Pierre Widmer
Encyclopedia
Pierre Widmer was a French
Mennonite
pastor
, editor of the journal Christ Seul.
, France, in the department of Doubs
near Montbéliard
, Pierre Widmer was raised in a Mennonite family. Widmer attended the Mennonite church at Montbéliard as a young man and was baptised
there. He attended the École Normale in Besançon
, where he developed a love for poetry
.
In 1936, Widmer married Hélène Sommer, the daughter of Pierre Sommer, a man of great enthusiasm for the Mennonite church. He was the best known itinerant French Mennonite preacher, responsible for the first French Mennonite conferences, founder and editor of the journal
Christ Seul (Christ Alone).
In Widmer's youth, the Mennonites were a small community in France (about 4,000 people) living in isolated rural communities in Alsace
, Lorraine
and the Pays de Montbéliard. They were the descendants of the Swiss Anabaptist
communities which fled to France during the 16th century Reformation
.
n Mennonites, who emigrated in the 18th century, French Mennonites had largely abandoned the principle of non-resistance or pacifism. It was not unusual then that Widmer enrolled in the Ecole des Sous-Officiers, a military academy at Saint Maixent.
Afterwards, he became a primary school teacher near Montbéliard but remained in the Army reserves. When France declared war on Germany in September 1939, Widmer was called back to the Army. He was serving on the front along the Rhine when Germany invaded France in June 1940. His unit was beaten back to the Vosges mountains
. Widmer was taken prisoner by the Germans at Masevaux
in the Haut Rhin.
. In this role, he came to meet and appreciate the convictions of Lutheran, Reformed, Darbyist, Evangelical
and even Catholic prisoners. Widmer also became convinced of the futility of war, even a patriotic or "just war
". This change in his position about violence is clear in the poems that Widmer wrote during captivity, published in 1987 as Ombres et Lumières or "Shadows and Light". Upon his release from the prison camp at the end of the war, Widmer was awarded the Croix de Guerre
and a Citation à l'Armée pour Actes de Bravoure.
a few weeks later to turn down Widmer's proposal for a single French Mennonite association of churches. Fearing a loss of tradition, Hans Nussbaumer, elder of the Mennonite church at Altkirch, spoke out against Widmer's activities with youth. But the Synode did appoint Widmer to replace the aging Pierre Sommer as editor of Christ Seul, a position he would hold for 38 years. Widmer also won approval for his offer to become a full-time itinerant pastor in 1948.
to French Mennonites that was regarded by many as being particularly American. Widmer represented French Mennonites at the Mennonite World Conference in Goshen, Indiana
, in 1948. During his stay in the United States
, Widmer was impressed by the level of organization in the American churches, including youth activities and Sunday schools. He was also deeply influenced by the American Mennonite commitment to pacifism
. American Mennonites such as Harold Bender, Guy Hershberger and Orie Miller wrote and spoke out on the topic of non-resistance and peacemaking. Bender's 1942 article "The Anabaptist Vision" posits that the Mennonites should return to the faith of the 16th century Anabaptists, characterized by non-conformity to the world, complete love and service to one's neighbors, and a rejection of all forms of violence. John H. Yoder, a disciple of Bender from Goshen, came to France to work with the Mennonite Central Committee in the 1950s. He and Widmer collaborated on many projects, including a translation into French of The Anabaptist Vision, and the creation of a children's home at Valdoie, near Belfort
. Widmer was also instrumental in creating American-style Sunday school classes for children at many French Mennonite churches. He organized the first summer camp
s for children at Laxou near Nancy.
Widmer was the motor behind the creation of many French Mennonite associations. He was the co-founder and president of the Comité Missionaire Mennonite Française (French Mennonite Missions Committee) which supported missionaries abroad, co-founder and president of La Mission Mennonite Française (collaborated with the MCC to support evangelisation and relief efforts in post-war France), co-founder and first professor of the Mennonite Biblical Institute in Basel
, Switzerland
, co-founder of the Evangelical seminary at Vaux-sur-Seine
, co-founder and president of the Entente Évangelique du Pays de Montbéliard, among others.
