Feetwashing - Revision history

SamSteiner: Text replacement - "[[LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches" to "[[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches"

2023-08-08T19:12:04Z

Text replacement - "[[LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches" to "[[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches"

SamSteiner: Text replacement - "[[Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)" to "[[LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches"

2023-08-08T18:59:14Z

Text replacement - "[[Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)" to "[[LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches"

SamSteiner at 14:16, 31 December 2018

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SamSteiner: changed link

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RichardThiessen at 16:56, 5 October 2013

2013-10-05T16:56:18Z

SamSteiner: /* Additional Information */

2013-08-24T15:21:19Z

Additional Information

SamSteiner at 15:19, 24 August 2013

2013-08-24T15:19:57Z

SamSteiner at 10:52, 24 August 2013

2013-08-24T10:52:54Z

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 <h3>Russia</h3> Here, according to P. M. Friesen (<em>Brüderschaft</em>, 40, 82), the [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] group observed the ordinance in connection with the communion, while the stricter of the Frisians practiced the observance in the home of the minister when a guest minister arrived. Specifically the Gnadenfeld and [[Alexanderwohl (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Alexanderwohl]] congregations were among those that observed the ordinance at communion. Among Bernhard Harder's (1832-84) poems, published in 1888 at Hamburg as G<em>eistliche Lieder</em>, was one written to be sung at the feetwashing service. Its dominant emphasis is that of cleansing from "sin which collects like dust" in men's souls. All the schismatic groups in [[Russia|Russia]], Kleine Gemeinde (1812), Mennonite Brethren (1860), and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren (1869), continued the practice. The observance was brought to [[North America|North America]] by all these groups and the Mennonite congregations as well which had practiced it there. The Swiss-Alsatian Amish in Volhynia also brought the practice with them.
-<h3>North America</h3> The first documentary evidence of the observance of feetwashing in [[North America|North America]] is found in a document of ca. 1775 relating to the [[Boehm, Martin (1725-1812)|Martin Boehm]] case, in which the leaders of the Lancaster Conference specifically refer to the ordinance of feetwashing as commanded by Christ to show humility. [[Herr, John (1782-1850)|John Herr]], the founder of the [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonite Church]] in 1812, describes the Lancaster Mennonite group as having declined greatly and states "The washing of feet, if not rejected, was at least practically omitted for many years" (Funk, 13). By contrast Funk (p. 114) quotes a letter of an aged member in 1878 who specifically recalled that Bishop Jacob Hostetler's (bishop 1831-65) charge to the bishops he ordained included the administration of feetwashing The [[LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Conference]] hymnal, <em>[[Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Ein|Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch]]</em> (1804), contained one hymn (p. 117) to be used during feetwashing and the first English Mennonite hymnal, <em>A collection of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs</em> (Mountain Valley, Va., 1847), contained three (pp. 288-91). A pamphlet published in 1859 at Berlin, Ont., written by Ulrich Steiner (?), was devoted exclusively to feetwashing (<em>Fusswaschung und Deutung derselben</em>).
+<h3>North America</h3> The first documentary evidence of the observance of feetwashing in [[North America|North America]] is found in a document of ca. 1775 relating to the [[Boehm, Martin (1725-1812)|Martin Boehm]] case, in which the leaders of the Lancaster Conference specifically refer to the ordinance of feetwashing as commanded by Christ to show humility. [[Herr, John (1782-1850)|John Herr]], the founder of the [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonite Church]] in 1812, describes the Lancaster Mennonite group as having declined greatly and states "The washing of feet, if not rejected, was at least practically omitted for many years" (Funk, 13). By contrast Funk (p. 114) quotes a letter of an aged member in 1878 who specifically recalled that Bishop Jacob Hostetler's (bishop 1831-65) charge to the bishops he ordained included the administration of feetwashing The [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Conference]] hymnal, <em>[[Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Ein|Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch]]</em> (1804), contained one hymn (p. 117) to be used during feetwashing and the first English Mennonite hymnal, <em>A collection of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs</em> (Mountain Valley, Va., 1847), contained three (pp. 288-91). A pamphlet published in 1859 at Berlin, Ont., written by Ulrich Steiner (?), was devoted exclusively to feetwashing (<em>Fusswaschung und Deutung derselben</em>).
 The strange deviation in the Franconia Conference from this general practice of the Mennonite Church is unexplainable. The Dordrecht Confession, first printed in English in 1712 for the [[Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)|Germantown group]], and adopted in 1725 by a conference of all the congregations in America at that time (printed at Philadelphia in 1727), has a specific and strict article on feetwashing. Yet J. C. Wenger reports, "It appears that until a generation or so ago what is now the Skippack bishop district was the only one which observed Feet-Washing" (<em>Franconia</em>, 34). This is supported by the fact that the Franconia Conference hymnal <em>Die Kleine Geistliche Harfe</em> (1803), in contrast to the Lancaster hymnal, had no feetwashing hymn. Only gradually did the observance spread after 1900, particularly when Henry S. Bower, a preacher, and the noted [[Mack, Andrew Stauffer (1836-1917)|bishop Andrew Mack]] put his influence behind it. "As late as 1917," says Wenger (p. 105), the conference admonished the ministers "to teach the subject of feetwashing more earnestly, so that it may be more generally observed." But there are some facts on the other side. The letter of Andreas Ziegler et al. to Holland in 1773, written on behalf of the Franconia Conference, inquires "whether you keep up the observance of feetwashing" (Franconia, 401), thus implying the observance in Franconia at that time.

