Schweitzer Salt Swiss Mennonite Cultural and Historical Association July 2018 October 2018 Fall Fest and Annual Banquet

Saturday, October 6 is the annual Bethel College Fall Festival and this year 2 2017 Annual Meeting 2018 is the Schweitzer event (every other year). Fewer people speak or under- report stand Schweitzer so the SMCHA Board decided this year to have a Schweitzer Scholarship awarded 3 Party at Fall Fest — a gathering to interact and eat poppyseed rolls. New Trustees Pretty Prairie Church The attraction will be Max Voran showing pictures of Ukraine, from the trip History that 54 Schweitzers took in 2013, that will remind us of our shared past. The German dialect will be included for a few minutes to enjoy the sound Arnold Wedel 4 remembered but no required to attend. Web master recruit Many Schweitzers don’t even know they are Schweitzers but we are betting Schweitzer prayer that if they hear that poppyseed rolls are being served, they will realize that

they belong to the family. SMCHA Mission: Check the schedule and bring your friends and family to the Schweitzer “party.” No tickets required. Just join the fun. * Collect and dissemi- nate information con- ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— cerning the spiritual and cultural history of Thursday, October 18, 2018 is the Annual Banquet also at Bethel College. Anabaptists of Swiss Volhynian origin. Speakers Don and Joanne Hess Siegrist from are knowledgeable * Offer financial assis- tance to qualifying about Trachselwald Castle in Switzer- students. land where early Anabaptists were im- prisoned and its important history. * Relate in a meaning- ful way the faith of our Dinner at 6:00 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Mennonite forebears to present and future generations. A Friday morning seminar at Bethel College’s Convocation, “Building a * Maintain the Hope- field Cemetery and Bridge Back to ,” is open Swiss Mennonite 1943 Marker and Centennial to all students and the public. This presentation will feature events of Monument. persecution days and stories of Swiss people who care about reconciliation.

2018 Membership dues $20/year or $100 for six On the next page, James Juhnke helps us understand the Anabaptist story of years. Schweitzer Salt is early persecution and relation to Trachselwald Prison. sent to members.

Katharina Zimmermann’s book Furgge, opens significant doors for understanding Christians called Anabaptist. Her book in German has just been released in English and is for sale at Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society of Lan- caster PA. John Landis Ruth describes it as "the most effective evocation I have read of the seminal days of perse- cution of Anabaptists in the Emme River Valley in Switzerland. The story unfolds in the era (1650-1717) leading up to the emigration of many Anabaptists to , southern Germany, the , and America." 1 Trachselwald that would own, manage and develop the facility as a museum open to the public, but did not succeed. Trachselwald is an old castle in the canton of Berne, Switzerland. Because it includes a dungeon that In the meantime the district of Berne has developed served as a prison for Anabaptists, it is an important alternative plans to rent out sections of the castle to site in Europe for Mennonite visitors who come in quest interested parties. Mennonite leaders Martin and of their spiritual heritage. Many Swiss Volhynians from Eveline Hunziker now live in the former granary of the the U.S. have visited there. There is an image of the Trachselwald Castle. For seven years Martin was Trachselwald castle on page sixteen of the 1974 edition pastor of the Mennonite congregation at nearby of the book by Martin H. Schrag, The European History Langenau. That congregation is the oldest Mennonite of the Swiss from Volhynia. congregation in the world in continuing existence.

The Trachselwald castle A small museum exhibit in the castle needs to be was built in the Middle improved and expanded. The dungeon area where Ages in the 11th and 12th prisoners were kept needs to be restored. Tim Huber, centuries, four or five associate editor of Mennonite World Review, has hundred years before the lamented that visitors from America have defaced the area with their signatures. Anabaptist Reformation. It was rebuilt several times. One issue in the relationship of the Berne authorities The builders were wealthy to the Mennonites is how to apologize and receive lords, initially the Baron Rueti bei . The bar- apologies for past persecutions. On November 11, ons built castles as fortified royal residences for military 2017, Christoph Neuhaus, government counselor and protection. The castle allowed a baron or lord to con- director of churches for the canton of Berne officially trol the surrounding land and people. asked the Anabaptists/Mennonites for forgiveness for the persecution by the Reformed church/state in past Medieval society was clearly divided between the rich centuries. There have been other apologies in past and the poor. Our ancestors in the decades and years, but none as clear as the recent one. But what centuries before the Reformation were poor peasants does it mean for people to forgive and receive or serfs—not members of the rich nobility. The poor forgiveness for acts of those in earlier generations? people were illiterate and did not own land. They no And how does that relate to personnel changes and doubt were conscripted to do the hard labor of building ongoing bureaucratic complications regarding the Trachselwald Castle—as was true for the builders of ownership and management of Trachselwald Castle? hundreds of other castles built in Europe the late Middle Ages. It is to be hoped that one of the fruits of reconciliation will be cooperation in sustaining the castle and its After the first Anabaptist baptisms in 1525, the memories. Zwinglian Reformed church and state severely perse- cuted the Anabaptists. There was no separation of --By Jim Juhnke, based in part on articles by Tim Hu- church and state in Switzerland. By 1571 some thirty ber in Mennonite World Review or forty Anabaptists had been executed. The last Anabaptist to be executed was Hans Haslibacher. The last hymn (#140) in the hymnbook, The SMCHA Annual Meeting at Pretty Prairie, Ausbund, tells Haslibacher’s story. March 11, 2018

