Rev. Dr. John Ivan Smucker died peacefully on December 19, 2024 at Garden Spot Village in New Holland, Pennsylvania, surrounded by his loving friends and family after a productive life that spanned 94 years, 9 months and 24 days.

John was born and raised on his family's farm in the village of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, the third of seven children.  He received his primary education at a one-room schoolhouse in Bird-in-Hand.  Per the tradition at that time, he dropped out of school after eighth grade to assist his family with their farms.  But he subsequently got his GED high-school equivalency degree and went on to attend college at Hesston College (Hesston, KS), Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA) and Eastern Mennonite College (Harrisonburg, VA), where he graduated in 1956 with a BA degree in Bible & Philosophy.

John was a life-long minister in the Mennonite Church.  At age 19, he gave his heart to the Lord and committed himself to being an urban missionary.  He joined Maple Grove Mennonite Church in Atglen, PA, whose mission-minded pastor, Rev. Abner Stoltzfus, urged his young people to give themselves to serve the Lord as missionaries.  From the time he was in voluntary service at age 22 in Hannibal, Missouri, John was never happier than when he was leading someone to Christ.

John was licensed to the ministry at age 27 and sent to New York City as an urban missionary in 1957 under the sponsorship of the Mennonite Board of Missions and his home congregation (Maple Grove).  During his nearly fifty years in New York City, he served as pastor of three different protestant evangelical churches.

John was the founding pastor and developer of the Mennonite House of Friendship (later known as Friendship Community Church) in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, serving there from 1957-79.  While at Friendship, John was active in the church and community.  He led the congregation to construct a new church building in 1965, developed the Friendship Daycare Center, was a member of the local school board (District 10), and served as chairman of Hope Christian Center Board for Narcotics Rehabilitation.  He helped found the Twin Parks Association, an urban-renewal organization that ultimately facilitated the construction of over 2,250 low-income apartment units in the Belmont, Fordham and East Tremont neighborhoods.  John also served as a part-time chaplain from 1974-79, initially at Fordham Hospital and later at North Central Bronx Hospital.

John continued to pursue his education after moving to New York.  In 1966, he received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from New York Theological Seminary and, following an eight-month sabbatical, received a Master of Sacred Theology degree from the Union Theological Seminary in 1970.  In 1976, he received a Doctor of Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary.

From 1979-81, John took a sabbatical to conduct research and graduate study at the Associated (Anabaptist) Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana.  From 1981-84, he served as professor of New Testament and Urban Ministry at the Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York.

When he returned to New York City for a second time in 1983, John founded the Queens Mennonite Church in Flushing, Queens, which was subsequently merged with the Elim Tabernacle Church of Bayside to become the Immanuel Community Church.  During this time, he also served as dean, professor and board member of the New York School of Urban Ministry in Long Island City, Queens.  In 1985, he earned a Ph. D in Urban Missiology from the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities.

In 1995, John became pastor of The First Presbyterian Church of Flushing, serving in that role until 2008.  While there, he helped establish a community food pantry.  On the day after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, he joined with his fellow New York pastors to serve and minister to the first responders and attack victims at St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan, which served as an ad hoc relief center during the rescue and cleanup efforts.

John was president of the Bronx Protestant Council for two terms.  He was Bishop of the Atlantic Coast Conference of the Mennonite Church and served as chairman of the Council of Mennonite Churches of New York City.  He was also one of the founders of Camp Deerpark in Westbrookville, New York, which was owned by and served the congregations of the Mennonite Churches of New York City.

John loved and cherished the Mennonite Church and its Anabaptist history.  He served on several denominational committees, including the Council on Faith, Life and Strategy, and the Minority Ministries Council.  Over the years, he was often invited to preach at Mennonite churches across the country and in Puerto Rico about the Holy Spirit, renewal and urban missions.

After retiring to Garden Spot Village in New Holland, PA in 2008, John continued to be active in the church.  He served on the Church Council and other committees at the Community Church of Garden Spot Village.  He also attended and served on committees at Petra Church in New Holland.

In 2015, John published his primary autobiography entitled From Bird-in-Hand to the Bronx (Masthof Press).  A supplemental autobiography entitled The Blessings of an Extended Sabbatical (Masthof Press) was published in 2023.

John is survived by his faithful wife of 70 years, Irene Yoder Smucker, formerly of Oley, Pennsylvania, who served as his first church secretary in New York and assisted him with all of his church ministries.   He is also survived by their four children – Dennis Smucker and his wife Barbara, Carl Smucker and his wife Patricia, Conrad Smucker and his wife Marypat, and Joy Yany and her husband Craig; eleven grandchildren: Rachel (Don), Megan, Emily, Renée (Daniel), Jonathan, Abigail, Patrick, Sean, Christine (Ron), Daniel and Kaitlin; three great-grandchildren (Dante, Zariah and Emma); two sisters (Sara Ann Landis and Mary Ellen Dowling); one sister-in-law (Dorothy Smucker); many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews; and numerous friends, colleagues and former parishioners.  He was proceeded in death by his parents, John Elam Smucker and Anna Mary Stoltzfus, of Bird-in-Hand, PA, brothers Jonathan, Paul and Marcus Smucker, and sister Levina Huber.

Visitation and viewing will occur at the Chapel at Garden Spot Village, 433 S. Kinzer St., New Holland, PA on Friday, January 3, 2025 from 6-8 pm and also from 9:30 am-10:30 am on Saturday prior to the funeral service.

The funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 10:30 am at the Chapel at Garden Spot Village, 433 S. Kinzer St., New Holland, PA (Parking Lot#1).  Interment will take place at the cemetery at the Weavertown Amish-Mennonite Church, 2900 Church Rd., Bird-in-Hand, PA, at 2 pm.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Garden Spot Village skilled care nurses and the nurses of hospice and community care for their special care of John during his final months.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family requests that contributions be made in John's memory to the Garden Spot Village Benevolent Fund, 433 S. Kinzer Avenue, New Holland, PA 17557 (or via internet at www.gardenspotvillage.org/charitable-giving/).