Mennonites in Belize
Introduction: Mennonites in Belize
While Belize is small in geographical size and in population, it hosts quite a wide variety of religions, among them the Mennonites. Although the percentage of Mennonite population is low, the impact they've had on the country certainly isn't. From Corozal District in the north to Toledo District in the south, Mennonites are scattered throughout the country. Now, let me be clear. Contrary to what people think, the Mennonites of Belize are not just those from Spanish Lookout, neither is it only those from Shipyard. If you Google "Mennonites in Belize", you'll find scores of articles about the Mennonites of Shipyard and the Mennonites of Spanish Lookout and a few articles here and there about the Mennonites of Barton Creek. But the fact is, there are at least 7 main branches of Mennonite faith in Belize, along with those smaller branches here and there that have broken off from their traditional mother church.
The first 3 groups are Plautdietsch(Low German) Mennonites.
Old Colony Mennonites (AltKolonie)
Commonly known as "Shipyard Mennonites", this is the largest group of conservative and traditional "Russian" Mennonites who live in Orange Walk and Corozal districts. Blue Creek used to be an Old Colony community but not anymore. Currently their biggest settlement is Shipyard, with other villages such as Little Belize, Neuland, Indian Church. Crop farming and livestock raising used to be their only source of income but now some of them own big hardware stores, repair shops and distribution centers. They have flexed and bent their traditions to the point where some men use cellphones, own transport trucks(but cannot personally drive it) and use solar and wind-generated electricity.
Kleine Gemeinde
Old Order Mennonites
Often mistaken for Amish due to the men's bushy beards and the women's black bonnets, this group is the third largest group of conservative Mennonites and is made up of ex-KG from Spanish Lookout, ex-Old Colony from Shipyard as well as from the Old Order Mennonites of North America with a sprinkling of Old Order Amish also from the US, hence there are a few who speak Pennsylvania Dutch. Not only conservative in dress, but down to their very lifestyle, such as plowing with oxen, using horse-powered machinery, and living without any form of electricity both in their farms and shops. They are also farmers, but never on a large scale. Most of their crops and livestock is for home consumption only. Of course, some of them do sell agricultural products at local marketplaces near their home villages, which are Lower Barton Creek, Upper Barton Creek (which is nearly empty now), Springfield, and newer communities such as BirdWalk and Roseville. These Mennonites live in the southern half of the country, where the terrain is rugged and hilly as compared to Spanish Lookout and Shipyard. They are best known for their watermelons.
Beachy Mennonites
Also known as Beachy Amish, the women can be easily recognized due to their long, single-piece dress, called a cape dress usually in solid color, and their white kerchief type of headcovering. They do not live in colonies nor are they known as big farmers. Originally they came here as spiritual missionaries, with the goal of converting natives and sharing the Gospel; consequently you will see black people, Mayas, coolies and Mestizos as members of these churches. Both the white-skinned settlers and the natives live side by side and have intermarried and started different congregations throughout the country. Some congregations are more conservative than others. Back in the early years of their mission they were joined by members of the Old Order Mennonites from Pilgrimage Valley.
Conservative Mennonites
Actually, perhaps it's not so easy to recognize the Beachy after all. You see, Conservative and Beachy Mennonites dress very much alike, except the Conservative Mennonites are a little more liberal with clothing and lifestyles. Again, these group began as a mission in Belize, which is why there are people of different cultures and colors in their congregation. The women can be seen with a little more variety in their dresses, such as low tone checkered or flowered cloth but still with the same white head covering as the Beachy. If you visit Farmer's Trading Center or Western Dairies you will see some of these Conservative Mennonite girls of Maya blood working there. Some of the white-skinned members who moved here from the US own successful businesses, such as Toledo Farm Supply in Punta Gorda and Granite Enterprises in Orange Walk. Conservative is a title given to this group because they resemble the Beachy churches but are not directly associated with them, yet they are not part of any of the "Russian" Mennonite churches either. Rather, they are a small part of the scattered and varied group of Amish Mennonite churches in the US and are not governed by a central system. As a result they will sometimes meet with the Beachy for conferences or other spiritual gatherings. So whenever I use the word Conservative with a capital C, I am referring to these Mennonites.