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 <h3>Russia</h3> Here, according to P. M. Friesen (<em>Brüderschaft</em>, 40, 82), the [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]] group observed the ordinance in connection with the communion, while the stricter of the Frisians practiced the observance in the home of the minister when a guest minister arrived. Specifically the Gnadenfeld and [[Alexanderwohl (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)|Alexanderwohl]] congregations were among those that observed the ordinance at communion. Among Bernhard Harder's (1832-84) poems, published in 1888 at Hamburg as G<em>eistliche Lieder</em>, was one written to be sung at the feetwashing service. Its dominant emphasis is that of cleansing from "sin which collects like dust" in men's souls. All the schismatic groups in [[Russia|Russia]], Kleine Gemeinde (1812), Mennonite Brethren (1860), and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren (1869), continued the practice. The observance was brought to [[North America|North America]] by all these groups and the Mennonite congregations as well which had practiced it there. The Swiss-Alsatian Amish in Volhynia also brought the practice with them.
-<h3>North America</h3> The first documentary evidence of the observance of feetwashing in [[North America|North America]] is found in a document of ca. 1775 relating to the [[Boehm, Martin (1725-1812)|Martin Boehm]] case, in which the leaders of the Lancaster Conference specifically refer to the ordinance of feetwashing as commanded by Christ to show humility. [[Herr, John (1782-1850)|John Herr]], the founder of the [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonite Church]] in 1812, describes the Lancaster Mennonite group as having declined greatly and states "The washing of feet, if not rejected, was at least practically omitted for many years" (Funk, 13). By contrast Funk (p. 114) quotes a letter of an aged member in 1878 who specifically recalled that Bishop Jacob Hostetler's (bishop 1831-65) charge to the bishops he ordained included the administration of feetwashing The [[Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Lancaster Conference]] hymnal, <em>[[Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Ein|Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch]]</em> (1804), contained one hymn (p. 117) to be used during feetwashing and the first English Mennonite hymnal, <em>A collection of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs</em> (Mountain Valley, Va., 1847), contained three (pp. 288-91). A pamphlet published in 1859 at Berlin, Ont., written by Ulrich Steiner (?), was devoted exclusively to feetwashing (<em>Fusswaschung und Deutung derselben</em>).
+<h3>North America</h3> The first documentary evidence of the observance of feetwashing in [[North America|North America]] is found in a document of ca. 1775 relating to the [[Boehm, Martin (1725-1812)|Martin Boehm]] case, in which the leaders of the Lancaster Conference specifically refer to the ordinance of feetwashing as commanded by Christ to show humility. [[Herr, John (1782-1850)|John Herr]], the founder of the [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonite Church]] in 1812, describes the Lancaster Mennonite group as having