Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa
Encyclopedia
Javanese Mennonite Church (Indonesian: Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa, GITJ) is one of three Mennonite
-related church synods in Indonesia
.
area along the coast of north Central Java in Indonesia, although there are congregations in a few other cities like Semarang, Salatiga and Yoyakarta and the provinces of Lampung and South Sumatra. The Muria area juts into the Java Sea
east of Semarang
, the capital of Central Java
, and is dominated by Mount Muria, an ancient, now extinct volcano. GITJ is a member of PGI (Persekutuan Gereja-gereeja di Indonesia, the Fellowship of Christian Churches of Indonesia. It is also member of the Mennonite World Conference
(MWC) and Asian Mennonite Conference (AMC).
, to Java in 1851. The first Mennonite mission congregation in the Dutch East Indies
(today Indonesia) was formed in the coastal town of Jepara
at the western foot of Mount Muria when the first believers there were baptized in 1854 by Pieter Jansz. Pasrah Karso became an important early Javanese leader of this church first in Pulojati and then leading a group in the formation of the Kedungpenjalin Congregation.
The second stream is represented by a Reformed congregation begun in Kayuapu at the southern foot of Mount Muria
under the leadership missionary Hoezoo of Dutch Missionary Fellowship (NZG--Nederlandsche Zendelingensgezellschaft). Pasrah Noeriman became an important Javanese leader in the Kayuapu Congregation. Forty-five years later this congregation was turned over to the care of the Dutch Mennonite Mission.
The third stream is a large, powerful indigenous Javanese
Christian movement under the leadership of Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung
. Tunggul Wulung was a scion of the royal family of Solo
in Central Java who became a hermit mystic on Mount Kelut in East Java
. From there, through an interesting series of events he became a Christian believer who identified himself as a Kristen Jowo (Javanese Christian) who sought to retain Javanese language, culture and folkways, in contrast to the so-called Kristen Londo (Dutch Christian), converts to Christianity who tended to adopt European ways. This indigenous movement grew far more rapidly than the Christian groups begun by European missionaries.
Eventually, by the turn of the twentiety century, all three of these streams were united into one family of congregations under the leadership and care of the Dutch Mennonite Mission with missionaries from Netherlands, Russia, and later Germany and Switzerland. Soon after the outbreak of World War II
the German forces invaded and occupied Netherlands. The response of the government of the Netherlands East Indies was to arrest German nationals there, including the two German Mennonite missionaries with the Dutch Mennonite Mission in Java. The remaining Dutch and Swiss missionaries determined that it was time to organize the churches that had developed by that time into an independent synod with the Javanese language name Patoenggilanipoen Para Pasamoean Kristen Tata Injil ing Wengkon Pati, Koedoes lan Jepara (literally, Union of Gospel Pattern Christian Congregations in the regions of Pati, Kudus and Jepara), which was done on May 30, 1940. The thirteen or so congregations that were members of this new synod at that time consisted of more than 4000 baptized members. The mission also had two hospitals, a leprosarium and many schools. The Japanese occupation
(1942-45) brought with it terrible suffering for the people of this Javanese Mennonite Synod. The late forties, the period of the Indonesian struggle for freedom from Dutch colonial rule, brought more suffering and hardship.
they were able to resurrect one of the mission hospitals and reopen many schools and start others, including one, and later a second, theological school in Pati
. The church grew very rapidly, though in a predominately Islamic context. In the nineties the synod suffered from a schism, which after several years was healed. Now the GITJ Synod consists of 100 mature congregations, many congregations in formation and some 40,000 baptized members.
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
-related church synods in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Location
Its member congregations are concentrated in the Mount MuriaMount Muria
Mount Muria or Gunung Muria is a dormant volcano on the north coast of Java, Indonesia.The area is notable for a number of reasons. It is the site of the grave of one of the Wali Sanga of Java - Sunan Muria - one of the Islamic Saints associated with the origins of Islam in Java...
area along the coast of north Central Java in Indonesia, although there are congregations in a few other cities like Semarang, Salatiga and Yoyakarta and the provinces of Lampung and South Sumatra. The Muria area juts into the Java Sea
Java Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
east of Semarang
Semarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...
, the capital of Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
, and is dominated by Mount Muria, an ancient, now extinct volcano. GITJ is a member of PGI (Persekutuan Gereja-gereeja di Indonesia, the Fellowship of Christian Churches of Indonesia. It is also member of the Mennonite World Conference
Mennonite World Conference
The Mennonite World Conference is a global community of Christian churches that facilitates community between Anabaptist-related churches and relates to other Christian world communions and organizations....
(MWC) and Asian Mennonite Conference (AMC).
