Building on the Gospel Foundation

Edsel Burdge Jr. and Samuel L. Horst tell the stories of three centuries of faith and life among the Washington County (Md.), and Franklin County (Pa.) Mennonites. From small beginnings in colonial American settlements, issues such as personal spiritual commitment, corporate accountability, nonconformity, and peace have been constants. As questions of language, fashion, work, education, and mission produced internal stresses, they struggle to maintain group unity. This history describes in detail the particulars of that struggle as well as recounting stories illustrative of community life in general.