Hengelo (Overijssel, Netherlands)

Hengelo, an industrial, rapidly growing town (1953 population 52,474; 2007 population, 81,431) in the Dutch province of Overijssel, noted for textiles and iron works, had 475 Mennonites in 1954 and was the seat of a Mennonite congregation. In the 17th century Mennonites living in Hengelo and in Borne and Goor formed a congregation of the Groningen Old Flemish branch. In 1728 this congregation was divided into two congregations, one at Borne and one of Hengelo-Goor.

During the 17th century the Hengelo Mennonites attended the meetings at Borne or Zenderen or Twekkelo, but since about 1709 meetings were also held at Hengelo in the private home of Berend ter Horst and his descendants. In 1792 Wolter ten Cate gave the congregation a meetinghouse at Hengelo. Though he lived at Hengelo, having been the promoter of its textile industry, he was a member and elder of the Borne congregation. The meetinghouse—so ten Cate ordered— should be plain and without luxury. It was remodeled in 1855, 1883, and 1953. An organ was put in in 1874. The meetinghouse was demolished in 1961 and a new meetinghouse was built at that time at Schalkburgerstraat 22.

In the 18th century the core of the Hengelo congregation was formed by the ter Horst, ten Cate, and Nijhoff families. During this century preachers were regularly chosen from the membership, the last being Engbert Nijhoff, 1757-1805. Its first trained minister was Govert Jans van Rijswijk, 1800-1806. He was followed by Barend Rusburg 1807-1823, Jan Visscher 1824-1828, H. ten Cate Hzn 1829-1864, A. Ballot 1864-1871, I. H. Boeke 1872-1878, H. Boetje 1879-1911, G. Heeringa 1912-1940, P. J. Smidts 1941-1947, and K. T. Gorter 1948- . The membership was 87 in 1733, 80 in 1767, 85 in 1840, 60 in 1861, 170 in 1898, 390 in 1925, and 347 in 1954.

Church activities included a Sunday school for children, a ladies' circle, and a choir.

As of 2014 the congregation no longer existed.

Bibliography

Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1879): 7; (1884): 152.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 283.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: II, Nos. 1924-1925; II, 2, 99.

Reliwiki. "Hengelo, Marktstraat/BurJansenstr - Doopsgezinde Kerk." 17 February 2012. Web. 14 October 2014. http://reliwiki.nl/index.php/Hengelo,_Marktstraat/BurJansenstr_-_Doopsgezinde_Kerk.

Reliwiki. "Hengelo, Schalkburgerstraat 22 - Doopsgezinde Kerk." 17 February 2012. Web. 14 October 2014. http://reliwiki.nl/index.php/Hengelo,_Schalkburgerstraat_22_-_Doopsgezinde_Kerk.

Uit het Verleden der Doopsgezinden in Twenthe. Borne, n.d.: passim.

Maps

Map:Hengelo (Overijssel)

Author(s)	Nanne van der Zijpp
Date Published	1956

Cite This Article

MLA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Hengelo (Overijssel, Netherlands)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hengelo_(Overijssel,_Netherlands)&oldid=126226.

APA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1956). Hengelo (Overijssel, Netherlands). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hengelo_(Overijssel,_Netherlands)&oldid=126226.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 703-704. All rights reserved.

©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.