Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church
Encyclopedia
Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church is a church denomination of the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches
in Belize
.
, Canada
and the United States
. Hurricane Hattie
, which hit Belize hard in 1961, prompted the arrival of numerous Mennonite agencies to provide disaster relief, notably the Beachy Amish Mennonite and the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities. In 1964, missionaries Paul
and Ella Martin arrived in Belize and in 1969 the Mennonite Central Committee established the Mennonite Center in Belize City
to govern the Mennonite agricultural colonies in the country. The Belize Evangelical Church was formally established in 1973.
By 1978, the Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church was established, and there were several dozen colonies in the country, made up mostly of Old Colony Mennonites (Rhinelanders) and Kleingmeinde Mennonites ("The Little Brotherhood"), and had five congregations and 122 communicant members, including Creole
s, Garifuna, Maya
, and Mestizo
s. The Mennonite Central Committee and Mission and Eastern Mennonite Missions who started service in Belize in 1960s were responsible for initiation of the service activities of this church Mennonites were first initiated as their knowledge of German was poor and later Belizeans were also initiated into the service. In 1981, the church has grown to 10 congregations and 425 members. By 2003, there were 425 members and 13 congregations.
The Mennonite colonists in Belize made an agreement with the authorities to promote education, agriculture and their beliefs. By 1978, they operated 39 primary schools and two secondary schools. In addition, they cultivated some 5,000 acres, concentrated in Orange Walk District
and Cayo District
, providing Belize with an influx of dairy products and vegetables.
), Spanish
and Garifuna
, or a mixture of these languages. The Jesus Deaf Church, an ecumenical Christian church, is affiliated with the Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church, offering services that are led by a deaf pastor.
In Belmopan
, an Evangelical Bible church is located at 3840 Ambergris Avenue.
's Divine Light Mennonite National Council and the Evangelical Mennonite Conference; the Jamaica
Mennonite Church; and the Mennonite Church of Trinidad and Tobago
.
Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches
The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches is an evangelical Christian denomination with an Anabaptist Mennonite heritage.-Background:The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches was founded at Mountain Lake, Minnesota in 1889 as the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference...
in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
.
History
Anabaptist-Mennonite groups began arriving in Belize in the 1950s from MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Hurricane Hattie
Hurricane Hattie
Hurricane Hattie was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the strongest, reaching a peak intensity equivalent to Category 5 hurricane intensity...
, which hit Belize hard in 1961, prompted the arrival of numerous Mennonite agencies to provide disaster relief, notably the Beachy Amish Mennonite and the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities. In 1964, missionaries Paul
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
and Ella Martin arrived in Belize and in 1969 the Mennonite Central Committee established the Mennonite Center in Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
to govern the Mennonite agricultural colonies in the country. The Belize Evangelical Church was formally established in 1973.
By 1978, the Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church was established, and there were several dozen colonies in the country, made up mostly of Old Colony Mennonites (Rhinelanders) and Kleingmeinde Mennonites ("The Little Brotherhood"), and had five congregations and 122 communicant members, including Creole
Belizean Kriol people
The Belizean Creoles, locally known as Kriols, are Creole descendants of English and Scottish log cutters, as well as Black African slaves brought to Belize. Other small minorities include Creoles and the Miskito from Nicaragua, Jamaicans, and other West Indians who assisted in the logging...
s, Garifuna, Maya
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
, and Mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s. The Mennonite Central Committee and Mission and Eastern Mennonite Missions who started service in Belize in 1960s were responsible for initiation of the service activities of this church Mennonites were first initiated as their knowledge of German was poor and later Belizeans were also initiated into the service. In 1981, the church has grown to 10 congregations and 425 members. By 2003, there were 425 members and 13 congregations.
The Mennonite colonists in Belize made an agreement with the authorities to promote education, agriculture and their beliefs. By 1978, they operated 39 primary schools and two secondary schools. In addition, they cultivated some 5,000 acres, concentrated in Orange Walk District
Orange Walk District
Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.- Main settlements :...
and Cayo District
Cayo District
Cayo District is a district in the west of the nation of Belize. The District capital is the town of San Ignacio.- Geography :The Cayo District is the largest district in Belize. It is located on the western side of the country which borders Guatemala. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is...
, providing Belize with an influx of dairy products and vegetables.
Services
The Church’s services are held in English (official language of BelizeBelize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
), Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Garifuna
Garifuna language
Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken in Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize by the Garifuna people. The language is also spoken to a lesser extent in Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast. Historically it was referred to as Carib or Black Carib and Igñeri by Europeans. Garifuna has a vocabulary split between...
, or a mixture of these languages. The Jesus Deaf Church, an ecumenical Christian church, is affiliated with the Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church, offering services that are led by a deaf pastor.
In Belmopan
Belmopan
Belmopan , estimated population 20,000 is the capital city of Belize.Belmopan is located at , at an altitude of 76 metres above sea level. Belmopan was constructed just to the east of Belize River, inland from the former capital, the port of Belize City, after that city's near destruction by...
, an Evangelical Bible church is located at 3840 Ambergris Avenue.
Affiliations
Within the Caribbean community, the Belize Evangelical Mennonite Church is affiliated with Cuba's Brethren in Christ Missionary Society; the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
's Divine Light Mennonite National Council and the Evangelical Mennonite Conference; the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
Mennonite Church; and the Mennonite Church of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
.