declined greatly and states "The washing of feet, if not rejected, was at least practically omitted for many years" (Funk, 13). By contrast Funk (p. 114) quotes a letter of an aged member in 1878 who specifically recalled that Bishop Jacob Hostetler's (bishop 1831-65) charge to the bishops he ordained included the administration of feetwashing The [[LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Conference]] hymnal, <em>[[Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Ein|Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch]]</em> (1804), contained one hymn (p. 117) to be used during feetwashing and the first English Mennonite hymnal, <em>A collection of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs</em> (Mountain Valley, Va., 1847), contained three (pp. 288-91). A pamphlet published in 1859 at Berlin, Ont., written by Ulrich Steiner (?), was devoted exclusively to feetwashing (<em>Fusswaschung und Deutung derselben</em>).
 The strange deviation in the Franconia Conference from this general practice of the Mennonite Church is unexplainable. The Dordrecht Confession, first printed in English in 1712 for the [[Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)|Germantown group]], and adopted in 1725 by a conference of all the congregations in America at that time (printed at Philadelphia in 1727), has a specific and strict article on feetwashing. Yet J. C. Wenger reports, "It appears that until a generation or so ago what is now the Skippack bishop district was the only one which observed Feet-Washing" (<em>Franconia</em>, 34). This is supported by the fact that the Franconia Conference hymnal <em>Die Kleine Geistliche Harfe</em> (1803), in contrast to the Lancaster hymnal, had no feetwashing hymn. Only gradually did the observance spread after 1900, particularly when Henry S. Bower, a preacher, and the noted [[Mack, Andrew Stauffer (1836-1917)|bishop Andrew Mack]] put his influence behind it. "As late as 1917," says Wenger (p. 105), the conference admonished the ministers "to teach the subject of feetwashing more earnestly, so that it may be more generally observed." But there are some facts on the other side. The letter of Andreas Ziegler et al. to Holland in 1773, written on behalf of the Franconia Conference, inquires "whether you keep up the observance of feetwashing" (Franconia, 401), thus implying the observance in Franconia at that time.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:16, 31 December 2018
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	[http://www.anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php/Confession_of_Faith_in_a_Mennonite_Perspective_(Mennonite_Church_USA,_Mennonite_Church_Canada,_1995) Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective]		[http://www.anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php/Confession_of_Faith_in_a_Mennonite_Perspective_(Mennonite_Church_USA,_Mennonite_Church_Canada,_1995) Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective]
	{{GAMEO_footer\|hp=Vol. 2, pp. 347-351; vol. 5, p. 295\|date=1989\|a1_last=Bender\|a1_first=Harold S.\|a2_last=Klassen\|a2_first=William}}		{{GAMEO_footer\|hp=Vol. 2, pp. 347-351; vol. 5, p. 295\|date=1989\|a1_last=Bender\|a1_first=Harold S.\|a2_last=Klassen\|a2_first=William}}
		+	[[Category:Theology]]

