Mennonite Women: A Story of God's Faithfulness 1683-1983

Mennonite women are making their own spiritual contribution to their church's tricentennial in the form of this volume sponsored by the Women's Missionary and Service Commission (WMSC) of the Mennonite Church. The author has drawn from documentation supplied by WMSC groups across Canada and the United States, as well as from dozens of women and men who have responded with stories and episodes about Mennonite women, covering three centuries of life, culture, and faith. Her art of storytelling captures the readers' interest from the beginning and provides the grist for a deeper level of critique and interpretation of the movement of Mennonite women through the centuries - especially through the decades of the twentieth century.... One of the strengths of this book is the assumption that the qualities of Christian discipleship apply equally to men and women who are responding to God's leading as active participants in the kingdom. --Leonard Gross, Executive Secretary, Historical Committee of the Mennonite Church Although Mennonite women, almost without exception, have been excluded from ordination, their ministry has been essential to the growth of the home, the church, and the communities in which they have lived and worked.... Mennonite Women is a volume about women for an audience of both women and men.... The author helps us understand ourselves. She increases our awareness of the gifts women have been using for a long time. --Barbara K. Reber, Executive Secretary, Women's Missionary and Service Commission of the Mennonite Church