Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Mennonite Heritage Center

A window into the life of some Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonites

by Emily Ralph Servant

“A first-born and only son, I opened my eyes in a sprawling 122-year-old farmhouse along a pleasant creek in southeastern Pennsylvania,” writes Mennonite historian, John Landis Ruth, in his forthcoming book, Branch: A Memoir with Pictures. As eighty-three year old Ruth tells his story through photos and essays, readers get a rich glimpse of his life but also the Mennonite family and community in which he was raised.

Lois Gunden Clemens named Righteous Among the Nations

by Emily Ralph Servant

July 18, 2013: Press Release from Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem recently recognized Lois Gunden, an American Mennonite who helped save Jewish children while in France during the Holocaust, as Righteous Among the Nations.
Gunden will be posthumously honored in a ceremony that will take place in the United States, in which her niece, Mary Jean Gunden will accept the medal and certificate of honor on her behalf.

Whack & Roll Tournament raises funds for non-profits

by Emily Ralph Servant

Dan Lapp, Director of Development for the Mennonite Heritage Center, had a brainstorm several years ago about using a favorite backyard game as a fundraising event. This led to Whack & Roll Croquet Tournaments on the lawn of the Heritage Center each summer for the last four years.
Croquet has been a favorite summer pastime in southeastern Pennsylvania for many years. Accounts of croquet history vary, but it is thought the game began in Ireland and was introduced to England in the mid-nineteenth-century. The game traveled to America, and by 1882 an official National American Croquet Association was formed. Croquet was even played in the 1904 Olympics. For most, however, croquet was played in back yards on Sunday afternoons and it is still a favorite activity at summer get-togethers and family reunions.