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 <h3>North America</h3> The first documentary evidence of the observance of feetwashing in [[North America|North America]] is found in a document of ca. 1775 relating to the [[Boehm, Martin (1725-1812)|Martin Boehm]] case, in which the leaders of the Lancaster Conference specifically refer to the ordinance of feetwashing as commanded by Christ to show humility. [[Herr, John (1782-1850)|John Herr]], the founder of the [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonite Church]] in 1812, describes the Lancaster Mennonite group as having declined greatly and states "The washing of feet, if not rejected, was at least practically omitted for many years" (Funk, 13). By contrast Funk (p. 114) quotes a letter of an aged member in 1878 who specifically recalled that Bishop Jacob Hostetler's (bishop 1831-65) charge to the bishops he ordained included the administration of feetwashing The [[Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Lancaster Conference]] hymnal, <em>[[Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch, Ein|Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch]]</em> (1804), contained one hymn (p. 117) to be used during feetwashing and the first English Mennonite hymnal, <em>A collection of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs</em> (Mountain Valley, Va., 1847), contained three (pp. 288-91). A pamphlet published in 1859 at Berlin, Ont., written by Ulrich Steiner (?), was devoted exclusively to feetwashing (<em>Fusswaschung und Deutung derselben</em>).
-The strange deviation in the Franconia Conference from this general practice of the Mennonite Church is unexplainable. The Dordrecht Confession, first printed in English in 1712 for the [[Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)|Germantown group]], and adopted in 1725 by a conference of all the congregations in America at that time (printed at Philadelphia in 1727), has a specific and strict article on feetwashing. Yet J. C. Wenger reports, "It appears that until a generation or so ago what is now the Skippack bishop district was the only one which observed Feet-Washing" (<em>Franconia</em>, 34). This is supported by the fact that the Franconia Conference hymnal <em>Die Kleine Geistliche Harfe</em> (1803), in contrast to the Lancaster hymnal, had no feetwashing hymn. Only gradually did the observance spread after 1900, particularly when Henry S. Bower, a preacher, and the noted [[Mack, Andreas (1836-1917)|bishop Andrew Mack]] put his influence behind it. "As late as 1917," says Wenger (p. 105), the conference admonished the ministers "to teach the subject of feetwashing more earnestly, so that it may be more generally observed." But there are some facts on the other side. The letter of Andreas Ziegler et al. to Holland in 1773, written on behalf of the Franconia Conference, inquires "whether you keep up the observance of feetwashing" (Franconia, 401), thus implying the observance in Franconia at that time.
+The strange deviation in the Franconia Conference from this general practice of the Mennonite Church is unexplainable. The Dordrecht Confession, first printed in English in 1712 for the [[Germantown Mennonite Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)|Germantown group]], and adopted in 1725 by a conference of all the congregations in America at that time (printed at Philadelphia in 1727), has a specific and strict article on feetwashing. Yet J. C. Wenger reports, "It appears that until a generation or so ago what is now the Skippack bishop district was the only one which observed Feet-Washing" (<em>Franconia</em>, 34). This is supported by the fact that the Franconia Conference hymnal <em>Die Kleine Geistliche Harfe</em> (1803), in contrast to the Lancaster hymnal, had no feetwashing hymn. Only gradually did the observance spread after 1900, particularly when Henry S. Bower, a preacher, and the noted [[Mack, Andrew Stauffer (1836-1917)|bishop Andrew Mack]] put his influence behind it. "As late as 1917," says Wenger (p. 105), the conference admonished the ministers "to teach the subject of feetwashing more earnestly, so that it may be more generally observed." But there are some facts on the other side. The letter of Andreas Ziegler et al. to Holland in 1773, written on behalf of the Franconia Conference, inquires "whether you keep up the observance of feetwashing" (Franconia, 401), thus implying the observance in Franconia at that time.
 It is interesting to note that the [[East Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Church|Oberholtzer group]], which broke away from the Franconia Conference in 1847, according to Hiebert, for a time after their initial organization continued the practice of feetwashing in connection with the communion service. In 1851, four years later, they decided the observance should not be compulsory, and in 1853 it was made an optional practice with complete freedom in the local congregation. Finally, in 1855 it was no longer recognized as a church ceremony. A spiritual interpretation of the passage (John 13) was agreed upon at the 1859 conference. The [[Lower Skippack Mennonite Church (Skippack, Pennsylvania, USA)|Lower Skippack]] congregation, which intended to continue the observance of the ordinance, thus came into conflict with the conference. Henry G. Johnson, the bishop, was declared out of order by the conference in 1859, and formally excommunicated in 1861 taking most of the congregation with him. Lower Skippack has continued as an independent congregation to this day. J. C. Wenger (<em>Franconia</em>, 360) suggests that the conference may have originally adopted feetwashing to meet the demands of Johnson who was a strong advocate of it, but without any connection with a general practice by the body as a whole.