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Holdeman Mennonites)
This is the smallest group of conservative Mennonites, in fact the only group with the least amount of white-skinned people. You can identify the ladies because they dress in brightly colored dresses and black kerchief coverings very similar to the Kleine Gemeinde women of Spanish Lookout except they will be either Mestizo or Maya. There are no black people yet in their congregations because their church is so small it has less than a hundred members throughout the whole country. It is also the only Mennonite church which is united worldwide by a written book of doctrines that must be practiced by its members, with a "central government" in Kansas, US. In North America, especially in Kansas, US and Manitoba, Canada, there are large communities of them but in Belize it has grown much slower than other Mennonite missions.
EMMC (Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference)
In Canada, a traditional and conservative Sommerfelde Mennonite (also a Russian Mennonite) church became transformed into a totally different organization, renamed the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, not quite the same as the Evangelical Mennonite Conference and different than the Evangelical Mennonite Church, although by now members of these other 2 groups have intermarried and mingled. Anyways, they established missions in Spanish Lookout, Blue Creek and Orange Walk. Now those from the Kleine Gemeinde who converted to the EMMC live side by side with the original KG's in the same colony, share homes and businesses, and are still members of the governing system. Those from the Old Colonist who joined the EMMC also remained in their community. It's not always easy to identify them since they dress much like other Belizeans except that the majority have white skin and could pass for North Americans.
So yes, those are the 7 main groups of Mennonites.
Other Mennonites
By this label I refer to any church, whether liberal or conservative which was born out of a traditional group and has ties to a particular branch yet is not directly affiliated with it. For example the community at Agua Viva south of Belmopan is one such conservative church, while Fountain of Life (a "pentecostal" group) in Spanish Lookout is an example of a liberal church. Then there is a semi-conservative church just outside of Spanish Lookout made up of Mestizo members.
While Belize is small in geographical size and in population, it hosts quite a wide variety of religions, among them the Mennonites. Although the percentage of Mennonite population is low, the impact they've had on the country certainly isn't. From Corozal District in the north to Toledo District in the south, Mennonites are scattered throughout the country. Now, let me be clear. Contrary to what people think, the Mennonites of Belize are not just those from Spanish Lookout, neither is it only those from Shipyard. If you Google "Mennonites in Belize", you'll find scores of articles about the Mennonites of Shipyard and the Mennonites of Spanish Lookout and a few articles here and there about the Mennonites of Barton Creek. But the fact is, there are at least 7 main branches of Mennonite faith in Belize, along with those smaller branches here and there that have broken off from their traditional mother church.
The first 3 groups are Plautdietsch(Low German) Mennonites.
Old Colony Mennonites (AltKolonie)
Commonly known as "Shipyard Mennonites", this is the largest group of conservative and traditional "Russian" Mennonites who live in Orange Walk and Corozal districts. Blue Creek used to be an Old Colony community but not anymore. Currently their biggest settlement is Shipyard, with other villages such as Little Belize, Neuland, Indian Church. Crop farming and livestock raising used to be their only source of income but now some of them own big hardware stores, repair shops and distribution centers. They have flexed and bent their traditions to the point where some men use cellphones, own transport trucks(but cannot personally drive it) and use solar and wind-generated electricity.
The second biggest group of Mennonites in the country and by far the most influential. Their 2 communities are Blue Creek in Orange Walk and Spanish Lookout in the central west Cayo District. They still practice a conservative dress code, but being frugal and remaining traditional is not what can be said of them anymore. Known as the most modern of "Russian" Mennonites, many of them used to be large scale crop farmers but as time goes by they are turning to other ventures such as glass shops, home designing, computer and electronic sales and trucking jobs. Their farming still accounts for a big percentage of the country's agricultural products though. Actually, they together with the Old Colony Mennonites have made the country self-sufficient with many things, such as grains, metal products, and meats.
