8-786: The United Zion Church is a River Brethren Christian denomination with roots in the Mennonite Church and the Radical Pietistic movement . A body that became known as River Brethren began about 1778 in Pennsylvania . They were a group of brethren near the Susquehanna River that had separated from the Mennonites. As such groups of brethren were often named by their location, they were called River Brethren . The majority of churches descending from
16-580: The Brethren in Christ Church . Church organization allows for settling basic matters at the district conference, with a general conference being the highest level of church authority. As of 2010 the church consisted of 721 members in 12 congregations in three Pennsylvania counties. Also there are 2 overseas churches located in Santiago, Chile. These churches began as a single church plant in 1988 in
24-521: The Maipú suburb of Santiago . This church was locally given the name Fuente de Vida. River Brethren The River Brethren are a group of historically related Anabaptist Christian denominations originating in 1770, during the Radical Pietist movement among German colonists in Pennsylvania . In the 17th century, Mennonite refugees from Switzerland had settled their homes near
32-593: The River Brethren are known as the Brethren in Christ Church . Bishop Matthias Brinser was excluded from the River Brethren in 1855, and he organized his followers into a separate group, originally known as United Zion's Children . The reason for the exclusion of Brinser and his followers was that he had led them in building a meeting house for worship. The church incorporated as United Zion Church in 1954. They are similar in doctrine and practice to
40-550: The Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. Their religious guides, Jacob and John Engle, joined with the revival, and their followers were often known by their locality: a group of brethren from north of Marietta, Pennsylvania , on the east side of the Susquehanna River came to be known as the River Brethren . The initial spiritual leader of the brethren was Martin Boehm , evangelical preacher, who
48-540: The wearing of a headcovering by women and teetotalism was the scriptural form of religion . They oppose war , alcohol , tobacco , and worldly pleasures. Nevertheless, they maintained their identity and did not join the Dunker movement. Jacob Engle is one of the early leaders who promoted trine immersion. The first confessional statement of this group was formulated around 1780. As of 2010 there are four bodies of River Brethren in about 300 congregations: Common to
56-481: The Radical Piestic tradition, the River Brethren hold experience meetings, in which "members [are seen] testifying of God's work in their lives in bringing them to salvation and daily living." When a member has a conversion experience , he or she begins taking part in the experience meeting and then requests baptism . The Old Order River Brethren continue the practice of plain dress . Several factions of
64-770: Was excluded from the Mennonite Church. He later became bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ . The River Brethren distanced themselves from Boehm and the United Brethren movement. Influenced by the Schwarzenau Brethren (named Dunkers ), the River Brethren developed a conviction that trine (triple, in allusion to the Trinity ) immersion, foot washing, adherence to plain dress ,
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