve together in the Anabaptist Mennonite tradition.
Following Jesus Together
Forest Hills centers its life on three convictions drawn from the Anabaptist stream of the Protestant Reformation. As the congregation summarizes them, Jesus is the center of our faith, community is the center of our life, and reconciliation is the center of our work. The church holds these out as practices to live into, not only as beliefs to affirm. A quote from the early Anabaptist thinker Hans Denck runs through the congregation's self-understanding: No one may truly know Christ except one who follows Him in life.
Members are encouraged to treat the whole congregation as a priesthood of believers, in the words of Ephesians 4:16, where each part works properly and the entire body builds itself up in love. Almost every aspect of church life is volunteer-led: greeters, worship leaders, scripture readers, Sunday School teachers, audio and visual technicians, committee members, and Care Team visitors all come from the pews.
A Sunday Morning on Quarry Road
The week builds toward Sunday. Sunday School classes for all ages begin at 9:30 a.m., and gathered worship follows at 10:30 a.m. Services typically run about an hour. A greeter waits at the front door to help newcomers find a classroom, and ample parking is available on site. The building, including the restrooms, is wheelchair accessible.
Inside worship, the room fills with a blend of contemporary songs (usually led by piano, guitar, drums, and bass) and traditional hymns (often piano or a cappella four-part harmony). Members greet one another, give an offering to support the church's ministries, hear Scripture read aloud, and listen to a twenty-to-twenty-five-minute reflection on faith and life. Prayer closes the service. There is never any pressure to give.
For those who would rather slip in quietly, the doors open right around 10:30 a.m. and seats in the back are welcome territory. If weather rules out meeting at the church, the congregation sometimes shifts to a Service in the Park at West Earl Township Park, with worship at 10:30 a.m. followed by a shared lunch.
A Worship That Sings in Many Keys
Music carries a lot of weight at Forest Hills. The congregation sings psalms, hymns, and contemporary worship songs, and the worship team sometimes weaves in adult or children's choirs, creative movement, liturgical dance, dramas, flowers, and other artistic expressions. People's musical preferences are varied, so services range from a modern worship set to four-part harmony hymns to the occasional folk tune.
Kelly Lapp serves as Director of Worship. A singer for as long as she can remember, she has spent many years on and leading worship teams and finds music and the arts a natural way to serve people. In her role as Director of Worship she helps plan services, recruit musicians, and shape the congregation's sung life.
Children and Families at the Center
Forest Hills takes seriously Jesus' invitation to welcome children, and the building is set up for families. A staffed nursery is available for the youngest, along with a preschool class and two elementary classes. Sunday School generally includes games, activities, a Bible story, and usually a snack.
During the school year, children ages three through six often have their own Kids' Church during the second half of the worship service. When the weather is warm, leaders sometimes take children out to an enclosed playground area. The Bridge meets on Wednesday evenings during the school year for kids age four through grade five, with crafts, games, and Bible study, while Junior Youth (grades six through eight) meets at the same time. Every adult who works with children has completed background checks and follows the church's Child Protection Policy, and the church invites parents to review it ahead of a visit.
Beyond the weekly schedule, Forest Hills plans a Summer Kids' Program, a Fall Fest coordinated with the youth group, and church picnic games. Many staff and volunteers have experience welcoming children with special needs, and families are encouraged to share any needs, including food allergies, with teachers.
Walking With Youth and Young Adults
MYF, the youth group for grades nine through twelve, meets year-round on Sunday evenings. Junior Youth, for grades six through eight, gathers on Wednesday evenings during the school year and adds special events like the Pinewood Derby and fundraiser meals. The church also runs an Adopt-a-Student program for young adults.
Becky Bathurst directs youth and young adult ministry. A long-time member of Forest Hills, she returned to the area in 2017 after about a decade away and brings a background in education and a passion for walking with young people as they figure out what it means to be an adult and a Christian. Her teaching certification and her years working in a variety of educational settings shape the way the youth ministry makes space for questions.