Old Order Mennonites
Often mistaken for Amish due to the men's bushy beards and the women's black bonnets, this group is the third largest group of conservative Mennonites and is made up of ex-KG from Spanish Lookout, ex-Old Colony from Shipyard as well as from the Old Order Mennonites of North America with a sprinkling of Old Order Amish also from the US, hence there are a few who speak Pennsylvania Dutch. Not only conservative in dress, but down to their very lifestyle, such as plowing with oxen, using horse-powered machinery, and living without any form of electricity both in their farms and shops. They are also farmers, but never on a large scale. Most of their crops and livestock is for home consumption only. Of course, some of them do sell agricultural products at local marketplaces near their home villages, which are Lower Barton Creek, Upper Barton Creek (which is nearly empty now), Springfield, and newer communities such as BirdWalk and Roseville. These Mennonites live in the southern half of the country, where the terrain is rugged and hilly as compared to Spanish Lookout and Shipyard. They are best known for their watermelons.
Beachy Mennonites
Also known as Beachy Amish, the women can be easily recognized due to their long, single-piece dress, called a cape dress usually in solid color, and their white kerchief type of headcovering. They do not live in colonies nor are they known as big farmers. Originally they came here as spiritual missionaries, with the goal of converting natives and sharing the Gospel; consequently you will see black people, Mayas, coolies and Mestizos as members of these churches. Both the white-skinned settlers and the natives live side by side and have intermarried and started different congregations throughout the country. Some congregations are more conservative than others. Back in the early years of their mission they were joined by members of the Old Order Mennonites from Pilgrimage Valley.
Conservative Mennonites
Actually, perhaps it's not so easy to recognize the Beachy after all. You see, Conservative and Beachy Mennonites dress very much alike, except the Conservative Mennonites are a little more liberal with clothing and lifestyles. Again, these group began as a mission in Belize, which is why there are people of different cultures and colors in their congregation. The women can be seen with a little more variety in their dresses, such as low tone checkered or flowered cloth but still with the same white head covering as the Beachy. If you visit Farmer's Trading Center or Western Dairies you will see some of these Conservative Mennonite girls of Maya blood working there. Some of the white-skinned members who moved here from the US own successful businesses, such as Toledo Farm Supply in Punta Gorda and Granite Enterprises in Orange Walk. Conservative is a title given to this group because they resemble the Beachy churches but are not directly associated with them, yet they are not part of any of the "Russian" Mennonite churches either. Rather, they are a small part of the scattered and varied group of Amish Mennonite churches in the US and are not governed by a central system. As a result they will sometimes meet with the Beachy for conferences or other spiritual gatherings. So whenever I use the word Conservative with a capital C, I am referring to these Mennonites.
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Holdeman Mennonites)
This is the smallest group of conservative Mennonites, in fact the only group with the least amount of white-skinned people. You can identify the ladies because they dress in brightly colored dresses and black kerchief coverings very similar to the Kleine Gemeinde women of Spanish Lookout except they will be either Mestizo or Maya. There are no black people yet in their congregations because their church is so small it has less than a hundred members throughout the whole country. It is also the only Mennonite church which is united worldwide by a written book of doctrines that must be practiced by its members, with a "central government" in Kansas, US. In North America, especially in Kansas, US and Manitoba, Canada, there are large communities of them but in Belize it has grown much slower than other Mennonite missions.
EMMC (Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference)
In Canada, a traditional and conservative Sommerfelde Mennonite (also a Russian Mennonite) church became transformed into a totally different organization, renamed the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, not quite the same as the Evangelical Mennonite Conference and different than the Evangelical Mennonite Church, although by now members of these other 2 groups have intermarried and mingled. Anyways, they established missions in Spanish Lookout, Blue Creek and Orange Walk. Now those from the Kleine Gemeinde who converted to the EMMC live side by side with the original KG's in the same colony, share homes and businesses, and are still members of the governing system. Those from the Old Colonist who joined the EMMC also remained in their community. It's not always easy to identify them since they dress much like other Belizeans except that the majority have white skin and could pass for North Americans.
So yes, those are the 7 main groups of Mennonites.
Other Mennonites
By this label I refer to any church, whether liberal or conservative which was born out of a traditional group and has ties to a particular branch yet is not directly affiliated with it. For example the community at Agua Viva south of Belmopan is one such conservative church, while Fountain of Life (a "pentecostal" group) in Spanish Lookout is an example of a liberal church. Then there is a semi-conservative church just outside of Spanish Lookout made up of Mestizo members.
