By Kathy Goering, publicity chairperson of the 150th celebration, “Schweitzers and Friends”
MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. — There will be a rare opportunity to see a film about Ulrich Zwingli, a priest in the Reformed Grossmunster Church that opened scripture to the common man. The movie opened in Switzerland and topped the box office there in 2019. It has been released in cinemas around the world and Swiss Mennonite Cultural and Historical Association has permission to show it.
Now translated into English and brought to the U.S., the film is seen through the eyes of Zwingli’s wife, Anna. Zwingli is shown demanding that what is in the Bible should be taken seriously. Zwingli was an urban reformer who worked hard for the poor, the sick, the refugees who also was tied closely with the traditions of the Reformed church. This 90-minute movie with English sub-titles doesn’t flinch from the harsher circumstances including the split between Zwingli and the Anabaptists. We are also confronted with the continuation of obligatory church membership and compulsory belief and how the state dealt with Anabaptists, people like Felix Mantz and Konrad Grebel. They took on Zwingli’s statement: “To be a Christian does not mean chattering about Christ, but rather to lead a life as Christ lived.” Anna is caught between the doctrines of Catholic Church and what she reads in Scripture.
“The Reformer” movie will be shown at the First Mennonite Church of Christian in Moundridge, KS, at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. There is no charge, and all are welcome. No reservations are necessary.
As Swiss Volhynian Mennonites and many other Mennonite groups celebrate the 150th anniversary of the coming in 1874 of their ancestors to the U.S., many events are planned leading up to the August 23-25, 2024, celebration to give attention to our forebears and the values they brought here.
Come see this movie and think about a piece of early Anabaptist history.