Mennonites in Belize

      I first met Mr. John Harder around 10 years ago during a fanatical streak. My spouse and I,  another young couple from Spanish Lookout, some very conservative non-Mennonite families from Germany and the US, and a mixed group of Mennonites from various conservative groups who had left their home churches, were enthusiastically starting a new church in Agua Viva, a rather primitive community (at that time) in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in central Belize. Some of us had read books by David Bercot, others were seized by an urgent desire to return to primitive apostolic fellowship, but most appeared to be seeking some middle ground between Mennonite and non-Mennonite.   I was introduced to Mr. John Harder, a mild-mannered person who had been expelled from the Old Order church for "using technology". He was part of this new little church and shared with us his experiences in the rigid, disciplined community he used to live in. I was keenly interested in...

A Good Friday church service with communion at EMMC, Blue Creek . The EMMC in Spanish Lookout also had communion on that day. Old Colony     If you had been driving through the Old Colony Mennonite communities of Shipyard and Little Belize on Good Friday in northern Belize you would have thought it was Sunday. Most Old Colony Mennonites observe Good Friday rather rigidly, with some parents even going so far as to tell their children not to fuss, fight or complain on that day because to do so was like crucifying Christ all over again. After a church service, families retire to their respective homes where later in the afternoon some gather for group singing. An Old Colony Mennonite family.   Holy Saturday remains a holiday but is treated with less respect than Good Friday. On Easter Sunday after the usual routine of church service, children in different homes eagerly anticipate the Easter candy hunt. While young children remain inside, a parent or older sibling w...

       Do you enjoy listening to acapella singing by Mennonites? If so, here are some videos for you to watch. See the  video above , which took place recently in Orange Walk, northern Belize. I received an invitation and had plans to attend but regrettably was unable to go due to last minute matters. The Mennonites featured in the video are from various conservative Amish Mennonite churches in the region.     Below is another  video featuring young men and women from a Kleine Gemeinde church in Spanish Lookout:        And here is a  third video from a Conservative Mennonite church in the Cayo District:    While I have a weakness for vintage reggae music with gospel lyrics, I enjoy listening to 4-part acapella singing especially since I grew up in a conservative Mennonite church and used to be a song leader, a position which I enjoyed back then.        Note:  I had planned on releasing ...

       No more masks, no more social distancing, no more 50% capacity of this and that. Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it? You bet, but after all it's April's Fools, so is it really happening? According to the government this is not a joke though. From today onward, all restrictions not related to border crossing (except vaccine mandates) are lifted. Finally, back to normalcy... or is it forward to freedom? Note: Some businesses and government offices still require use of mask in their buildings.                                                                                                        A. Mendoza