Église Évangélique Mennonite de la Vôge (Darney, Vosges, Lorraine, France)
Église Évangélique Mennonite de la Vôge (Vosges Mennonite Church, called Darney, 1933-1941) is one of the oldest Mennonite congregations in the French-speaking part of France, having always consisted of widely scattered farm families living west of the Vosges Mountains, with the city of Epinal as the approximate center. During most of its history the meetings have been held in rotation in the homes. Before 1766 Mennonites were living in the mountainous area around Donon in the northeast of the Vosges Department. From here they moved westward, being joined by some families from the Markirch (Ste-Marie-aux-Mines) area. Others came later from the region of Zweibrücken and Saarguemines. The original families all spoke German, but by 1869 the language had become French. One of the alert elders, named Schweitzer of Goncourt, joined with the elder Andre Rediger of the Haute Marne congregation in 1869 in providing a French translation of the Zweibrücken (Elbing-Waldeck) catechism.
Because of intermarriage with Catholics, immigration to America, and moving westward in France into the Haute Marne area the congregation gradually grew smaller, so that in the 1930s the baptized membership was not more than 15, and the congregation held no services during the winter from November to March. Among the known elders' names were Hans Roger ca. 1820-1868, Joseph Schweitzer 1843-1896, Jean Kremer 1894-1909, Nicholas Kroner 1898- , Joseph Kislig 1914- . In 1957 the congregation had some 45 members including unbaptized children, and met only once a month in private homes. Elder Kislig had retired, and the active minister was Jean Abresol.
Bibliography
Sommer, P. "Assemble des Vosges (Darney)." Christ Seul (August 1930): 5-9.
| Author(s) | Harold S Bender |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bender, Harold S. "Église Évangélique Mennonite de la Vôge (Darney, Vosges, Lorraine, France)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=%C3%89glise_%C3%89vang%C3%A9lique_Mennonite_de_la_V%C3%B4ge_(Darney,_Vosges,_Lorraine,_France)&oldid=85875.
APA style
Bender, Harold S. (1959). Église Évangélique Mennonite de la Vôge (Darney, Vosges, Lorraine, France). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=%C3%89glise_%C3%89vang%C3%A9lique_Mennonite_de_la_V%C3%B4ge_(Darney,_Vosges,_Lorraine,_France)&oldid=85875.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 856. All rights reserved.
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