Origins
Three streams of church life flow together in the life of GITJ. The first of these is the influence of the Dutch Mennonite Mission (Doopsgezinde Zendingsvereeniging) formed in Holland in 1847, which sent its first missionaries, Pieter and Wilhemina JanszPieter Jansz
Pieter Jansz was the first Dutch Mennonite missionary in Indonesia. He arrived in Central Java in 1851 and began his missionary work. He encountered constraining influences from Islam throughout the area, recognizing the lack of religious freedom to become a Christian...
, to Java in 1851. The first Mennonite mission congregation in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
(today Indonesia) was formed in the coastal town of Jepara
Jepara
Jepara is a small town in the province of Central Java, Indonesia.Jepara is on the north coast of Java, north-east of Semarang, not far from Mount Muria. It is also the main town of the district of Jepara, which has a population of about 1 million. Jepara is famous as the center of Javanese teak...
at the western foot of Mount Muria when the first believers there were baptized in 1854 by Pieter Jansz. Pasrah Karso became an important early Javanese leader of this church first in Pulojati and then leading a group in the formation of the Kedungpenjalin Congregation.
The second stream is represented by a Reformed congregation begun in Kayuapu at the southern foot of Mount Muria
Mount Muria
Mount Muria or Gunung Muria is a dormant volcano on the north coast of Java, Indonesia.The area is notable for a number of reasons. It is the site of the grave of one of the Wali Sanga of Java - Sunan Muria - one of the Islamic Saints associated with the origins of Islam in Java...
under the leadership missionary Hoezoo of Dutch Missionary Fellowship (NZG--Nederlandsche Zendelingensgezellschaft). Pasrah Noeriman became an important Javanese leader in the Kayuapu Congregation. Forty-five years later this congregation was turned over to the care of the Dutch Mennonite Mission.
The third stream is a large, powerful indigenous Javanese
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
Christian movement under the leadership of Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung
Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung
Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung was an indigenous evangelist working in East Java, Central Java, West Java and Banten, Indonesia. He begun to evangelize the Javanese people in the early 19th century. In that time, Christianity in Java generally was being develop by lay evangelist like F. L. Anthing, C. V...
. Tunggul Wulung was a scion of the royal family of Solo
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
in Central Java who became a hermit mystic on Mount Kelut in East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
. From there, through an interesting series of events he became a Christian believer who identified himself as a Kristen Jowo (Javanese Christian) who sought to retain Javanese language, culture and folkways, in contrast to the so-called Kristen Londo (Dutch Christian), converts to Christianity who tended to adopt European ways. This indigenous movement grew far more rapidly than the Christian groups begun by European missionaries.
Eventually, by the turn of the twentiety century, all three of these streams were united into one family of congregations under the leadership and care of the Dutch Mennonite Mission with missionaries from Netherlands, Russia, and later Germany and Switzerland. Soon after the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the German forces invaded and occupied Netherlands. The response of the government of the Netherlands East Indies was to arrest German nationals there, including the two German Mennonite missionaries with the Dutch Mennonite Mission in Java. The remaining Dutch and Swiss missionaries determined that it was time to organize the churches that had developed by that time into an independent synod with the Javanese language name Patoenggilanipoen Para Pasamoean Kristen Tata Injil ing Wengkon Pati, Koedoes lan Jepara (literally, Union of Gospel Pattern Christian Congregations in the regions of Pati, Kudus and Jepara), which was done on May 30, 1940. The thirteen or so congregations that were members of this new synod at that time consisted of more than 4000 baptized members. The mission also had two hospitals, a leprosarium and many schools. The Japanese occupation
Japanese Occupation of Indonesia
The Japanese Empire occupied Indonesia, known then as the Dutch East Indies, during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of War in 1945...
(1942-45) brought with it terrible suffering for the people of this Javanese Mennonite Synod. The late forties, the period of the Indonesian struggle for freedom from Dutch colonial rule, brought more suffering and hardship.
Recent activity
Free Indonesia provided opportunity for the churches to develop and grow, though not without struggle. Eventually, with renewed help from Europeans and now also North Americans sent by Mennonite Central CommitteeMennonite Central Committee
The Mennonite Central Committee is a relief, service, and peace agency representing 15 Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...
they were able to resurrect one of the mission hospitals and reopen many schools and start others, including one, and later a second, theological school in Pati
Pati
Pati may refer to:* Pati , an honorific* Pati Regency, Indonesia* Pati River, in Brazil* Patricia, a given name...
. The church grew very rapidly, though in a predominately Islamic context. In the nineties the synod suffered from a schism, which after several years was healed. Now the GITJ Synod consists of 100 mature congregations, many congregations in formation and some 40,000 baptized members.