1525
The Mennonite Church began during the Reformation in Northern
Europe as part of the Anabaptist (re-baptizers) movement. They
refused to recognize a church and governmental system that forced
people into a particular religion. “True faith,” they
said, “is voluntary.” |
Dirk Willems, one of the persecuted early
Anabaptists, saved a prison guard who had broken through thin ice
trying to recapture him. Willems was again imprisoned and then
burned at the stake for his beliefs.
Menno Simons
was a Dutch priest who, after becoming an Anabaptist in the 16th
century, helped organize and lead scattered groups. Our church is
named after Menno. |
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1550-1625
Because they were not part of the state churches (Catholic, Lutheran
or Reformed), Mennonites were considered dangerous and were severely
persecuted for the first several generations. |
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1683
Mennonites first migrated to Pennsylvania at the invitation of
William Penn–”to live and worship in peace.” Subsequent
waves of Mennonites came from German regions and settled in the
Great Lakes and Midwest areas of America. |
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1786
Mennonites from Pennsylvania first settled in what is now southern
Ontario, Canada in pursuit of peace after the American Revolution. |
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1800s-1900s
Later groups came from Central and Eastern Europe and Ukraine,
settling on the Canadian Prairies and the great plains of the United
States. |
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1914-1945
Because of a desire to live out an ethic of peace, many Mennonites
refused to participate in the First World War. Some young conscripts
were imprisoned for the duration of the conflict. By World War
II, a provision for conscientious objectors (COs) was created,
and thousands of young Mennonites and other COs served in alternative
service assignments, such as in mental health hospitals. One direct
outgrowth of this experience was a revolution in the care and understanding
of the mentally ill. |
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1950-2000
Out of these encounters grew a greater awareness of society’s
needs and a desire to be a creative and positive presence in our
culture. Over the past 50 years, thousands of Mennonites have found
ways to work as volunteers in community service, disaster cleanup,
international development and health-related work. |
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Today
Though many Mennonites retain deep appreciation and ties to a
rural lifestyle, they are becoming increasingly urban and multicultural.
They are attuned to society and its needs and committed to carrying
forward a vision of Christianity where beliefs and actions are
woven together as an expression of a whole faith. |
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