Care, Visitation, and Walking Together
Pastoral staff and a Care Team come alongside people facing physical, emotional, relational, and other challenges and journey with them through the complexities of aging. Nina Harnish serves as Minister of Care and Visitation. A registered dietitian who later moved into counseling work in inpatient, outpatient, and private practice settings, she has been part of Forest Hills for more than fifteen years and brings experience from children's ministry, mothers' groups, junior high ministry, and Sunday School class shepherding.
The Care Team visits seniors, those who are hospitalized, and people recovering from illness; provides rides to church and other appointments; prepares meals for families or individuals in crisis; and offers a steady presence through life's harder seasons. Sunday School class shepherds keep watch over members of their group, and a Kitchen Committee handles Sunday morning coffee and the funeral meals and special meals that come up through the year.
A Habit of Service
Service runs deep at Forest Hills. Members gather materials for local and global relief efforts through Mennonite Central Committee, knot comforters, work for affordable housing, and rebuild after disasters with Mennonite Disaster Service. The Mission, Peace, and Justice team organizes hands-on service projects with partners including Conestoga Valley SEEDS, Bridge of Hope, Church World Service, and Chestnut Housing. A Refugee Support Team welcomes newcomers, and stewardship advocates keep the congregation attentive to how it uses its resources.
Lead Pastor Jon Carlson has served on the boards of Atlantic Coast Conference and Lancaster Mennonite School in addition to his work at Forest Hills, and currently serves as moderator of Mennonite Church USA, the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States.
Anabaptist Roots, Mennonite Today
Mennonite began as a nickname, probably not a friendly one, for people influenced by the teachings of Menno Simons, a sixteenth-century Catholic priest in the Netherlands who became a leader of the Anabaptist, sometimes called radical, wing of the Protestant Reformation. These early Anabaptists baptized adults, rejected violence, and sought to follow the Prince of Peace.
Today Forest Hills belongs to Mennonite Church USA and is shaped by the 1995 Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. As part of the global Anabaptist family, the church points to the seven convictions that global Anabaptists share through Mennonite World Conference.
Winter Bible School offers another season of study for adults, and Sunday morning messages carry the bulk of the church's teaching. Sermons are recorded each week and remain available in both video and audio formats, with bulletins posted alongside them.
What to Wear, Where to Park, and Other Practical Matters
Mennonites are sometimes known for distinctive styles of clothing, but Forest Hills welcomes everyone to wear what makes them comfortable. Sunday worship draws people dressed in anything from jeans and t-shirts to suits and dresses. Visitors can expect a friendly smile and a warm handshake at the front door.
The church sits at 100 Quarry Road, Leola, Pennsylvania, with ample parking and wheelchair access throughout the building and restrooms. Sunday morning worship services stream on YouTube and Facebook for friends and shut-ins.
Giving and Staying Connected
Members and friends support the ministries of the church through cash or check offerings during services, online one-time or recurring gifts through Breeze, or by texting an amount to 717-820-9230. A secure online directory through Breeze lets regular attenders look up contact information, update personal details, and review personal giving history. A mobile app is available in the App Store and on Google Play.
Eby Cemetery
Forest Hills does not have a cemetery on site. Its cemetery, Eby Cemetery, sits at 53 West Eby Road in Leola and offers traditional burial lots and an urn garden. The Property Committee oversees grounds work and digs graves for urns, though families may assist in closing urn graves if they wish. A set of rules governs monuments and decorations on the lots, including height, materials, and placement.
Leadership and Staff
The staff team includes Lead Pastor Jon Carlson, a graduate of Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and current moderator of Mennonite Church USA. Director of Worship Kelly Lapp, Minister of Care and Visitation Nina Harnish, Youth and Young Adults Director Becky Bathurst, and Children's Ministry Director Dora McCown round out the team. Together they oversee worship planning, pastoral care, Christian education, youth work, and children's ministry, while a Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and Auditor provide financial oversight and a Building and Property committee tends to the campus.
The congregation's life reaches beyond the staff room: greeters, befrienders, audio and visual technicians, Sunday School teachers and substitutes, Care Team members, kitchen committee volunteers, building and property stewards, and snow shovels all keep the body of Forest Hills moving through the week.