The Mennonite Heritage Village preserves and exhibits the experience and story of the Mennonites who came from present day Ukraine to settle in Manitoba in the 1870’s and onward. Mennonites are part of a larger Christian movement called Anabaptists, that emerged during the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Three distinctives that they emphasized were the belief in adult baptism or ‘believer’s baptism’, the belief in the separation of church and state, and the belief in pacifism (that war and violence are never justified, and conflicts should be resolved by peaceful means).

Mennonite Heritage Village tells the story of one group in Manitoba, but there are thousands of groups of Anabaptists around the world and this year marks the 500th anniversary of the beginning of this movement. There is a large worldwide organization called the Mennonite World Conference that invites everyone to a gathering every few years and this year the meeting is in Zurich, Switzerland. If you are attending this celebration in person, you may already be in Europe to visit important places and sites that commemorate important events in the Anabaptist or Mennonite stories of the past. Most of us are not able to attend in person, but Mennonite World Conference is going to livestream the main worship service on May 29 and MHV is pleased to be hosting a ‘watch party’ in our Auditorium.

According to MWC publications, “the worship service marking the culmination of Mennonite World Conference’s 500th anniversary event in Zurich, Switzerland, will be livestreamed. The event takes place Thursday, 29 May 2025.”

You can tune in from around the world, says Liesa Unger, chief international events officer, MWC. We encourage local congregations to host a screening so members can watch together, worshipping where two or three are gathered. The stage language is English; a separate broadcast will be available with interpretation into German, French, Spanish. This will be a worship service that commemorates the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement and its contemporary global expression in a spirit of ecumenism, joy, confession and hope.

~ Liesa Unger, chief international events officer, MWC

Through Scripture, prayers, songs and statements of confession and reconciliation, the service will proclaim The Courage to Love. Held in the historic Grossmünster church, close to the site of the first Anabaptist baptisms, the service will also celebrate our journey toward reconciliation with other church communions. Representatives from the Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed churches will participate in the service. Tune in live at late night in Asia, early evening in Europe and morning throughout the Americas. Seize this opportunity to participate in this momentous gathering and deepen your engagements with the worldwide Anabaptist family of faith,” says César García, general secretary, MWC. “We pray this may also inspire you to new ways to support MWC in building up thriving communities of faith globally.

~ John D. Roth, Renewal events coordinator

Come to MHV to join in this celebration service at 10:00 am on Thursday, May 29 in the MHV Auditorium. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.