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 Feetwashing, also called the "washing of the saints' feet," was in the 1950s observed as an ordinance by most Mennonites in the world. It was customarily based on the express command and example of Jesus, who washed His disciples' feet at the Last Supper (John 13:1-17), and on the statement by Paul (1 Timothy 5:9, 10) that having washed the saints' feet was a qualification for a widow's acceptance into the church widows' group. Rarely has the Old Testament practice of washing the feet of visitors as an act of hospitality toward strangers (Genesis 18:4; Genesis 19:2; Genesis 24:32; Genesis 43:24; Judges 19:21; 1 Samuel 25:40, 41) been used to support the practice, except in the early days in Holland, when the practice in some groups was limited to washing the feet of visiting elders and ministers or even of laymen as a sign of affectionate recognition. The most common practice has been and still is to observe the ordinance immediately following the [[Communion|communion]] service. In the [[Franconia Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Franconia Conference]] of the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]], where the ordinance was long out of practice, it was observed at the preparatory service on the day preceding communion. Since most congregations that observed it in the 1950s celebrated the communion twice a year, in the spring and fall, feetwashing also came twice a year.
-[[File:HM10-20-53.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Feetwashing. MAO
+[[File:HM10-20-53.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Feetwashing.<br />
-slide collection'']]     The most common mode of the observance is as follows: After the communion service is completed, one of the ministers or deacons reads and comments on John 13:1-17. Basins, usually small wooden or metal tubs, with warm water and towels have meanwhile been provided in sufficient quantity to permit a fairly rapid observance. These are placed, either in the front of the church or in the "amen" corners, and in the "ante-rooms," or in some cases in the rows between the benches. The sexes then wash (more properly rinse or lightly touch with water) feet separately in pairs, concluding with the greeting of the [[Kiss, Holy|holy kiss]] and a "God bless you." In some localities towels are furnished in the form of short aprons to be tied by cords around the waist, in presumed imitation of Jesus "girding himself," though most commonly ordinary towels are used. In some congregations the practice is not pair-washing but rowwashing, in which case each person washes the feet of his right-hand neighbor in turn in a continuous chain ([[United Missionary Church|United Missionary Church]], some General Conference Mennonite congregations). In the Church of God in Christ Mennonite group the ministers wash each other's feet first, and then wash the feet of all the brethren in turn, the ministers' wives doing the same for the sisters.
+The most common mode of the observance is as follows: After the communion service is completed, one of the ministers or deacons reads and comments on John 13:1-17. Basins, usually small wooden or metal tubs, with warm water and towels have meanwhile been provided in sufficient quantity to permit a fairly rapid observance. These are placed, either in the front of the church or in the "amen" corners, and in the "ante-rooms," or in some cases in the rows between the benches. The sexes then wash (more properly rinse or lightly touch with water) feet separately in pairs, concluding with the greeting of the [[Kiss, Holy|holy kiss]] and a "God bless you." In some localities towels are furnished in the form of short aprons to be tied by cords around the waist, in presumed imitation of Jesus "girding himself," though most commonly ordinary towels are used. In some congregations the practice is not pair-washing but rowwashing, in which case each person washes the feet of his right-hand neighbor in turn in a continuous chain ([[United Missionary Church|United Missionary Church]], some General Conference Mennonite congregations). In the Church of God in Christ Mennonite group the ministers wash each other's feet first, and then wash the feet of all the brethren in turn, the ministers' wives doing the same for the sisters.
 Although the interpretation of the ordinance may vary, it is always held to be symbolical of a spiritual lesson, and is never considered to have any religious value per se, or to be a "good work." The most common interpretation is that it teaches humility and equality. Often the lesson of service is included along with the other meanings. In some instances it has been and is observed as a symbol of the daily sanctification which is needed by the Christian as he comes into contact with sin and temptation.
