In 1994, Shimeles and Yutta Retta met the “Russian Mennonites,” or Aussiedler, who had recently moved from the former Soviet Union to Germany. Being recently converted to Christ, Shimeles, an Ethiopian refugee, and his German wife, both of Catholic background, were incorporated into and discipled by this conservative Anabaptist community.
Imagine the pain of losing a child to war, compounded by not having a safe space to express grief.
European Mennonites gather every six years for worship and fellowship. This spring, the European Mennonite Conference will be the most diverse gathering yet.
Christian parents have long encouraged their sons and daughters to find a life partner at church activities. And they’ve encouraged their young adults to meet the global church through international experiences.
NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — In 2004, Joachim Wieler of Weimar, Germany, opened a small wooden box he inherited after his mother’s death. To his surprise and horror, it contained letters his late father wrote while serving as an officer in the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
Not far from the Czech and Austrian borders, a little Bavarian congregation has started doing church differently.
WINNIPEG, Man. — In the 1930s, thousands of Mennonites disappeared in the Soviet Union without a trace. The KGB archives in Ukraine has thousands of files on these missing Mennonites.
