Pine Creek Chapel Arcadia FL

Pine Creek Chapel

A caring and loving church located in Arcadia Florida

Pine Creek Chapel is a part of the body of Christ in Arcadia Florida that strives to truly be a church family. While many of the believers that meet in our fellowship have deep roots in the Anabaptist/Mennonite community, our gathering is composed of disciples of Christ from various denominations and non-denominational backgrounds. Together, we strive to walk after Christ’s example, using the Word of God as our guide and growing as a body of disciples under the leading of the Holy Spirit.

While we are not a large congregation we are a loving group. We believe in the priesthood of believers and as such, the care of the body is the responsibility of every member. Our model is not one person caring for many but rather many persons caring for the one.

As a Bible based church we believe that the answers to life’s questions are found by submitting ourselves to the Word of God. Bible Study is a unifying part of our church life. When we study the scriptures together, we hear God speaking through His written word as well as God’s Spirit speaking through His people. Teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training are more fully lived out in a community of believers who together humble themselves before God and His Word.

If you are seeking God, we welcome you to come and travel this path with us, as we pursue after God, work while there is still time, and eagerly await Christ’s glorious return.

 

Download Pine Creek Chapel vCard with Service Times

Click here to contact the church  

Download Pastor Troy Peachey vCard

Click here to contact Troy Peachey  

Mennonite Church USA  

http://www.pinecreekchapel.com/  

 

 

Know how to get there? Share the knowledge with others!  

Please share parking information and/or parking experience!  

 

 

 

History of Pine Creek Chapel

GOD AT WORK - PINE CREEK CHAPEL

The words that follow document the beginning and early history of Pine Creek Chapel in Arcaida, Florida.

The birth of the thought of starting a church in Arcadia, Fl. was not necessarily in the pattern of strategy believed safe by most mission strategists. However, the clear leading of the Lord, by speaking to individuals and "opening doors" made moving in this direction a joy and a challenge.

It all started when Martin Lehman and David Kniss, who was then pastor of Ashton, drove through the town enroute to Miami. As they went through the town the Spirit spoke in a very clear and convincing manner to Bro. Kniss that it was in the plan of God to start a church in this area. Upon returning from the trip he shared it with several other brethren and had the sense of call confirmed. He then returned one day to Arcadia and spoke with some people on the streets, and the Chamber of Commerce and spent the day walking, observing and praying unceasingly to hear more what God was saying about the matter. The direction still seemed to be to proceed.

Sometime later Lehman. and Kniss returned to Arcadia and spoke to Mrs. Robert Linn about Kniss' feelings. The Linns had moved to Arcadia from Sara­sota, Ashton church about a year before this. Mrs. Linn replied by saying that about two weeks previous to the visit she started praying that the Lord would lay the burden on someone's heart to begin a new Mennonite church in Arcadia. The two weeks coincided perfectly with the first trip of these men through the town. The following day she "happened" to meet the Realtor, Gene Turner, from whom they had purchased their property and told him of her pastor's thinking. He immediately replied, "You tell your preacher that if he wants to start a church here I will donate him five acres of land for a church." This offer was seen as another clear indication of the Lord's will.

The Church trustees of Ashton met to take a look at the land offered and decided to accept Mr. Turner's offer. After much praying and searching out the Lord's will four more families from Ashton felt the Lord leading them to move to Arcadia to help get a new church started. These families were Ivan Schlabachs, Henry Zooks, Ed Grabers, and Dennis Sharps. The first of these fam-to move were Ivan Schlabachs who moved out in August of 1973. The other families moved out soon after.

When the families of Ashton, interested in starting a church in Arcadia, met at Ashton, they decided to call Dave Kniss to be their pastor. Kniss accepted this call, having previously resigned his pastorate at Ashton to take a year of schooling at Eastern Mennonite College in Virginia. He contin­ued to give guidance and leadership to the Arcadia church through mail and occasional trips south from EMC.

The first service to be held in Arcadia was Sept. 19,1973 when Schlabach: Linns, and Sharps met on Wednesday night for prayer meeting at the Linn home. It was decided there to meet the first three Sundays of each month and visit other churches on the fourth Sunday. The group experienced many times of warm spiritual fellowship as they met in their homes from week to week.

February 24,1974 marked another highlight for the church. Ron and Terri Merkin were baptized. This was a young couple that Ivan Schlabach learned to know at his place of employment.

The group meeting in various homes continued to see their need of a more permanent church facility on the property donated by Turner Realty. After some investigating, they decided to purchase a mobile unit for a church bldg. The unit was purchased and the first service held June 16,1974. On July 3, 1974 the pastor, David Kniss, moved into the community from VA. He was installed as pastor and the congregation established a charter membership of seventeen persons on Sept. 4,1974, one year after the first meeting in their homes. The facility was dedicated on November 24,'74. This service taxed our new facilities to its limits by having 120 persons present.

As we look back it simply makes us say again, "Thank you Lord, for your leading and guidance throughout the birth of a new church."

The the above is an exerpt of material written earlier by Pastor David Kniss and distributed to the church community.

Pastor David Kniss