John Harold Sherk (20 December 190328 February 1974) was a Canadian

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

minister, educator, and advocate of Christian pacifism.

Early life and background

Sherk was born in

Berlin, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

(later renamed to Kitchener in 1916). His father, John Hubert Sherk, was a local farmer and deacon near Centreville, which at the time was in Waterloo Township and had not been annexed by the city of Kitchener. Harold's grandfather, Moses Sherk, was a Mennonite minister. His great-grandfather, Abraham Sherk (18171898), was the first in his line to be born in Waterloo Township; he grew up near

Blair Blair is an English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin. The surname is derived from any of the numerous places in Scotland called ''Blair'', derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''blàr'', meaning "plain", "meadow" or "field", frequently a “ba ...

, of which his own grandfather, Joseph Schörg (17691855), had been one of the first settlers, and also one of the first settlers of Waterloo Township in general. He was part of the first wave of

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...

settlers who purchased plots in the German Company Tract. The family had previously lived in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

before emigrating to

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...

in 1727.

Peace activism

As the first secretary of the Conference of

Historic Peace Churches Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism or Biblical nonresistance. The term historic peace churches refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches: * Church of the Brethr ...

(formed in 1940 in Ontario), Sherk negotiated frequently with the

Canadian federal government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...

. In India from 1944 to 1946, under the auspices of the Mennonite Central Committee he implemented what grew to be, by the 1980s, a million-dollar relief program. Soon afterwards in

Akron, Pennsylvania Akron is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 4,169, History Akron was incorporated as a borough in 1895. Before this point, a small village called New Berlin sat at the center of the boro ...

he became the first full-time employee of the Peace Section of Mennonite Central Committee, and "his efforts to protect the rights of conscientious objectors was evident in the 1951 U.S. military draft law" known as the Universal Military Training and Service Act. From the late 1950s to 1969, in Washington, D.C. Sherk was the executive secretary of the

National Service Board for Religious Objectors The Center on Conscience & War (CCW) is a United States non-profit anti-war organization located in Washington, D.C., dedicated to defending and extending the rights of conscientious objectors. The group participates in the G.I. Rights Hotline, an ...

, representing the peace interests of the Mennonites to the American federal government. His legacy may be summarized as, "From World War II through the Korean and Vietnam wars, J. Harold Sherk was a leader in promoting Christian pacifism."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherk, Harold 1903 births 1974 deaths Canadian Christian pacifists Canadian anti-war activists Activists from Ontario People from Kitchener, Ontario Canadian Mennonites Canadian people of Swiss-German descent