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Offering God's Love,
Healing and Hope to All
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Characteristics of our Mennonite faith
- A believers' faith--Mennonites are baptized as adults when they voluntarily
make the decision to join what we call the "believers' church".
- A living faith--We believe discipleship calls us to follow Jesus in all aspects
of daily living. We are a community dedicated to the Bible as our guide for faith
and life. Simplicity, stewardship and honesty are important ingredients of our lives.
- A caring faith--The church is a congregation of love whose members mutually
help each other in times of difficulty.
- A sharing faith--We seek to share our fellowship with those who are not Christians,
as Jesus commanded us to ". . . go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
(Matthew 28:19)
- A serving faith--Believing that faith and action are inseparable, we commit
our resources to serve those in need. Various organizations work to help feed the
world's hungry, assist in community development, rehabilitate refugees and provide
disaster service.
- A loving faith--Mennonites take seriously the Biblical teaching to love our
enemies as well as our friends and neighbors. We practice nonresistance (the principle
of refusing to use force or violence) and try to help all people and nations find
peaceful resolutions to conflict.
"For true evangelical faith is of such a nature that it cannot lie dormant, but
manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love; it dies unto the flesh
and blood; it destroys all forbidden lusts and desires; it seeks and serves and
fears God; it clothes the naked; it feeds the hungry; it comforts the sorrowful;
it shelters the destitute; it aid and consoles the sad; it returns good for evil;
it serves those that harm it; it prays for those that persecute it; teaches, admonishes,
and reproves with the Word of the Lord; it seeks that which is lost; it binds up
that which is wounded; it heals that which is diseased and it saves that which is
sound; It has become all things to all men." -Menno Simons
"The Immigrant House, our first American house of worship"
History of Alexanderwohl
- The origin of Alexanderwohl Church families can be traced back to the Netherlands
in the 16th Century.
- During the 1600-1650, many of these families migrated to West Prussia, settling
in the Danzig area between the Vistula and Nogat Rivers.
- The Przechowko church in West Prussia, which is the mother church of Alexanderwohl,
was composed of Mennonites who settled near Schwetz on the Vistula River.
- In 1820-21 a large portion of the Przechowko Church migrated to the Molotschna
area in South Russia. During this journey they met Czar Alexander I, who wished
them well ("wohl" in German), prompting the naming of the new village, Alexanderwohl,
established in South Russia.
- In 1874, Elder Jacob Buller led the entire Alexanderwohl church membership plus
other families (about 800 persons) as they embarked on two ships, the Cimbria and
Teutonia, to leave Russia.
- A large portion of the group settled near what is now Goessel, Kansas.
- The Santa Fe Railroad, which sold land to the Mennonites, built two immigrant
houses near the middle of the section on which the church now stands. After families
moved to newly built homes of their own, the immigrant houses were moved together
to form a place of worship.
- In 1886, a new church was completed on the present site.
- The church building, originally built in the "Dutch Mennonite" style, underwent
a major remodeling project in 1928. The education wing was added in 1961, and the
north addition in 1983.
- Today, Alexanderwohl has approximately 600 members and is affiliated with the
General Conference and Western District Conference.
Dan Gott siene Leew to dise Welt wea soo groot,
daut hee sienen eentsjen Sän jeef, daut aul dee,
dee aun am gleewen, nich feloaren gonen, oba
daut eewje Läwen haben.
- Jehaunes Kapetel 3:16