Who Are the Mennonites? Mennonite roots, historically, go back almost five centuries to the era of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. The beginning point of this Reformation is often considered to be the year 1517, when, it is said, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church that eventful day of October 31. Unrest, renewal, and protest—sometimes actual revolt—were part and parcel of these social and religious stirrings. Ulrich Zwingli soon followed in Zurich, Switzerland, where in 1519 he attempted renewal by preaching directly to the people from the Bible, in their own language. This abrupt change in worship patterns also signaled new hopes for spiritual revival, based on the way of Jesus in the Gospels. By 1525, some of Zwingli’s followers were convinced something was amiss where the state took on the authority to control the church. These followers, wanting to remain true to the primary authority of Christ as Lord, decided to disobey the state to remain obedient to Christ. This movement came to be called Anabaptism, the birth date of which was January 21, 1525. On that Saturday evening, a small group broke away from the Zurich state church and baptized one another at the home of Felix Mantz. The original core of believers was of one mind about the nature of the body of Christ: It was based, they believed, on a conscious gathering together of those who personally wanted to follow Christ, whom they saw as the Prince of Peace. Such following entailed attempting to witness to and live out a life of love and reconciliation with one another, and indeed, with everyone in this world. This way of reconciliation included accepting suffering as Jesus had done rather than to respond in retaliation. Known as the Swiss Brethren, they attempted also to meet the spiritual and physical needs of one another, mutually, and to reach out to others in need. The Anabaptist movement spread. By 1530 and in years after, it had reached the northeast corner of what is today France, continuing into the Low Countries and northern Germany. Although many Anabaptists continued to affirm Christ’s gospel of peace as their understanding of Christianity, a few turned revolutionary. In 1534-35, these revolutionaries legally gained control of the German city of Münster, where they then used physical force in trying to defend their city. Out of this chaos, in 1536, Menno Simons arose as leader able to bring most of the Low Country Anabaptists—spread from what are today Belgium and the Netherlands, all the way to Poland—onto the foundation of the way of peace and love. The movement in these geographic areas soon would become known as "Mennonite." A third group of Anabaptists originated in Austria and in what is today the Czech Republic, in 1528. They came to be known as "Hutterites," a close-knit group that holds to the idea of community of goods. In the 1870s they immigrated to North America. Today the Hutterites may be found in most of the states and provinces from Minnesota and Manitoba on westward. The Amish, who originated in a split within the Swiss Brethren in 1693, are also found in North America. Today, in North America, apart from the Hutterites and the Amish as well as several Brethren denominations, most Anabaptist groups, including those with direct roots in Switzerland, go by the name Mennonite. What Is the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust? The Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust (before 1994 named the Germantown Mennonite Church Corporation) came into being in 1952 and reorganized in 1970. The purpose of that trust was and is to safeguard and preserve the Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse, built in 1770. The Trust is a legal corporation, entrusted with the ownership of the Meetinghouse for the purpose of maintaining the structure and promoting its history. Germantown’s Unique Significance Germantown has been called, rightfully, "the Mennonite gateway into North America." It is the Brethren gateway as well. And most certainly, it is also the German gateway—and so celebrated by Germany at the time of Germantown’s Tercentenary in 1983 (see the commemorative stamp issued on the occasion, below, p. 34). With passion, Mennonite historian Robert Kreider, engaging a prepublication draft of this book, noted "the unique significance of Germantown in the experience of North American Mennonites and Brethren." Germantown thus holds a rich history for the Mennonites and likeminded peace churches—as well as many others—interested in Colonial America and the variety of ideas and experiences that existed there, three and more centuries ago. Roots play an important part in determining who we are. And the nature of the roots, at their deepest level, affects us even three and more centuries later—whether we are aware of this or not. We hope the reader will connect the story with the actual sites presently in Germantown. And we hope they will in doing so discover matters of meaningful substance and spirit. —Leonard Gross and Jan Gleysteen; Goshen, Indiana Colonial Germantown Mennonites orders:
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