Welcome to the

BRETHREN & MENNONITE HERITAGE CENTER

The Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center (BMHC) shares and celebrates the historical and spiritual legacies of Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley. Coming from the same communities in Europe and Pennsylvania, Brethren and Mennonites have lived side by side in the Shenandoah Valley for more than two centuries, but they have truly been the “quiet in the land.” At the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center, the creative labor of these farmers and craftsmen and the unique forms of Christian piety and faith that have been largely invisible are brought into focus for tourists and pilgrims alike.

The Brethren and Mennonite faith traditions emphasize peace and non-violence, the priority of spiritual over material values, disaster relief and voluntary service, care for neighbors, stewardship of the land, and the role of the faith community in discernment and practice. At the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center, visitors and volunteers alike engage with these values and faith traditions through stories, artifacts, historic buildings, and experiential learning opportunities presented as an invitation to current and future generations to seriously reflect on the shared values and heritage of the Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley.

GUIDED TOURS

Guided tours of the 24-acre farmstead campus are available Wednesday-Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Knowledgeable and personable, our Brethren and Mennonite tour guides are eager to visit with guests and answer all sorts of questions, beginning with “What’s the difference between Brethren and Mennonites?”

FIELD TRIPS

During the spring and fall, the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center campus fills with elementary age school children and their teachers, parents, and chaperones to experience life on a 19th century farmstead with hands-on activities like washing clothes, carpentry, churning butter, and cranking homemade ice cream.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Throughout the year, the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center hosts and facilitates a rich program of special events including: lectures, summer evening vespers worship services, hymn sings, a Christmas event, and the annual Sing Me High Music Festival. Each event serves to strengthen the Brethren and Mennonite faith communities, as well as welcome all into conversation and reflection on the shared values and lived experiences of Brethren and Mennonites.