Timeline

Early Days

Urban Renewal

Immanuel

The Sign

Both the past of the church and the land where it resides are full of changes. In the nearly 30 years since its founding, the church has been led by several different pastors and pastoral groups, experienced major fluctuations in congregation size and experienced the changing demographics of the neighborhood around them.

But the land where the church now resides has been marred by racial tension and inequality since the 1800s. The church intentionally chose this location with the goal of redeeming it. So, to fully appreciate the sign’s message of acceptance — both in terms of its meaning and its impact — it’s important to understand this backstory.

Using information from David Ehrenpreis’s book “Picturing Harrisonburg,” the congregation’s memories, community records, newspaper clippings, the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO) and census data we have provided a comprehensive timeline that stretches back more than 100 years before the church was established.

Early Days

A church that practices and preaches racial equality and acceptance sits on land with a

Robert Gray, a lawyer that Ehrenpreis says was “considered the wealthiest man in the county,” built Hilltop Farm. The Gray family, who actively supported the Union during the Civil War, owned as many as 17 slaves.

Hilltop Farm, 18673

Formerly enslaved African-Americans from Rockingham and the surrounding counties gathered together and formed the community of Newtown, which stood on land formerly part of Hilltop Farm.

Newtown, 18673

The Hilltop farm house burned down. Five men purchased three lots of the estate at the price of $250 a piece to establish Newtown Cemetery. The cemetery still stands today.

Urban Renewal

While Newtown maintained its identity as primarily African-American community throughout the next eighty years, the community endured a hard hit during the 1950s and 1960s.

Segregation laws prohibited African-Americans from visiting the lone local pool. The Newtown community built their own — Harris pool. It sat cattycorner from the Newtown Cemetery, on land that was once part of the Gray plantation.

Harris Pool4

With desegregation firmly established, the city of Harrisonburg decided to close Harris pool, leaving an empty lot for a decade.

After the population of foreign-born residents staying around 1 percent throughout the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, immigration in Harrisonburg sees a major upswing during this time. Factors such as economic depressions, conflicts and wars led more immigrants to come, while policy changes and new organizations made it easier for them to integrate into the community.

Immanuel

The founders of Immanuel Mennonite Church chose Newtown with the goal of making a tangible impact in the community.

A group of people left Broad Street Mennonite Church because of irreparable differences in beliefs about Jesus.

The group adopted the name Immanuel Mennonite Church.

After conducting services in a local high school, Immanuel purchased the land that used to be Harris Pool, where a few members had been coming during lunch to pray.

Construction began on the church and an affordable child care center to service the neighborhood and surrounding community.

The first service was held in the church.

Roberta Webb Child Care Center opened.

Basil Marin became the pastor. In the next 12 years, Marin led the church through a period where diversity and attendance flourished.

News clipping from the Daily News Record announcing the beginning of Basil Marin’s tenure with the church.

Marin completed his time as pastor, and Immanuel began a part-time pastor model. Over the next eight years, the church hosted five different pastors and pastoral teams.

The church established their Kid’s Club ministry, which brings neighborhood kids in for food, games, and Bible lessons.

“It’s a real privilege to be known and trusted.”

Matthew Bucher

Immanuel

The founders of Immanuel Mennonite Church chose Newtown with the goal of making a tangible impact in the community.

Matthew Bucher became the church’s pastor after roughly two years as an intern .

Bucher comes up with the idea to put up a welcoming, multi-lingual sign, which has since turned into a national movement.

Melissa Howard, a regular attendee at Immanuel who has artwork around the community, completed the original sign that now stands outside the church.

After deciding to spread the message in the community, the first batch of yard signs are given away.

They sold over 200 signs at the annual Mennonite Relief Sale, with some of those going to out-of-town customers.

As of the 2017 census data, 16.6 percent of Harrisonburg’s population is foreign-born, a stark contrast to the 1 percent during the 1960s. This demographic change has affected the city as a whole, including Newtown and Immanuel Mennonite Church.

Image Sources
  1. Picturing Harrisonburg: Visions of a Shenandoah Valley City since 1828
  2. Courtesy of Carrier Library Special Collections
  3. Courtesy of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society, Dayton, Virginia
  4. Courtesy of Howard Curry
  5. Courtesy of Doug Bowman

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