About Us

We are the church home of some 200 joyful followers of Jesus. It is our heart’s desire and commitment to love God, love each other, and offer God’s love to our neighbors and friends. We gather on Sunday mornings to offer our praise and thanks to God, and to dig into God’s Word. And we scatter each week into our workday worlds to put into action the love God has given us.

We appreciate greatly the light that each denomination contributes to the rainbow that is Christ’s church. We are part of the Anabaptist ‘stream’ of Jesus’ church, and of the Mennonite ‘tributary’ of that stream.

While we can trace our congregation’s origins to the 16th century, we are far from a ‘stuffy’ or a ‘past-oriented’ church. With the Holy Spirit’s help, building on our history, we seek the practical and timely application of faith for today.

Characteristics of our Mennonite Faith

For more on Mennonite beliefs, see the 
Confession of Faith from a Mennonite Perspective

Mennonites are baptized as adults when they voluntarily make the decision to join what we call the “believers’ church.”

We believe discipleship calls us to follow Jesus in all aspects of daily living. We are a community dedicated to the Bible as our guide for faith and life. Simplicity, stewardship and honesty are important ingredients of our lives.

The church is a congregation of love whose members mutually help each other in times of difficulty.

We seek to share our fellowship with those who are not Christians, as Jesus commanded us to “…go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)

Believing that faith and action are inseparable, we commit our resources to serve those in need. Various organizations work to help feed the world’s hungry, assist in community development, rehabilitate refugees and provide disaster service.

Mennonites take seriously the Biblical teaching to love our enemies as well as our friends and neighbors. We practice nonresistance (the principle of refusing to use force or violence) and try to help all people and nations find peaceful resolutions to conflict.

History

1234

  • 1500s

    Netherlands

    The origin of Alexanderwohl Church families can be traced back to the Netherlands in the 16th Century.

  • 1650

    Prussia

    During the 1600-1650, many of these families migrated to West Prussia, settling in the Danzig area between the Vistula and Nogat Rivers.

  • Przechowko

    The Przechowko church in West Prussia, which is the mother church of Alexanderwohl, was composed of Mennonites who settled near Schwetz on the Vistula River.

  • 1820

    Russia

    In 1820-21 a large portion of the Przechowko Church migrated to the Molotschna area in South Russia. During this journey they met Czar Alexander I, who wished them well (“wohl” in German), prompting the naming of the new village, Alexanderwohl, established in South Russia.

  • 1874

    Migration

    In 1874, Elder Jacob Buller led the entire Alexanderwohl church membership plus other families (about 800 persons) as they embarked on two ships, the Cimbria and Teutonia, to leave Russia. A large portion of the group settled near what is now Goessel, Kansas.

  • Immigrant House

    The Santa Fe Railroad, which sold land to the Mennonites, built two immigrant houses near the middle of the section on which the church now stands. After families moved to newly built homes of their own, the immigrant houses were moved together to form a place of worship.

  • 1886

    Church building

    A new church was completed on the present site.

  • 1928

    Remodel

    The church building, originally built in the “Dutch Mennonite” style, underwent a major remodeling project in 1928. The education wing was added in 1961, and the north addition in 1983. The building underwent another remodeling, this time to the office and basement, in 2011.

  • Present

    Today

    Alexanderwohl has approximately 500 members and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA & Western District Conference.