This class provides an illustrated look at the unique weaving of seven strands of Reformation Christianity that comprised William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” and still influence the texture of Eastern Pennsylvania’s families, culture, and societal dynamics. These strands all helped shape the American experience. William Penn’s colony allowed these varied strands of Christian churches to come together in an amazing fabric of transformed relationships and friendships when people began to live together as neighbors, as communities “under God.” Participants can develop a new historical appreciation of the origins of the community in which we live.

About the Instructor: Dr. Robert Gerhart

Bob Gerhart has been a student of church history from his youth throughout his years of pastoral ministry. He served as a pastor of congregations in Pennsylvania, California, and Lesotho, Africa. He was a staff member of the Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM) and has served as the executive director of the Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations. He and his wife live in Bally.