Preservings $20 Issue No. 26, 2006 - Home at Plett Foundation
Preservings $20 Issue No. 26, 2006 - Home at Plett Foundation
Preservings $20 Issue No. 26, 2006 - Home at Plett Foundation
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have been genuine to life’s end, then we will<br />
receive salv<strong>at</strong>ion, but our faith will be judged<br />
on Judgment Day. The last verse of I Corinthians<br />
13 says th<strong>at</strong> we are supposed to have faith,<br />
hope, and love. There are so many different<br />
beliefs about salv<strong>at</strong>ion in the world today, th<strong>at</strong><br />
one often needs to pray th<strong>at</strong> the Lord will grant<br />
one the true faith in Jesus Christ so th<strong>at</strong> one will<br />
be able to inherit eternal life.<br />
Many of the Amish Mennonites also have<br />
the same beliefs we do. I quote from page 31 of<br />
the book Amish Life, “To assert th<strong>at</strong> one can be<br />
sure of going to heaven is to the Amish people<br />
a manifest boasting. This teaching is disruptive<br />
to the community, for it places individual<br />
experience above the community. Humility,<br />
submissiveness, and hope are the accepted<br />
indic<strong>at</strong>ors of godliness in waiting for the Gre<strong>at</strong><br />
Judgment.”<br />
I have also had discussions regarding this<br />
issue with many church ministers in Canada,<br />
U.S.A, Mexico, Bolivia, and Paraguay. They<br />
all agree on this issue. In the Bible we can read<br />
of the prayer of the Pharisee and the publican.<br />
The Pharisee, in his prayer, indic<strong>at</strong>es th<strong>at</strong> he is<br />
a righteous man and the publican asks for forgiveness<br />
of sins. The problem was the Pharisee<br />
was not righteous, because his prayer was not<br />
accepted by God. In M<strong>at</strong>thew 7:21-23 we can<br />
also read th<strong>at</strong> on Judgment Day many will go<br />
last th<strong>at</strong> were so sure of their salv<strong>at</strong>ion. They<br />
will try to convince the Lord by telling him all<br />
the good they have done. In M<strong>at</strong>thew 25 we can<br />
read th<strong>at</strong> the true believers will ask, “Lord, when<br />
have we done this or th<strong>at</strong> for you?” They will<br />
feel humble and meek, and had not given any<br />
thought th<strong>at</strong> they had been doing good works.<br />
Also, many of our ancestors had the same<br />
faith, in trust and hope, to receive salv<strong>at</strong>ion,<br />
and I think Elias also had the same faith. So<br />
we need to be more careful about this issue. I<br />
could quote more examples from scripture, but<br />
leave it <strong>at</strong> this for now.<br />
In answer to some of Elias’s questions:<br />
1. I do not know to whom Delbert refers.<br />
I have discussed church history with Delbert<br />
numerous times, but know very little about faith<br />
missions.<br />
2. The seven Old Colony congreg<strong>at</strong>ions <strong>at</strong><br />
th<strong>at</strong> time were:<br />
a. Fort St. John area, B.C., Bishop John<br />
Bueckert<br />
b. La Crete, Alberta, Bishop John Klassen<br />
c. Vauxhall, Alberta, Bishop Jacob Giesbrecht<br />
d. Worseley, Alberta, Bishop Benjamin<br />
Wolfe<br />
e. Sask<strong>at</strong>oon, Sask., Bishop Peter Wolfe,<br />
now Bishop Aron Neufeld<br />
f. Winkler area, MB, Bishop Peter Wiebe<br />
g. Southern Ontario, Bishop Cornelius<br />
Enns (deceased), and now Bishops Herman<br />
Bergen and Peter Zacharias<br />
Recently, the Old Colony Church in Manitoba<br />
has split. We are the German Old Colony<br />
Mennonite Church, and our Bishop is John P.<br />
Wiebe. We partner with all the other churches<br />
listed above, plus the Old Colony congreg<strong>at</strong>ions<br />
in the U.S.A. The other Old Colony Church in<br />
Manitoba, of which Jake Elias is a member, is<br />
standing alone.<br />
3. About baptism: M<strong>at</strong>thew 3:11 says, “I<br />
baptize you with w<strong>at</strong>er.” It does not say “in” the<br />
w<strong>at</strong>er. In Acts 10 we read the story of Cornelius.<br />
After preaching, Peter asks, “can anybody forbid<br />
w<strong>at</strong>er, th<strong>at</strong> these should not be baptized?”<br />
They probably wouldn’t have had something<br />
ready for immersion, but we believe th<strong>at</strong> they<br />
were baptized by affusion. I could list more examples<br />
pointing to baptizing by pouring on the<br />
head. However, our church recognizes both, and<br />
we cannot agree with the Baptist minister th<strong>at</strong><br />
it has to be by immersion. Whether all Baptist<br />
congreg<strong>at</strong>ions are set on baptism by immersion,<br />
I do not know. I only know about the Winkler<br />
Baptist Church.<br />
So, hopefully, this letter will provide some<br />
answers to the questions alluded to in the<br />
above letter<br />
Rev. Abraham Rempel<br />
Minister of the German Old Colony<br />
Mennonite Church<br />
Board member of the D.F. <strong>Plett</strong><br />
Historical Research Found<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
________________<br />
Letter to the Editor - <strong>Preservings</strong> 06<br />
Helene Wiens (Janzen) – Kyrgyzstan<br />
(Editor’s note. This letter (a transl<strong>at</strong>ion of<br />
the German original) was written to Delbert<br />
<strong>Plett</strong>, co-editor of Diese Steine by Helena<br />
Wiens in Kyrsyzstan. Although it is not a direct<br />
