The Brethren movement began in early August 1708 when eight brave souls went to the Eder River where one of them baptized Alexander Mack, who then baptized the others. This beginning occurred at Schwarzenau because Count Henrich Albrecht was tolerant of Pietists and permitted them to gather there to read the Bible and discern for themselves how a follower of Jesus should live and what the nature of a Christian church should be. As Brethren gathered in 2008 to celebrate 300 years of Brethren experience, they also celebrated the tolerance by Count Albrecht which enabled the Brethren movement to begin in the Eder River with adult baptism, an illegal act at that time. *
The Church of the Brethren is a community of faith where the HOLY WORD is our creed. Our ordinance is the teachings and examples that Jesus Christ set. Our CHURCH is not a building, but the brothers and sisters that form the church COMMUNITY. We are members due to the faith in our hearts, and baptism is an outward sign of what is already formed and shaped in our hearts. We are a priesthood of believers who minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ, every where we go, and not just when we are in our church building. We use our gifts and character to carry out our mission to make Christ known, loved, and obeyed, as God equips and empowers us.
I am blessed to have the gifts and knowledge to be able to affirm the word of Christ from Pastor Linda's lips, to the CD that Garrett Lowe creates by recording the Sunday Service, which I download onto my computer, and then use to create this blog. It truly takes a community to spread the Word.
* taken from http://www.brethrenencyclopedia.org/pages/300th-anniversary
