Christliches Gemüths-Gespräch — What Christians Think and Say about Spiritual and Saving Faith, by Gerrit Roosen (1612-1711), Altona, Sachsen, Germany.
“The greater the island of knowledge,” someone said, “the longer the shoreline of wonder.”
While many of their neighbours focused entirely on planting, harvesting, setting up businesses or building lovely homes, a few Rainham Settlers spent all their spare time reading, studying, writing or sharing what they had learned with the next generation. Thanks to them, we have amongst us a beautiful collection of long treasured books and articles, original writings, letters and tracts.
Most of what appears in this library, comes from Anabaptist sources. Simply because of who we are and how we have found our way to God. But in the Non-Anabaptist Section, below, you will also find numerous writings much treasured and used among our families over the centuries.
Browse and enjoy! And may your island keep growing for the glory of God!
Articles and Books
Welcome! At this place you should find a large amount of published and non-published articles and books of many sources. Click here to continue.
“Prove all things and hold fast to what is good.”
Rainham Section
This part of the library includes original writings of Rainham Settlers and their descendants. More and more writers shall be featured, as the project continues, for the glory of God, and if you have anything to contribute, historic or contemporary, please let us know. In context, all contributes will be welcomed. Read more.
Markham Section
Our families in the Rainham Settlement kept a close relationship with fellow-Anabaptist believers living in Markham, Vaughn and Pickering Townships north of Toronto, Ontario. Amongst these families other writers also contributed much. Read more.
Grand River Section
The largest Anabaptist settlement in Ontario — Mennonite, Amish, Tunker (River Brethren), Nazarene and Hutterite — took root in the fertile Grand River Valley, thanks to a remarkable vision and the grace of God in their early struggle for survival. Read more.
Niagara Section
The first Anabaptists to settle, permanently, in Canada were the Mennonites and Tunkers in what became Welland and Lincoln counties, now the Niagara Region. Read more.
American Section
Most of our early Anabaptist families in Upper Canada (now Ontario) came from Pennsylvania. To learn more about this colourful story, read on.
Swiss-German Section
The first families in the Rainham Settlement brought with them important books and writings from the first Anabaptists of Switzerland and Germany. Much treasured and used, some of them are still in constant use among their descendants. Read more.
Dutch-Prussian Section
Already in Europe our Swiss-South German Anabaptist learned to much appreciate what believers of the Netherlands wrote in the 1500s and beyond. Menno Simons, Dirk Philips, Pieter Janz Twisk — what would our lives, in the early years, been without them? Read on.
Non-Anabaptist Christian Section
Even though we kept on reading our own writings, while producing more, we also soon learned that the Truth of God is not limited to cultural, creedal or linguistic boundaries. The Truth shines through, no matter who speaks it. Read more.
Early Christian Section
Promptly after the foundation of the Christian Church, on the day of Pentecost, AD 30, Christian pilgrims spread out through the known world, quickly reaching Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain and more. While they travelled much and taught new believers wherever they went, they also wrote much. Thanks to their work we know what Jesus and his twelve disciples actually believed and what they did. This has transformed our lives, and, at the end of the 1700s, these teachings sparked the beginnings of our Rainham settlement. Read more.