Persecution of Anabaptists continued in Switzerland “Schweitzer Culture and Peace in long after toleration had come to the Netherlands—the our Homes” other main Anabaptist region. Into the 18th century the “Jesus loves the little children, canton of Berne’s Reformed church and the govern- ALL the children of the world. Red ment cooperated to issue and enforce anti-Anabaptist and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” mandates. Our Swiss-Volhynian ancestors escaped the persecution by emigrating to the Alsace and the After years of pastoring in the in the 1640s and 1670s. General Conference Mennonite Church as well as the Church of the Brethren church- Today Trachselwald Castle is owned by the district of es, Kathy Goering Reid has spent the last nine years as Director of the Family Abuse Center, a 64-bed emer- Berne. Although it is recognized to be a national treas- gency shelter, in Waco, TX. She spends much of her ure, in 2014 a plan emerged to create a new foundation time working at ways to prevent abuse and domestic 2 violence through education and prevention activities. problems, and even shorter life span. Why does she do that? What we Mennonites have to offer is our healthier up- Kathy gives credit to the importance of grandparents bringing and the values we practice in homes and (Katie and Edward Wedel and Mary and Henry Goering) church and service and sermons and our realization and her parents and a healthy upbringing for her cur- that God is love. Many hurting people do not have rent attitudes. Eight ministers came out of the Joe home life, maybe no father figure, don’t go to church Wedel part of her family. She remembers her Grandma and don’t know they are loved by God. singing “Jesus loves ALL the children of the world” which meant that ALL people deserve respect and care. We who believe that no person deserves to be beaten Three important values from family and community: or live in fear of their lives are challenged to share with others what we have practiced in our own homes, * Education. Kathy’s parents were adamant about her churches, and community by showing compassion. getting a good education. * Service. Grandparents served in Gulfport, disaster Budget $6400 approved. Heard reports. New trustees work, Hopi mission schools; her parents in Paraguay Pat Rupp and Ladeen Frey elected and LaVern Stucky where she was born and Heifer Project. and Clemon Kaufman re-elected. Enjoyed poppyseed *Compassion for humanity, a fundamental value-- rolls and fellowship. unspoken respect and recognition of each person’s worth and dignity New Trustees: LaDeen Goering Frey, a Schweitzer through and From her work experience, Kathy shared frightening through, brings her interest in her statistics: 1 out of 4 little girls (1 of 7 boys) molested heritage since she has retired from before age 18. One out of three women suffered from clinical social work at Prairie View domestic violence; 50% homeless are women. If gun is for 28 years. Husband Rod, retired in the house, murder of someone is three times more Bethel College registrar, and LaDeen likely. Women show up at their Center with literally have three married children and four nothing. However, 80% go back for economic reasons— grandchildren. They live in North they can’t meet the needs of their children by them- Newton. selves. Kathy also sees a huge increase in trafficking in the last ten years. We can’t begin to understand. Pat Wedel Rupp graduated from the Bethel Deaconess School of Should we think the Church is free from these prob- Nursing and worked as a nurse lems, a study in Winnipeg churches revealed a higher for 40 plus years, the majority in incidence of abuse than national average. Long Term Care. Now retired, Mark and Pat live on the farm Neuroscientists scan brains of children to discover that north of Moundridge where they abused children have development problems that may raised two children. Pat’s result in mental illness, problems in school, behavioral Schweitzer heritage has always been important to her, following SMCHA Scholarship to Dianne Schmidt the example of her parents, Ben and Ruth Schrag Wedel. Currently Associate Pastor at Eden Mennonite Church near Moundridge, Dianne Schmidt is continuing her Pretty Prairie Church by Ty Stucky studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN. The $500 Most families came from South Dakota to Pretty Prai- rie. Railroad gave nine sections. Land was $6/acre. 30 award will assist her in families in 1884 in first church. Several churches de- completing her Master of Divinity degree. Dennis and Dianne were students at AMBS in 1970’s preparing for overseas mis- sion work. After returning from Africa, Dianne felt led to return to seminary. stroyed by tornado or fire through the years so kept Dianne says she has found building larger buildings; brick church dedicated in seminary studies later in life to be relevant, enrich- 1928. Education wing added in 1968. ing, challenging, and pertinent to her pastor role. Native Kansans, Dianne and Dennis now live in North 150th Anniversary of Swiss Volhynian Mennonites Coming to America is Newton after having lived in IN and OH. Family in- 2024. How shall we celebrate? Looking for leaders to plan ahead. (Check cludes three young adult children and two grandsons. the website to see the 125th Celebration at Hopefield.)

