Curitiba Mennonite Church (Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil)
The Curitiba (Brazil) Mennonite Church was formed by members of the Witmarsum and Stoltz Plateau congregations, who left those settlements and gradually found their homes in and near Curitiba, in Bouqueirao. The leader of the congregation, Elder David Koop, settled here in 1935, and after that time there has been a Mennonite congregation here. It was at first quite small, but made a rapid growth in 1947. For regular services the Mennonite Church and Mennonite Brethren met together, and also shared their Sunday-school and youth work. The monthly business meetings, communion services and youth work were held separately.
In 1946 the two groups conjointly built two churches, the largest in Bouqueirao with a seating capacity of about 700, the smaller in Vila Guaira, a suburb of Curitiba. The Mennonite Church had in 1950, 130 baptized members. It had two ordained ministers and three others not ordained, Elder David Koop, Peter Klassen, Heinrich Loewen, Willi Berg, and Jakob Wiebe. In the church services as in all the church work the German language was used. During World War II, Portuguese and Low German were used. Several hymnals were in use; the most used were the new Canadian Gesangbuch, and a collection of familiar hymns assembled in Curitiba. Evangeliumslieder (Gospel Hymns) was also used. The congregation was a member of the General Conference Mennonite Church.
| Author(s) | Peter Klassen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klassen, Peter. "Curitiba Mennonite Church (Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 23 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Curitiba_Mennonite_Church_(Curitiba,_Paran%C3%A1,_Brazil)&oldid=80026.
APA style
Klassen, Peter. (1953). Curitiba Mennonite Church (Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Curitiba_Mennonite_Church_(Curitiba,_Paran%C3%A1,_Brazil)&oldid=80026.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, pp. 747-748. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.