-Among the North American Mennonite groups the observance varies. The following groups practiced it universally in the 1950s, following the communion service: Mennonite Church (MC), [[Conservative Mennonite Conference|Conservative Mennonite Church]], Old Order [[Amish|Amish]], [[Fellowship of Evangelical Churches|Evangelical Mennonites]], [[Evangelical Mennonite Conference (Kleine Gemeinde)|Evangelical Mennonites]] ([[Kleine Gemeinde|Kleine Gemeinde]]), [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonites]], [[Mennonite Brethren in Christ|Mennonite Brethren in Christ]], [[United Missionary Church|United Missionary Church]], [[Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Publications Committee|Krimmer Mennonite Brethren]], [[Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (CGC)|Church of God in Christ Mennonites]]. Among the acculturated groups, the practice has declined since the 1950s. The [[Mennonite Brethren Church|Mennonite Brethren]] formerly universally observed the ordinance, but  in the [[United States of America|United States]] in the 1950s the number was 85-90 percent of the congregations, while in [[Canada|Canada]] only a minority do so. Among the General Conference Mennonites only a small minority of the congregations practice feetwashing, depending upon the background of each congregation. A study by [[Pannabecker, Samuel Floyd (1896-1977)|S. F. Pannabecker]] in 1929 showed that of 107 [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonites]] congregations in the United States, 23 encouraged it. Of the 23, the [[Western District Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Western District]] had 10, the [[Northern District Conference (General Conference Mennonite Church)|Northern District]] 8. Since then the number has decreased. An official conference study in 1943 showed that then 9 congregations made it obligatory, while 14 encouraged it. The Evangelical Mennonite Brethren, who formerly practiced it universally, have almost completely dropped it. The [[Lower Skippack Mennonite Church (Skippack, Pennsylvania, USA)|Lower Skippack Mennonite Church]] ([[Johnson Mennonites|Johnson Mennonite]]) withdrew from the [[Eastern District Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Eastern District]] Conference (GCM) in 1861 because it observed feetwashing, while the conference refused to make it mandatory. The Evangelical Mennonites and the Mennonite Brethren in Fernheim Colony, Paraguay, also practice feetwashing.
+Among the North American Mennonite groups the observance varies. The following groups practiced it universally in the 1950s, following the communion service: Mennonite Church (MC), [[Conservative Mennonite Conference|Conservative Mennonite Church]], [[Old Order Amish]], [[Fellowship of Evangelical Churches|Evangelical Mennonites]], [[Evangelical Mennonite Conference (Kleine Gemeinde)|Evangelical Mennonites]] ([[Kleine Gemeinde|Kleine Gemeinde]]), [[Reformed Mennonite Church|Reformed Mennonites]], [[Mennonite Brethren in Christ|Mennonite Brethren in Christ]], [[United Missionary Church|United Missionary Church]], [[Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Publications Committee|Krimmer Mennonite Brethren]], [[Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (CGC)|Church of God in Christ Mennonites]]. Among the acculturated groups, the practice has declined since the 1950s. The [[Mennonite Brethren Church|Mennonite Brethren]] formerly universally observed the ordinance, but  in the [[United States of America|United States]] in the 1950s the number was 85-90 percent of the congregations, while in [[Canada|Canada]] only a minority do so. Among the General Conference Mennonites only a small minority of the congregations practice feetwashing, depending upon the background of each congregation. A study by [[Pannabecker, Samuel Floyd (1896-1977)|S. F. Pannabecker]] in 1929 showed that of 107 [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonites]] congregations in the United States, 23 encouraged it. Of the 23, the [[Western District Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Western District]] had 10, the [[Northern District Conference (General Conference Mennonite Church)|Northern District]] 8. Since then the number has decreased. An official conference study in 1943 showed that then 9 congregations made it obligatory, while 14 encouraged it. The Evangelical Mennonite Brethren, who formerly practiced it universally, have almost completely dropped it. The [[Lower Skippack Mennonite Church (Skippack, Pennsylvania, USA)|Lower Skippack Mennonite Church]] ([[Johnson Mennonites|Johnson Mennonite]]) withdrew from the [[Eastern District Conference (Mennonite Church USA)|Eastern District]] Conference (GCM) in 1861 because it observed feetwashing, while the conference refused to make it mandatory. The Evangelical Mennonites and the Mennonite Brethren in Fernheim Colony, Paraguay, also practice feetwashing.
 It was traditional in the Mennonite Church (MC) and related groups to have a collection for the alms fund or charity fund in connection with the feetwashing service. Usually the contributions are placed in the collection plate by the members individually upon completion of the feetwashing ceremony.

