Veenwouden (Friesland, Netherlands)

Veenwouden, a village in the Dutch province of Friesland (coordinates: 53° 14' 14" N, 5° 59' 7" E), the seat of a Mennonite congregation of whose early history nothing is known, church rec­ords having been preserved only since 1790. Unlike most congregations in Friesland it did not join the Conference of Friesland when this was founded in 1695, but much later. It contributed a small amount to the needs of the Prussian Mennonites in 1738. Until 1829 it was served by lay preachers chosen from the membership, among whom were Wybe Aukes 1732-1770 and Gosse Hulsinga 1781-1829, who was the last lay preacher here. After four years of vacancy U. H. Jeeps was called from outside in 1833, but he died after only a few months. The first minister educated at the Amsterdam Mennonite Seminary to serve here was Hermannus Lambertus Bouman, pastor of Veenwouden 1834-1864, followed by H. van Calcar 1865-1880, W. I. Leendertz 1881-1888, K. R. Schuiling 1889-1897, S. D. A. Wartena 1897-1902, G. Heeringa 1902-1912, C. Nijdam 1912-1926, A. A. Sepp 1926-1930, B. H. Rudolphi 1930-1935, P. van der Meulen 1935-1938, A. J. van der Sluis 1939-1946, J. Krijtenburg 1946-1951, and J. W. Hilverda 1952-    .

The baptized membership numbered 25 in 1829, 49 in 1861, 136 in 1900, 160 in 1926, 185 in 1958. About 1866 some members left the church because they were dissatisfied with the modernistic (liberal) preaching of Pastor van Calcar. A few of them returned to the church ca. 1880.

Blaupot ten Cate's view that the congregation was founded between 1600 and 1620 is without solid basis. Until 1860 it was usually called Veenwoudsterwal, because its old meetinghouse was found at "de Wal" somewhat east of the present village of Veenwouden. This meetinghouse was remodeled in 1806, but abandoned in 1816, when a new church, still in use, together with a parsonage, was built in town. This church was provided with an organ in 1895.

The pastor of Veenwouden is also in charge of the Kringen (groups) at Bergum, Giekerk, and Twijzel-Eestrum.

In the late 1950s church activities were a ladies' circle, a youth group 12-18 (Menniste Bouwers Federatie), youth group 18-25, and a Sunday school for chil­dren.

Bibliography

Cate, Steven Blaupot ten. Geschiedenis der Doopsgezinden in Friesland. Leeuwarden: W. Eekhoff, 1839: 189, 248, 306.

Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1909): 61 f.

Nijdam, C. Het Nieuwe Huis. Bergum, 1916.

Maps

Map:Veenwouden (Friesland, Netherlands)

Author(s)	Nanne van der Zijpp
Date Published	1959

Cite This Article

MLA style

van der Zijpp, Nanne. "Veenwouden (Friesland, Netherlands)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Veenwouden_(Friesland,_Netherlands)&oldid=85675.

APA style

van der Zijpp, Nanne. (1959). Veenwouden (Friesland, Netherlands). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Veenwouden_(Friesland,_Netherlands)&oldid=85675.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 802. All rights reserved.

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