response to <strong>Preservings</strong>, the letter is included<br />
here as one person’s response to Delbert <strong>Plett</strong>’s<br />
extensive work in making historical writings<br />
widely available <strong>at</strong> rel<strong>at</strong>ively little cost. Since<br />
this letter comes from within the former Soviet<br />
Union, where historical m<strong>at</strong>erials were difficult<br />
to acquire, this letter is special.)<br />
English transl<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
To Delbert <strong>Plett</strong>, the publisher of the book<br />
Diese Steine, Die Russlandmennoniten. I am<br />
Helene Wiens (Janzen), born 1937.<br />
Greetings, Dear brother!<br />
I would like to share with you my joy and<br />
heartfelt gr<strong>at</strong>itude for this book. We received<br />
it from my husband’s cousin, Elvira Voth, in<br />
Steinbach. I recently read the entire book. Yes,<br />
not only did I read it, more accur<strong>at</strong>ely, I studied<br />
it. Carefully looked <strong>at</strong> every photo and read<br />
wh<strong>at</strong> was written underne<strong>at</strong>h the picture. I also<br />
studied each map. These are very necessary to<br />
gain a full understanding of where our forbears<br />
used to live.<br />
My parents were both from the Zaporoshye<br />
area. My mother (Anna Berg) was born in the<br />
Molotsch, (village Friedensruh), and my f<strong>at</strong>her,<br />
Jacob Janzen in Blumenfeld, although I do not<br />
know in which colony.<br />
And when I read the book, Diese Steine<br />
(Chapter 58), I discovered th<strong>at</strong> the four Janzen<br />
families who in the 1840s settled in Petershagen<br />
on an est<strong>at</strong>e, which was part of Blumenfeld,<br />
were my forbears.<br />
My gre<strong>at</strong> grandf<strong>at</strong>her Johann Janzen was<br />
three years old when his family settled in the<br />
Schoenfeld colony on the est<strong>at</strong>e near Blumenfeld.<br />
And this Johann Janzen’s gre<strong>at</strong> grandf<strong>at</strong>her,<br />
also a Johann Janzen, came from Prussia<br />
in 1804, and founded the village of Petershagen.<br />
(Chapter 43)<br />
I was glad when I discovered this in the<br />
book. And then I had many questions, because I<br />
wanted to know more. But whom should I ask?<br />
Then I thought of writing to Germany, where<br />
one rel<strong>at</strong>ive of the Janzen’s was still living (83<br />
years old). And from him I received answers to<br />
all my questions about my grandmother’s and<br />
f<strong>at</strong>her’s younger years. In addition, a family<br />
history of the Janzen family (1752-1905). I was<br />
very happy, and it agreed with wh<strong>at</strong> was written<br />
in Diese Steine, chapters 43 and 58.<br />
And now the book has become even more<br />
valuable for me. I read it slowly, a little every<br />
day, in order to better understand and retain<br />
it.<br />
We lived in circumstances where such books<br />
were simply not available to us. To God be<br />
thanks th<strong>at</strong> things are different now.<br />
I am very thankful th<strong>at</strong> the Lord finds people<br />
who make the effort to g<strong>at</strong>her such documents<br />
and publish books in order th<strong>at</strong> Mennonites<br />
will be able to know their story better. The<br />
Lord will reward them for the huge task th<strong>at</strong><br />
they have done.<br />
I am so happy th<strong>at</strong> this book came to me.<br />
Unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely, most Mennonites have left for<br />
Germany, although a few are still here, including<br />
a sister in our church. She could hardly wait<br />
until I could give her the book to read. I hope<br />
th<strong>at</strong> the book, Diese Steine, will also be read in<br />
Germany, since there are so many Mennonites<br />
from Russia, who are interested in the story of<br />
their people.<br />
My f<strong>at</strong>her was five years old when Peter H.<br />
Enns, the minister, became teacher in Blumenfeld.<br />
Thus he was Peter H. Enns’ student. It is<br />
too bad th<strong>at</strong> I cannot read the recollections about<br />
him, since I do not have them. My grandf<strong>at</strong>her<br />
had a mill in Blumenfeld, and unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely<br />
died <strong>at</strong> age 39 from cholera. In 1917 the revolution<br />
came, and in 1919, when my husband (she<br />
likely meant her f<strong>at</strong>her) was 14 years of age, the<br />
est<strong>at</strong>e families had to flee and leave their homes<br />
forever. He was only 18 years of age when he<br />
became minister. Spoke the word when all lived<br />
in fear. The churches were closed, so he spoke<br />
<strong>at</strong> funerals. Was without a vote and a home; had<br />
to flee frequently to stay alive. Those were his<br />
years as a youth. He died in Bischket (likely<br />
also in Kyrgystan) in 1976. Served as preacher<br />
until the end of his life.<br />
Again, thanks for the book. Yes, if only<br />
these stones could speak! But we look forward<br />
to seeing each other again, and th<strong>at</strong> is<br />
comforting.<br />
Greetings,<br />
Helene Wiens (Janzen)<br />
Kyrgyzstan 1 October 2005<br />
________________<br />
Letter to Editor<br />
The December issue of <strong>Preservings</strong> brought<br />
102 - <strong>Preservings</strong> <strong>No</strong>. <strong>26</strong>, <strong>2006</strong>