The 500th anniversary of Anabaptism brought together conservative North American Mennonites, European Anabaptists and other Christians Jan. 21-22 in Wyssachen, Switzerland.

The conference was a project of Grace Press, a U.S.-based conservative Mennonite ministry that distributes Christian literature in Europe and Central Asia.

Grace Press is affiliated with Nationwide Fellowship Churches, which formed after conservatives withdrew from mainstream Mennonite conferences in the 1950s and ’60s.

Nationwide Fellowship has congregations in numerous countries, including England, Denmark and the Republic of Georgia.

Nearly 300 people attended each day. Many were European, including Evangelical Baptists, along with Americans and Canadians. Talks on historical and doctrinal subjects were presented in English and translated into German.

Many of the Europeans had probably never heard conservative Mennonite preaching or perspectives on the issues discussed.

The history of dissenting, nonconformist Christian groups, including the early Reformation, was described in two talks, followed by a talk on Anabaptist origins in Zurich and one on the spread of the Anabaptist movement in Canton Bern.

Doctrinal topics, presented by ordained men from the Nationwide churches and the Conservative Mennonite Churches of Ontario, included talks on the authority of the Bible and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

While historical figures were remembered and acknowledged, the organizers did not want to lift up historical Anabaptists beyond their due.

“While we recognize their weaknesses and their humanity,” one speaker said, “we still do honor them for their faithfulness, courage and sacrifice.”

Speakers emphasized the joy of Christian living. Paul Martin, speaking on “Christian Families,” said if parents show their joy in living for Christ, their children will see that joy and want to follow that path.

That path could lead to conflict with the state. Kenneth Witmer of Shropshire, England, acknowledged that the Nationwide church was trying to find a way to educate its children outside the state-approved schools and that this was difficult.

“We’re trying to evaluate when we should disobey the law for the sake of our school and our church,” he said.

One attendee asked whether Christians should support political movements that represent their beliefs.

“We don’t belong in either one,” replied Bishop Virgil Schrock of Wisconsin, referring to either side of the political spectrum, emphasizing traditional Mennonite teaching on separation from the world, including its politics.

Following the conference, Grace Press offered walking tours of Reformation and Anabaptist historical sites in Zurich. The tours began at the Kulturhaus Helferei, the parsonage where Ulrich Zwingli lived for most of his time in the city. The parsonage preserves Zwingli’s office, and those taking the tours got to see the room where Zwingli worked.

Other stops on the walking tour included the Grossmünster cathedral, the homes of Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel, the Anabaptist memorial plaque along the Limmat River and the last remaining building of the Oetenbach Cloister complex, where Anabaptists were imprisoned in the 17th century.

Positive responses to the conference included requests to hold another one.

“We don’t want to have to wait for another anniversary,” one European attendee said. “We would like you to come back.”

“Europe needs more living-faith examples,” said Kenneth Witmer, one of the speakers and organizers. Seeing the continuation of a living faith in Switzerland, a faith that honors the authority of the Bible and the Lordship of Jesus Christ, would be the ultimate mark of success, organizers say.