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 <em>Mennonitisches Lexikon </em>II, 22-24.
 = Additional Information =
-[[C6652_1995.html|Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective]]
+[http://www.anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php/Confession_of_Faith_in_a_Mennonite_Perspective_(Mennonite_Church_USA,_Mennonite_Church_Canada,_1995) Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective]
 {{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 2, pp. 347-351; vol. 5, p. 295|date=1989|a1_last=Bender|a1_first=Harold S.|a2_last=Klassen|a2_first=William}}

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 The first direct evidence that feetwashing was practiced as a general ordinance in Holland is found at the time of the division of the Danziger Old Flemish ca. 1635 from the [[Groningen Old Flemish Mennonites|Groningen Old Flemish]]. The Groningen group required the observance in connection with the communion service, while the Danzigers required it only for visiting elders who came from other districts to administer [[Baptism|baptism]]. and communion. For these the ordinance was to be observed in the house in which they were guests.
-Out of the 19 confessions of faith produced by European Anabaptists and Mennonites from 1527 to 1874, 12 speak of the ordinance of feetwashing as a Christian practice, while 9 omit it altogether. The first one to mention it (Dutch Waterlander Confession of 1577) indicates that it is to be done for visitors from a distance, particularly refugees, but is not prescribed as a church ordinance for a worship service. The same is true for the <em>Concept of Cologne</em> (1591), the [[C6653.html|Twisck 33 Articles]] of about 1615, and the George Hansen Flemish Confession of 1678 (Danzig area). All the other seven which mention it (Olive Branch of 1627 in Holland, Dordrecht 18 Articles of 1632, Jan Centsen of 1630 in Holland, the first Prussian confession of 1660, the Prussian confession of G. Wiebe of 1792, and the confession adopted in [[Russia|Russia]] in 1874 by the Mennonite Brethren) treat it as a general ordinance of the church. The Cornelis Ris' Dutch Confession of 1773 does not mention it, probably because it was already dying out in Holland. The widely used Elbing-[[Elbing Catechism|Waldeck catechism]] of 1778 includes it, as does the Russian Mennonite catechism of 1870.
+Out of the 19 confessions of faith produced by European Anabaptists and Mennonites from 1527 to 1874, 12 speak of the ordinance of feetwashing as a Christian practice, while 9 omit it altogether. The first one to mention it (Dutch Waterlander Confession of 1577) indicates that it is to be done for visitors from a distance, particularly refugees, but is not prescribed as a church ordinance for a worship service. The same is true for the <em>Concept of Cologne</em> (1591), the [http://www.anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php/The_Confession_of_Faith_(P.J._Twisck,_1617) Twisck 33 Articles] of about 1615, and the George Hansen Flemish Confession of 1678 (Danzig area). All the other seven which mention it (Olive Branch of 1627 in Holland, Dordrecht 18 Articles of 1632, Jan Centsen of 1630 in Holland, the first Prussian confession of 1660, the Prussian confession of G. Wiebe of 1792, and the confession adopted in [[Russia|Russia]] in 1874 by the Mennonite Brethren) treat it as a general ordinance of the church. The Cornelis Ris' Dutch Confession of 1773 does not mention it, probably because it was already dying out in Holland. The widely used Elbing-[[Elbing Catechism|Waldeck catechism]] of 1778 includes it, as does the Russian Mennonite catechism of 1870.
