About Us
Our identity and story
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Our History
The people of Hampden Mennonite Church
The story of Hampden Mennonite Church began February 21, 2010 with thirteen people gathered in one living room. At first, they met once a month, but as time went on and the group grew, they held Sunday morning services more frequently in the large basement of founding members Michael and Mary Lois Petersheim’s home, and others took turns hosting midweek Bible studies. Occasional evening fellowship events gave the opportunity for more informal interaction.
Since then a series of events has marked the church’s growth. By 2013 the church was ready to formally organize as part of the Keystone Mennonite Fellowship, and it was the following year in 2014 when the church’s process of selecting leadership for the congregation culminated with the ordination as pastor of Nathan Zook, another founding member. A major milestone was reached in 2020 with the first baptismal service for four young people joining as full members and, in 2023, the congregation gained a deacon with the ordination of Jerry Fox.
Hampden Mennonite Church now meets in its sanctuary at 1234 West 36th Street in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore. It has grown to include Sunday School, a Vacation Bible School and a school-year children’s club. It maintains a close relationship with Hampden Christian School with which it shares its building.
Throughout these years, Bishops Isaac Gehman (2012-2014), J. Raymond Harnish (2015-2020) and Wes Metzler (2020-present) have supported the congregation with their presence and wisdom.
Interested in more information about the Keystone Mennonite Fellowship?
We began here. . .
and have grown to here
Our Heritage
The story of Mennonites and Anabaptists
As Mennonites, we are part of an even larger historical movement within the Church: Anabaptism. During the Reformation of the 16th century, Anabaptists were called “Radical Reformers,” but not because they were radical political activists (They weren’t). Rather it was because they distinguished themselves from other groups of the time – the Protestants and Roman Catholics – by emphasizing the authority of Scripture, especially Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, over church traditions or government decrees. Following Jesus’ teachings – as we do to this day -- they refused to take up the sword or to swear oaths (Letting our yes be simply yes and our no be no) and – somewhat ahead of their time – they believed in separating church from state and so disassociated themselves from the state churches of the day.
“Anabaptism” literally means to “baptize again.” It was a name originally given by groups that baptized infants and so considered baptizing adults to be “re-baptizing” them. But for the Anabaptists, baptism was to be reserved for only an active public expression of personal faith. And so as Anabaptists, we practice only “believer baptism” as a sign of that commitment. Another Anabaptist distinctive is simplicity, something we pursue in our worship, in the way we dress and generally in the lifestyle we choose and celebrate.
Menno Simons was an early Anabaptist leader and it was from his name that his followers became known as Mennonites. Their teachings spread throughout Switzerland, Germany and Holland and then -- as their commitment to “obey God rather than man” brought about persecution from powerful forces – to other countries including the United States where Mennonites are a quietly growing community of believers along with other spiritual descendants of Anabaptism: the Amish and Hutterites.
Interested in more information about Mennonites?
Menno Simons (1496–1561)
Church Contacts
Pastor
Nathan Zook was ordained to be our pastor on February 23, 2014. As is traditional among Mennonite churches, Hampden’s pastor is “bi-vocational,” giving his time to both church and secular employment. Nathan’s vocation as a college professor allows him significant flexibility for his pastoral duties and he can frequently be found on weekdays meeting with the people of the church as well as leading in worship on Sundays. He is well on his way to meeting his goal to preach sermons drawing passages from every chapter in the Bible.
He and his wife, Faith, along with their seven children, enjoy living in a nearby Baltimore neighborhood. He can be found taking walks through Sherwood Gardens, leading field trips for home-schoolers, or kayaking in the harbor.
In keeping with Mennonite commitment to peace and non-violence, Nathan has extensively studied conflict resolution and is committed to listening and providing peacemaking guidance for anyone experiencing conflict in the home, workplace, church, or other interpersonal relationships.
Deacon
Our deacon, Jeremiah Fox, most frequently known as Jerry, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. After high school he attended what was then Towson State College, he graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He also attended graduate school.
His family was in the furniture re-upholstery business. After graduating college, he worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist for about forty years. He became a Christian during high school. He and his wife Linda and their children served in the Middle East for about three years in the late 1990s.
After the closure of the church that they had attended for more than 30 years, they visited Hampden Mennonite Church. At the end of that first visit, they concluded it would be impossible for them to ever join. Within a few months they had decided that it was the only church they could join.
Jerry is involved in most of the ministries of the church, currently teaches Middle School and occasionally writes for a Christian periodical.
Jerry Fox
Nathan Zook