SCHWARENAU - This is
a sacred name in Brethren history. All the different bodies of Brethren go back to Schwarzenau. The backward look is valuable for us because it helps us to see the great principles that bind us together. The name thrills us because of the spirit of the eight pious souls who met on the banks of the Eder. Schwarzenau is the official birthplace of Brethren history. The name has become a symbol for
the first great principles upon which our church is founded:
the New Testament as our rule of faith and practice, the ordinances as means of grace, no exercise of force in religion, religious freedom even at the cost of suffering, the simple spiritual life, peace according to the spirit and teachings of Jesus.I hope that someday an artist will paint the picture of Schwarzenau with Mack and his companions at the Eder
Source: Rufus D. Bowman in the opening words of the magazine, Schwarzenau,
Volume I, July 1939
(Note: An artist, Medford D. Nehrer, has painted the scene at the Eder, depicting also the founding of the church and the departure from Europe to America. This is the first panel in a series of murals at Camp Alexander Mack, Milford, IN.)
