Lichtfelde (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)
Lichtfelde, Molotschna, Ukraine, is the village in which the Molotschna Evangelische Mennonitenbruderschaft (Evangelical Mennonite Brotherhood) originated. On 16 May 1905 a church was founded with the above name, advocating the spiritual nurture of all believers, participation in the Lord's Supper by all baptized believers, irrespective of the form of baptism, and refusal of fellowship at communion with unbelievers. No one was compelled to be baptized by immersion, but by 1935 few remained who had not been baptized by immersion. (See also Evangelische Mennoniten-Gemeinden).
Organizationally the church had a council of elders, with one man as leader. In order of their terms they were A. Nachtigal (died in Canada), A. A. Toews (residing in British Columbia), and J. Becker (exiled under Soviet rule in 1935). The early antagonism of the Mennonite Brethren Church gradually changed to mutual understanding and respect, and the church spread to outlying villages and churches in many areas of Russia. Church membership stood at 450 in 1935.
Bibliography
Görz, Heinrich. Die molotschnaer Ansiedlung: Entstehung, Entwicklung und Untergang. Steinbach, Man.: Echo-Verlag, 1950.
Goerz, Heinrich. The Molotschna settlement. Winnipeg: published jointly by CMBC Publications, Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, 1993.
| Author(s) | H. P Toews |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Toews, H. P. "Lichtfelde (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lichtfelde_(Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement,_Zaporizhia_Oblast,_Ukraine)&oldid=135097.
APA style
Toews, H. P. (1957). Lichtfelde (Molotschna Mennonite Settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lichtfelde_(Molotschna_Mennonite_Settlement,_Zaporizhia_Oblast,_Ukraine)&oldid=135097.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 335. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.