Plains Mennonite Church, a Franconia Conference congregation, has been worshipping at the same location in Hatfield Township, Pennsylvania since 1765. Plains is the oldest church in the vicinity of Lansdale or in Hatfield Township.
Henry Frey gave the land to the church between 1760 and 1769. The present meeting house is the fifth one either completely built or rebuilt. The first building was constructed of logs and was located in what is now the cemetery. The present meetinghouse was built in 1922, with additions added in 1959-60 and 1989.
Until 1950, services were held every 2 weeks. A Sunday School was organized in the spring of 1888.
The name “plains” was given to this congregation because of the flatness of the land surrounding the church. In a 1773 letter written to Mennonites in Holland, the church was referred to as “die Blens” or “the Plains.”
