Western Anabaptists gather for writing conference

Sep 2, 2019 by

Dorcas Smucker leads a workshop on how to begin writing at the Western Anabaptist Writers Conference Aug. 10 at Pioneer Christian Academy in Brownsville, Ore. — Dorcas Smucker

The first-ever Western Anabaptist Writing Conference is over. We call it WAWC, pronounced “walk.” It was held Aug. 10 at the new Pioneer Christian Academy in Brownsville, Ore., which used to be the old...

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Oregon beginnings

Jun 24, 2019 by

We read with fascination Rich Preheim’s article on West Coast Mennonite church beginnings (History, May 27). We are most familiar with the Oregon story and Zion Mennonite Church of Hubbard, as this is our...

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History: Gold or not, West Coast beckoned

May 27, 2019 by

First Mennonite Church of Paso Robles, Calif., 1939. — Mennonite Library and Archives, Bethel College

By the mid-19th century, North American Mennonites and Amish had barely crossed the Mississippi River, venturing west only as far as southeastern Iowa. That changed with the discovery of gold in California in...

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Oregon school drops ‘Mennonite’ from name

Dec 10, 2018 by and

Fourth- and fifth-grade girls wear the Western Christian School name. — Western Christian School

Western Mennonite School near West Salem, Ore., changed its name to Western Christian School over the summer to better reflect a student body with few Mennonite students. Though there is an Anabaptist...

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