3 Swiss Mennonite Cultural and Historical Association P. O. Box 93 Moundridge KS 67107

Flowers at the Monument Daniel Wedel planting at the Monument.

Online at: www.swissmennonite.org

SMCHA OFFICERS Arnold M. Wedel Remembered LaVern Stucky, President Arnold M. Wedel (1928-2018) was president of SMCHA 2001-2010 and vice president for Ron Preheim, Vice President seven years before that. During these years, Barbara Stucky, Secretary Clemon Kaufman, Treasurer  First Mennonite of Christian, Eden, and Hopefield deeded the 1943 Marker to SMCHA. Kathy Goering, Membership  Hopefield Cemetery Directory Building was built. Keith Albrecht, Exec Trustee  The www.swissmennonite.org web site was developed. Trustees: Richard Stucky,  Stone posts were installed at the Cemetery and rows marked. Roy Kaufman, Eugene  Scholarships were awarded to qualified Mennonite students. Goering, Nancy Stucky, Pat Rupp, LaDeen Frey  Schweitzer programs were presented at Bethel College Fall Festival. Nominating Committee:  “Only Schweitzer Spoken Here’ initiated. Jim P. Stucky, Valetta  Schweitzer Salt newsletter by Donna Neufeld, then Charles Schrag, then Kathy Goering. Seymour, Merlin Krehbiel  Chortitza Oak Tree planted at the Monument. Research Committee:  Centennial Monument repaired and maintained. Wayne Goering Scholarship: Roger Juhnke,  Graves were restored and the Cemetery cleaned up; mower hired. Kerwin Graber  SMCHA by-laws were updated. Webmaster: Dennis Quiring  Efforts were made to increase the endowment. “Only Schweitzer Spoken” :  Early investigation of Schweitzer graves at Catlin. Norvin Schrag, Lorita Zook As the SMCHA secretary for some of those years, I saw Genealogy Advisor: Betty Graber Hartzler the respect that Arnold had for all things Schweitzer and the commitment he had to the SMCHA organization. I remem- Honorary Historian: James W. Krehbiel ber conversations with Arnold where I would be writing frantically to keep up with his rhetoric. He would say, “Herman Schrag—he knows everything.” Or “Orpha Schrag—she knows everything.” Or James W. Krehbiel, (the writer of the Schweitzer genealogical ‘Bible’) — he knows everything.” But I was quite sure that Arnold M. Wedel knew about everything about Schweitzer history, Schweitzer families, and Schweitzer stories. —Kathy Goering

Continuing Only DANKE. Danke, für diesen THANK YOU. For this good Web Master recruit. Schweitzer Spoken guten Morgen. Danke, dass morning. Thank you for the Here SMCHA is seeking a ich auch meine Sergen auf many Blessings you bestow webmaster to continue the If you are interested in more dich werfen mag. Danke, für on me. Thank you for all work of Dennis Quiring who events to enjoy hearing and alle guten Freunde. Danke, good friends. Thank you when has served in this capacity speaking the Schweitzer dia- wenn auch den grösten Fein- I can forgive those who are since 2002. lect, contact Lorita Regier den ich verzeihen kann. against me. Thank you for my Danke, für meine Ar- job. Thank you, dear Lord, Zook (386-0707) or Norvin Schrag (620-345-8476). beitsstelle. Danke, ach Herr, above all, that I can be thank- ich will dir dangen dass ich ful. danken kann. 4