In 1962, Widmer's wife Hélène died of cancer
. Widmer remarried two years later to Christianne Buy, the widow of Robert Gaudry, the director of the children's home at Valdoie that Widmer had helped to create.
But Widmer was also conscious of preserving a distinctive Mennonite identity, even as the church embraced fellow Christians. His book Ce que croient les Mennonites (What Mennonites Believe), published in 1981 during the Lutheran-Mennonite dialogues, is an affirmation of the core beliefs of the church, including a commitment to peace and service. Widmer also wrote Il y a des gens qui vous troublent (There are those that trouble you) in 1984 in which he defended traditional Mennonite beliefs against the influences of Pentecostal and charismatic movements.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Mennonite
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...
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, editor of the journal Christ Seul.
Early life
Born in BrognardArrondissement of Montbéliard
The arrondissement of Montbéliard is an arrondissement of France, located in the Doubs département, in the Franche-Comté région. It has 13 cantons and 193 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Montbéliard are:# Audincourt...
, France, in the department of Doubs
Doubs
Doubs is a department the Franche-Comté region of eastern France named after the Doubs River.-History:As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect...
near Montbéliard
Montbéliard
Montbéliard is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.-History:...
, Pierre Widmer was raised in a Mennonite family. Widmer attended the Mennonite church at Montbéliard as a young man and was baptised
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
there. He attended the École Normale in Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, where he developed a love for poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
In 1936, Widmer married Hélène Sommer, the daughter of Pierre Sommer, a man of great enthusiasm for the Mennonite church. He was the best known itinerant French Mennonite preacher, responsible for the first French Mennonite conferences, founder and editor of the journal
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Christ Seul (Christ Alone).
In Widmer's youth, the Mennonites were a small community in France (about 4,000 people) living in isolated rural communities in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
and the Pays de Montbéliard. They were the descendants of the Swiss Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
communities which fled to France during the 16th century Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
War service
Unlike North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n Mennonites, who emigrated in the 18th century, French Mennonites had largely abandoned the principle of non-resistance or pacifism. It was not unusual then that Widmer enrolled in the Ecole des Sous-Officiers, a military academy at Saint Maixent.
Afterwards, he became a primary school teacher near Montbéliard but remained in the Army reserves. When France declared war on Germany in September 1939, Widmer was called back to the Army. He was serving on the front along the Rhine when Germany invaded France in June 1940. His unit was beaten back to the Vosges mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
. Widmer was taken prisoner by the Germans at Masevaux
Masevaux
Masevaux is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
in the Haut Rhin.
POW
Widmer spent five years in three different German prison camps for French officers. During that time, he was apparently treated well since French officers enjoyed better conditions than captured enlisted men. However, the experience of the war and captivity deeply marked Widmer. He devoted himself to caring for the spiritual needs of his comrades, serving as a de facto camp chaplainChaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
. In this role, he came to meet and appreciate the convictions of Lutheran, Reformed, Darbyist, Evangelical
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
and even Catholic prisoners. Widmer also became convinced of the futility of war, even a patriotic or "just war
Just War
Just war theory is a doctrine of military ethics of Roman philosophical and Catholic origin, studied by moral theologians, ethicists and international policy makers, which holds that a conflict ought to meet philosophical, religious or political criteria.-Origins:The concept of justification for...
". This change in his position about violence is clear in the poems that Widmer wrote during captivity, published in 1987 as Ombres et Lumières or "Shadows and Light". Upon his release from the prison camp at the end of the war, Widmer was awarded the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and a Citation à l'Armée pour Actes de Bravoure.
