Meckesheim (Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
Meckesheim, a village (pop. 1957: 2,246; 2004: 5,403) in the Heidelberg district of Baden, Germany, mostly Protestant, was formerly the seat of a Mennonite church, the first of whose members immigrated from Switzerland after the Thirty Years' War. A list of 1731 enumerated the heads of the 16 families (Müller, Berner Täufer, 210). The Dutch [[Naamlijst der tegenwoordig in dienst zijnde predikanten der Mennoniten in de Vereenigde Nederlanden|Naamlijst]] of 1766 listed this congregation as Honingerhof and Meckesheim, with Hans Bechtel as preacher from 1732 and elder from 1743; the preachers were Georg Bechtel, David Kaufmann, and Michael Bachmann. The [[Naamlijst der tegenwoordig in dienst zijnde predikanten der Mennoniten in de Vereenigde Nederlanden|Naamlijst]] of 1775, where the congregation was called Mauer and Meckesheim, listed Hans Bechtel as still the elder, and Michael Bechtel, Jakob Hursch (obviously Hirsch), and Johannes Neff as preachers, all appointed in 1772. The Naamlijst of 1780 listed Mauer as an independent congregation, with Jakob Hursch as elder from 1778; the Meckesheim congregation then had Johannes Neff (from 1772), Michael Bechtel (from 1774), and Christian Sander (later called Sauter) as preachers (from 1776). In the Naamlijst of 1786 Mauer and Meckesheim were united again, with Abraham Mayer as preacher from 1781 and as elder from 1784, and Michael Bechtel, Christian Sauter, and Jakob Müller (from 1783) as preachers. Finally in the Naamlijst of 1793 the congregation was called Meckesheim, Schatthausen, and Baiertal, with the same ministers as in 1786 and in addition Heinrich Landis, from 1790. A list of preachers of 1787 revealed that services were held alternately in Mauer and Schatthausen (Mennonitisches Geschichtsblätter, 1936, 23), later also in Beiertal; in 1840, however, an independent congregation was organized here. The Meckesheim congregation was weakened by emigration. Mannhardt (Jahrbuch 1888) mentioned a baptized membership of 25 in 1887, with Heinrich Mosemann serving as elder (preacher 1856, elder 1870) and Heinrich Bechtel (from 1875) serving both as preacher and deacon. Services then were held each Sunday in a rented room. In 1896 it transferred its headquarters to Mönchzell and in 1916 it united with Sinsheim after an existence of about two hundred years.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon., 4 v. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 65.
| Author(s) | Christian Hege |
|---|---|
| Nanne van der Zijpp | |
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hege, Christian and Nanne van der Zijpp. "Meckesheim (Baden-Württemberg, Germany)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Meckesheim_(Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg,_Germany)&oldid=89568.
APA style
Hege, Christian and Nanne van der Zijpp. (1957). Meckesheim (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Meckesheim_(Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg,_Germany)&oldid=89568.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 549. All rights reserved.
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