Association Fraternelle Mennonite (France)
The Association Fraternelle Mennonite is a nonprofit organization established 22 June 1950 by the Mennonites of France to serve as an instrument in the growing charitable and church work of the French congregations, representing both French- and German-speaking groups. The president in the 1950s was Andre Graber, elder of the Belfort congregation, secretary-treasurer Pierre Widmer, elder at Montbéliard and editor of Christ Seul. The interests of the French Mennonites of Swiss citizenship (many of whom live in France and belong to the Alsatian churches) and of the Mennonite Central Committee (which assisted by supplying one-third of the original capital), who as foreigners may not be officers of the association, are represented by the consultative Conseil de Freres (Council of Brothers), whose president in the 1950s was Hans Nussbaumer, elder at Altkirch.
The day after its formation the Association acquired its major property, an estate in Valdoie, suburb of Belfort, now known as the Foyer Mennonite. This property served as a children's home, old people's home, and as a center for conferences and youth activities.
In 1951 the Association acquired a second property, the Mont-des-Oiseaux near Wissembourg in northern Alsace. There also the Association operated a children's home through a subsidiary organization, with the continued collaboration of the Mennonite Central Committee. Philip Hege, elder of the Geisberg congregation, was president of the committee responsible for this home in the 1950s.
| Author(s) | John Howard Yoder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Yoder, John Howard. "Association Fraternelle Mennonite (France)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Association_Fraternelle_Mennonite_(France)&oldid=74982.
APA style
Yoder, John Howard. (1953). Association Fraternelle Mennonite (France). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Association_Fraternelle_Mennonite_(France)&oldid=74982.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 180. All rights reserved.
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