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Plans for Menno Simons Study Centre Unveiled

WITMARSUM, the Netherlands — Dutch Mennonites plan to construct an international Menno Simons Centre for Study and to rebuild the only monument to remind us of the birthplace of Menno Simons. The monument, erected here 125 years ago, needs restoration.

There is no shortage of plans, but unfortunately financial resources are a problem (at least for the time being).

"Think about what moves you." With these words Joute de Graaf, president of the Mennonite Foundation for Monuments in Friesland, opened the official part of a day of remembering and looking to the future on September 11, 2004.

In the party tent set up for the approximately 200 people present, de Graaf explained not only the background and history of the Menno Simons monument, but also future plans. Because the foundation is sinking, a thorough renovation is necessary. In addition, the intention is that the hidden church, which once existed on the spot where the monument stands, be outlined in its original form using simple materials such as walls made of hedges in keeping with the idea of field preaching.

Piet Vellinga, an interested Mennonite and president of the Village and Company Friesland (Dorp en Bedrijf Friesland), did a feasibility study of the renovation of the monument and of the Menno-routes through Northwest Friesland. He said that three bicycle trails and two auto routes would travel through Friesland and stop along historic Mennonite churches in Friesland, among other things.

He presented finished plans for the new international Menno Simons Centre for Study. Land next to the monument would have to be purchased to erect the centre. For the many hundreds of Mennonites who come here every year, particularly from Russia and North America, Witmarsum is already a kind of place of pilgrimage. Partly to be of service to these foreign travellers, placing the centre so close to the monument is logical.

Anne S. de Jong, the president of the Algemene Doopsgezind Societeit (the Dutch Mennonite Conference) and member of the study group that is developing and supervising the plans, put it like this: "It should become a place of meeting, contemplation, inspiration and study. In this centre the Mennonites will demonstrate their vision for faith in practice. It should be a place for us and for those who come after us."

Under the skilled leadership of our chairperson for the day, pastor Gabe Hoekema, four members of a panel — Dr. Piet Visser, professor of Mennonite history from the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam and instructor at the Mennonite Seminary in Amsterdam; Henk Klein Nagelvoort, pastor of the Mennonite congregation of Heerenveen; Mieke Hennus, member of the Advisory Committee for Spiritual Issues; and Marion Bruggen, minister of the Mennonite Conference Centre — illustrated Anabaptist diversity.

Visser, for example, thought that the Anabaptist peace tradition did not go well. Menno always carried a knife with him on this travels and the largest cannon dealer in that time was Mennonite. By the end of the 19th century, Visser claimed, pacifism had disappeared.

Nagelvoort wanted to maintain the tradition of an Anabaptist church. He considered the work in the congregation important and the congregation as the basis of our existence as a clear Anabaptist tradition.

Mayor Piersma, who delivered his argument in both Dutch and Frisian, (being in Friesland and not hearing any Frisian, is impossible!), clearly showed that his congregation is actively thinking about the restoration plans. Nine years ago, during the interview process for mayor, a member of the search committee remarked that it was too bad that the new mayor was not Mennonite. Such a remark could be made only in Witmarsum, the spot where the only Dutch church reformer, Menno Simons, lived and worked.

After Piersma's plea, Jaap Gulmans closed the day in a manner typical of him. To sum up his reflections in a few words would not do his fascinating story justice. Perhaps his thoughts will be published in a column for the ADW (Dutch Mennonite Weekly).

A quilt, made during the Mennonite World Conference assembly in Zimbabwe in 2003, hung on the wall behind the panel participants. Four hundred people worked on the quilt, which become a symbol of diversity, seen in the colours, and solidarity, as demonstrated in the collective effort.

Each participant at the Witmarsum event went home with a beautiful colour brochure, complete with an appropriate motto: Initiatives to reflect on.

— Mennonite World Conference release from a report by Bart Smits