About Us | Our History
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10 |
A BRIEF HISTORY
Mennonites trace their roots to the 16th century Protestant Reformation in Europe and were nicknamed after an early Dutch leader, Menno Simmons. Believers met persecution, martyrdom and death as the movement rapidly spread to South Germany and the Netherlands. Anabaptist The official churches opposed the movement and scoffed at them as "Anabaptizers" which literally means re-baptizers. The state would not tolerate this change because in essence it defied the government run church, despite the Anabaptist's strong appeal to Scripture in support of their position. Over the next two generations, thousands of Anabaptist were martyred. Immigration and reaching out A separate group, the Amish, broke off about 1693. In search of freedom, Mennonites moved to many places, including Russia and North America. In the late 1800's, they organized home and foreign missions; a substantial ministry of emergency relief and development aid was initiated after World War II, alongside of church extension. Today Mennonites are found in about 75 countries and number almost 1.5 million members (1,478,540) worldwide. WEAVERS MENNONITE CHURCH goes back to 1825 when a congregation began meeting in the home of Peter Burkholder. This home at 491 Garbers Church Rd. doubles today as a dwelling and a Bed & Breakfast. In 1827, the congregation built a log meetinghouse located across the road from the present site of 2501 Rawley Pike, and later took the name "Weavers" from the caretaker. When Virginia Mennonite Conference was organized in 1835, the meeting was held in this church. A larger frame building was build in 1881 to replace the original structure. The present limestone building was dedicated on January 31, 1943. The congregation has a rich Virginia Heritage and continues to make a significant contribution through financial donations and the service of its members to the local community and Virginia Mennonite Conference. |