 The Alsatian congregations which adopted the [[Dordrecht Confession of Faith (Mennonite, 1632)|Dordrecht Confession]] in 1660 were probably the channel for the adoption of the same confession with its feetwashing article by the Amish schismatic group which originated 1693-97 in Switzerland. The Amish have ever since been fully committed to feetwashing and in fact were distinguished from the other Mennonites of Switzerland, France, the [[p3594.html|Palatinate]], and South Germany by it, since the latter did not practice it. The Northwest German Mennonites, being closely related to the Dutch Mennonites, followed them both in the observance earlier and in discarding it in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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 The decline of the practice among the European Mennonites who had earlier practiced it had set in by the 17th century in Holland. N. van der Zijpp supplies the following account of the history of the practice in Holland.
-"While in course of time the practice among the [[w381.html|Waterlanders]] soon fell into decline -- it is not mentioned in the ordinances of the Waterlander churches of 1581 -- it was maintained for some time, though not after 1640, by the [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisian]], [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]], and High German congregations. (In the Hamburg congregation under Dutch influence the question arose in 1628 whether feetwashing should be maintained or not; see <em>Inv. Arch. Amst.</em> 1, 576.) But among the conservative Old Flemish and Old Frisians in the 17th century it was again more earnestly practiced. Among them, and also among the Jan Jacobsgezinden and other <em>[[Fijne Mennisten|Fijne Mennisten]]</em>, it became a church practice observed in connection with the Lord's Supper. So it was still in 1741, when Simon F. Rues visited several Dutch churches among the [[Groningen Old Flemish Mennonites|Groningen Old Flemish]] (Rues, 53 f.). (A pictorial illustration of feetwashing as practiced in the Groningen Old Flemish congregation of [[Zaandam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Zaandam]] is found in Schijn's <em>Geschiedenis</em> of 1743.)
+"While in course of time the practice among the [[Waterlanders]] soon fell into decline -- it is not mentioned in the ordinances of the Waterlander churches of 1581 -- it was maintained for some time, though not after 1640, by the [[Frisian Mennonites|Frisian]], [[Flemish Mennonites|Flemish]], and High German congregations. (In the Hamburg congregation under Dutch influence the question arose in 1628 whether feetwashing should be maintained or not; see <em>Inv. Arch. Amst.</em> 1, 576.) But among the conservative Old Flemish and Old Frisians in the 17th century it was again more earnestly practiced. Among them, and also among the Jan Jacobsgezinden and other <em>[[Fijne Mennisten|Fijne Mennisten]]</em>, it became a church practice observed in connection with the Lord's Supper. So it was still in 1741, when Simon F. Rues visited several Dutch churches among the [[Groningen Old Flemish Mennonites|Groningen Old Flemish]] (Rues, 53 f.). (A pictorial illustration of feetwashing as practiced in the Groningen Old Flemish congregation of [[Zaandam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Zaandam]] is found in Schijn's <em>Geschiedenis</em> of 1743.)
 "In this same way feetwashing was performed publicly in the meeting,' as Rues says, among the Old Frisians and also among the Swiss Mennonites who had immigrated to Holland about 1711. The Swiss in Holland practiced it until 1805. Most Old Frisians had abandoned it by 1770, and most Groningen Old Flemish by 1800, though in some of their congregations it was performed until 1815.

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 The <em>Confession of faith in a Mennonite perspective</em> (1995) includes an article on feetwashing. The 1975 Mennonite Brethren Confession no longer includes such a reference.
 = Bibliography =
 <h3>Books</h3> Bergsrasser, P. <em>Baptism and Feetwashing.</em> Philadelphia, 1896.
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 <em>Mennonitisches Lexikon </em>II, 22-24.
 = Additional Information =
 [[C6652_1995.html|Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective]]
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