Evangelical Mennonite Conference

The E.M.C. was born in 1812 in Russia when Klass Reimer with a few followers broke with the larger Mennonite Church. This new group was called KLEINGEMEINDE (small church). In 1874 the whole E.M.C group moved to Canada and the U.S.A. In Canada the Kleingemeinde changed it's name to the Evangelical Mennonite Conference in 1952.

A Dream

From the beginnings in 1525, there have been Mennonites who have pursued the dream that devotion to God is expressed in:

• following Jesus Christ, daily, totally in life;
• obeying the Scriptures as summarized in the Sermon on the Mount, literally, honestly, sacrificially, in community;
• practicing the way of reconciling love in human conflicts and warfare, non-defensively and non-resistantly;
• confessing Jesus as Lord above all nationalism, racism, or materialism;
• building a communal church of self-disciplined brothers and sisters who are mutually and voluntarily committed to each other in Christ;
• sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others at home and around the world;
• living lives of simplicity, service and contentment, in Jesus' way;
• believe that this is the spiritual act of worship to which God's people are called.
  

We share this dream

Where Did We Get Our Name?

Like Lutherans who were named after Martin Luther, Mennonites were named after an early Dutch leader, Menno Simons. But just as Menno Simons was a follower of Christ, so Mennonites today are followers of Christ, not Menno.

The Family Formed

This movement began in the 16th century within the Protestant Reformation in Europe. A small group of earnest young believers said that reformers Marten Luther and Huldreich Zwingli had not gone far enough. Conrad Grebel led this group in an attempt to recover New Testament Christianity when they baptized one another and verbalized their faith in Jesus Christ at Zurich, Switzerland, in January 1515.

Believers Met Persecution, Martyrdom, And Death

Fired by their new faith, the believers began to evangelize. The movement rapidly spread to South Germany and the Netherlands. The official churches immediately opposed the movement and scoffed at them as "Anabaptisers", which literally means re-baptisers. Because of persecution and mission work they moved to many places, including Prussia, the Soviet Union and North America.

Our Purpose

We believe that we are called by God, redeemed by His Son, and equipped by His Spirit to be His people on earth. We serve God through our worship, our fellowship, our proclamation, and our discipleship.

In Worship

We praise and honor our Lord faithfully and heartily. We teach and inspire each other in wisdom; and we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God (Romans 12: 1-3, Colossians 3:12-17, and Acts 2:42-47)

In Fellowship

We care for each other, encourage each other, and share materially with those in need. We bear one another's burdens in practical and appropriate ways. We practice adult baptism and communion. We live our everyday lives remembering that we are members of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-6,9, Romans 12:2-21, Galatians 6:1-2)

In Proclamation

We share the good news of the gospel - God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to remove the barrier between people and god; and by believing in Jesus Christ, we become His children. Sharing this good news with others is a priority for us (Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 24:45-49, Acts 1, Romans 10:14-15)

In Disciplining

We teach and obey everything Jesus commanded us; and we apply this teaching to our personal lives (James 1:19-25). This is how we grow in the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord (2 Peter 3:18, Philippians 2:1-11, 3:10), and we equip ourselves for the good work we are called to do (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

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