Q. Is anyone welcome to join in your worship services?

A. Most definitely. Please do.

Q. Do I need to call ahead before I come?

A. This is not expected or necessary. Just walk in. However, if you wish to call ahead, you are most welcome.

Q. How should I dress when I visit your church?

A. You are welcomed as you are. There are no requirements of visitors, so dress as you are comfortable. However, if you wish to know how you would best fit in, dress formally and without exposed arms, legs, or neckline. Men may wish to wear a suit and women a long skirt. But again, there are no requirements for visitors.

Q. Will there be any "unexpecteds" during your service?

A.

• You may be surprised at the kneeling prayers. Everyone rises at once and faces backwards to pray. They kneel before the seat of their pew.
• Men and women are seated separately. However, please sit where you are most comfortable. Visitors are very welcome to sit together as men and women.
• There are no instruments, choirs or worship teams. Instead, the singing is done by everyone in the congregation together. Singing is a capella. If you don't sing well, don't feel badly. Church members grew up singing and so it comes easily for most.
• The King James Version is the translation used in formal worship. You may wish to ask for one or to bring one with you, as Bibles are not provided in the pews.
• Sunday School is a time when adults and children alike gather together in classes to study the Bible more informally. Adult men and women are separate. There is a leader who leads the discussion, but anyone is welcome to contribute. We use Bible study guides published by a conservative Mennonite publishing house.
• The worship service is very formal. People generally do not talk before or during the service, but sit quietly and respectfully.
• After the service is the time to talk! Stay for conversation and fellowship. You may receive an invitation to go to someone's house for lunch. Please feel free to accept this invitation. Sunday lunch invitations are the norm, and your hosts will be delighted if you come.
• After the service, church members exchange a handshake and a "Holy Kiss". (The kiss is practiced because of the New Testament command in several of the Apostle Paul's epistles to "greet one another with a holy kiss".) The kiss is only exchanged between church members or like-minded Mennonite groups. Do not feel rejected or ostracized if you are not kissed; this is certainly not the intention.

Q. What will people think of me when I visit?

A. Non-Mennonite visitors are not unusual for our church, so don’t feel like you are the first. People will likely be curious and ask you questions, so feel free to ask questions in return. This is how we learn from each other.

Sometimes people are afraid they will be rejected, looked down upon, or not welcomed by us Mennonites. This is certainly not the case. We hope you will find us courteous, friendly, respectful, open and welcoming.

Q. Are you Amish?

A. Most people who ask that question are asking if we adhere to the lifestyle of the Old Order Amish made popular by Hollywood (horses and buggies, no electricity or telephones, rumspringa, barn raisings, etc.). No, we are not Amish in the sense. However, we share the same core beliefs and a common history with the Old Order Amish, so there are similarities.

Q. Who are the Mennonites?

A. Mennonites are named after an influential 16 th century leader called Menno Simons. Mennonites are one of the main groups of Anabaptists.

“Anabaptists” was a name given to a group of Reformation-era (1500s) Christians who disagreed with the Protestants. Anabaptists believed that only adults should be baptized and that the church must remain separated from the state. Their enemies called them Anabaptists, “re-baptizers”. Anabaptism began in Switzerland and the Netherlands, but persecution brought many to North America. Today they include Hutterites, Amish, Mennonites and Brethren in Christ.

Q. What are "conservative Mennonites"?

A. Many Mennonite churches today have assimilated completely into the surrounding culture, and thus bear the name “Mennonite” because of a cultural or historical heritage, and not because they live by the tenets of historic Anabaptism. Conservative Mennonites in Ontario broke away from the general Mennonite conference in the 1960s because of a desire to remain “plain” or different from society. We believe the Bible teaches us to be separate from the world, and strive to live this out in such practical areas as clothing, fashions, vehicles, music, recreation, etc.

Q. What are your distinctive beliefs?

A.

• Adult believer's baptism
• Separation from the world
• Non-resistance, non-violence
• The brotherhood and community of the church
• The Bible as the final authority for faith and practice
• No oath-taking
• Church discipline
• An embracing of the historic Anabaptist understanding of Christianity that emphasizes faith, repentance, discipleship, brotherhood, and obedience to the Bible.

For more information please follow these links:
http://www.anabaptists.org/history/who-are-the-mennonites.html
http://www.anabaptists.org/
http://www.beachyam.org/doctrine.htm
https://www.clp.org/

Q. Why do women wear a veil?

A. The New Testament specifically teaches that Christian women should be veiled. See 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. The cap-style veil is traditional and is the specific application we have chosen to use. Click the following link for more information.
http://www.anabaptists.org/bh/the-christian-womans-veiling.html