Charity Ministries, also called Charity Christian Fellowship, is an

Conservative Anabaptist Conservative Anabaptism includes theologically conservative Anabaptist denominations, both in doctrine and practice. Conservative Anabaptists, along with Old Order Anabaptists and mainline Anabaptists, are a subset of the Anabaptist branch of Chri ...

network of churches that was formed in 1982 in Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Donald B. Kraybill, C. Nelson Hostetter: ''Anabaptist World USA'', Scottdale PA, 2001, page 159. As with other conservative Anabaptist Christian churches, the Charity Christian Fellowship seeks to emulate early Christianity and practices plain dress, believer's baptism, "feet washing, the devotional head covering, the holy kiss, non-swearing of oaths and practicing Biblical Nonresistance (As described in Matthew 5:45)." Many members of the Charity Christian Fellowship have roots in other Anabaptist denominations that practice plain dress, though their emphasis on evangelism has led to individuals from non-Anabaptist Christian backgrounds becoming a part of the Charity Christian Fellowship as well.

History

In 1982, individuals with roots in different

Plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

Anabaptist groups met in New Holland in order to form a church that would recapture the zeal of early Christianity and the tenets of the Anabaptist movement of the 16th century. Mose Stoltzfus, an ex-Amish (1946–2020), and Denny Kenaston, an ex-Baptist (1949–2012), were the main leaders of the new church. In the early years it was more of a spiritual movement than a church.''Charity Ministries'' at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
/ref> In the late 1980s, a tape ministry was started as well as an organization for foreign missions. A publication called ''The Heartbeat of the Remnant'', short ''The Remnant'', was started in 1994. In 2011 its publication was transferred to its affiliated Ephrata Ministries and in summer 2013 its publication was stopped. In 2016 The Berean Voice, a ministry of Faith Christian Fellowship, resumed the publication. In the latter part of the 2010s, a number of conservative Charity congregations grouped together as the Agape Christian Fellowship.

Belief and practice

The Charity churches profess to be Anabaptist in doctrine. The churches of the network resemble

Conservative Mennonites Conservative Mennonites include numerous Conservative Anabaptist groups that identify with the theologically conservative element among Mennonite Anabaptist Christian fellowships, but who are not Old Order groups or mainline denominations. Co ...

in many ways. Members wear plain dress, with women observing plain dress through the wearing of the

cape dress A cape dress describes a woman's dress which combines features of the cape and the dress. Either a cape-like garment is attached to the dress, pinned or sewn on, and integrated into its construction, or the dress and cape are made to co-ordinate in ...

with a

head covering Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, ...

in the form of a hanging veil. Believer's baptism by immersion, Foot washing and the

Holy Kiss The kiss of peace is an ancient traditional Christian greeting, sometimes also called the "holy kiss", "brother kiss" (among men), or "sister kiss" (among women). Such greetings signify a wish and blessing that peace be with the recipient, and be ...

are practiced. Non-swearing of oaths and opposition to military service is also mandatory. Stephen Scott: ''Old Order and Conservative Mennonites Groups'', Intercourse, PA 1996, page 197. They also place a strong emphasis on evangelism towards other Anabaptist and non-Anabaptist groups.Donald B. Kraybill: ''Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites By Donald B. Kraybill'', Baltimore, 2010, page 218.

Members and congregations

In 1993 there were nine churches in eight states of the US and around 500 baptized members. Around the year 2000 there were 24 congregations in the network in fifteen states of the US, mainly in Pennsylvania and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. There were 1,467 members and an estimated total population including children and young adults not yet baptized of 2,787 people. In 2012 there were 41 congregations with 2,232 members associated with Charity Ministries.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Conservative Anabaptists Evangelical denominations in North America