Post-war Mennonite tensions
When Widmer returned to his home in Montbéliard in May 1945 at the end of the war, he found a French Mennonite community in upheaval. The experience of the war had exacerbated tensions between Alsatian and French-speaking Mennonite communities. The fighting had destroyed many Mennonite farms. The Mennonite community was increasingly aged and isolated. Widmer was regarded by many Mennonites with great respect because of having endured the long captivity, for his relative youth (33 years), and because he was the natural successor of church leader Pierre Sommer, his father-in-law. Widmer is elected Ancien or elder of the Montbéliard church in 1945. When Widmer took the floor at the Synode of Mennonite churches in May 1946, he called for greater unity among the Mennonite communities and a greater focus on activities for youth. His proposals were not unanimously appreciated. The Alsatian Mennonites decided at their conference at PfastattPfastatt
Pfastatt is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It forms part of the Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération, the inter-communal local government body for the Mulhouse conurbation.-References:*...
a few weeks later to turn down Widmer's proposal for a single French Mennonite association of churches. Fearing a loss of tradition, Hans Nussbaumer, elder of the Mennonite church at Altkirch, spoke out against Widmer's activities with youth. But the Synode did appoint Widmer to replace the aging Pierre Sommer as editor of Christ Seul, a position he would hold for 38 years. Widmer also won approval for his offer to become a full-time itinerant pastor in 1948.
Links to the United States
Widmer was instrumental in renewing ties with American Mennonites, and in bringing an ecclesiologyEcclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
to French Mennonites that was regarded by many as being particularly American. Widmer represented French Mennonites at the Mennonite World Conference in Goshen, Indiana
Goshen, Indiana
Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern...
, in 1948. During his stay in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Widmer was impressed by the level of organization in the American churches, including youth activities and Sunday schools. He was also deeply influenced by the American Mennonite commitment to pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
. American Mennonites such as Harold Bender, Guy Hershberger and Orie Miller wrote and spoke out on the topic of non-resistance and peacemaking. Bender's 1942 article "The Anabaptist Vision" posits that the Mennonites should return to the faith of the 16th century Anabaptists, characterized by non-conformity to the world, complete love and service to one's neighbors, and a rejection of all forms of violence. John H. Yoder, a disciple of Bender from Goshen, came to France to work with the Mennonite Central Committee in the 1950s. He and Widmer collaborated on many projects, including a translation into French of The Anabaptist Vision, and the creation of a children's home at Valdoie, near Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
. Widmer was also instrumental in creating American-style Sunday school classes for children at many French Mennonite churches. He organized the first summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
s for children at Laxou near Nancy.
Widmer was the motor behind the creation of many French Mennonite associations. He was the co-founder and president of the Comité Missionaire Mennonite Française (French Mennonite Missions Committee) which supported missionaries abroad, co-founder and president of La Mission Mennonite Française (collaborated with the MCC to support evangelisation and relief efforts in post-war France), co-founder and first professor of the Mennonite Biblical Institute in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, co-founder of the Evangelical seminary at Vaux-sur-Seine
Vaux-sur-Seine
Vaux-sur-Seine is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-References:*...
, co-founder and president of the Entente Évangelique du Pays de Montbéliard, among others.
In 1962, Widmer's wife Hélène died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Widmer remarried two years later to Christianne Buy, the widow of Robert Gaudry, the director of the children's home at Valdoie that Widmer had helped to create.
Later work
With the mouthpiece of the journal Christ Seul, Widmer brought articles about peace and social justice into the homes of thousands of French Mennonites. Widmer published Pages Choisies de Pierre Sommer (selected writings of Pierre Sommer) upon his father-in-law's death in 1952, in which he emphasizes Sommer's commitment to peace. Widmer was part of a committee of French Mennonites which, with the help of General Neyhauser, unsuccessfully petitioned successive French governments from 1949 onward to allow the creation of civic service as an alternative to obligatory military service. He also fostered an opening of the French Mennonite church to other denominations. He was the elder member of the Mennonite committee to the Lutheran-Mennonite dialogues of 1981-84. He did not hesitate to propose joint activities with other churches, such as the creation of the Evangelical Seminary at Vaux-sur-Seine.But Widmer was also conscious of preserving a distinctive Mennonite identity, even as the church embraced fellow Christians. His book Ce que croient les Mennonites (What Mennonites Believe), published in 1981 during the Lutheran-Mennonite dialogues, is an affirmation of the core beliefs of the church, including a commitment to peace and service. Widmer also wrote Il y a des gens qui vous troublent (There are those that trouble you) in 1984 in which he defended traditional Mennonite beliefs against the influences of Pentecostal and charismatic movements.