About Us

As the Church of the Brethren we are an Anabaptist tradition which means we practice adult baptism. We believe that making a decision to follow Jesus is reserved for mature adults who are capable of counting the cost of discipleship. Our denomination began nearly 300 years ago when eight individuals were baptized in the Eder river near the village of Schwarzenau in Germany. Historically we are one of the three peace denominations which include the Mennonites and the Quakers. Our tradition arose from a group who called themselves Pietists and were looking for a way to follow in the footsteps of Jesus more faithfully and have a more spiritual and personal relationship with Christ. While we do have ordained ministers we believe that all members of the church are called to be ministers and thereby we uphold a tradition called the priesthood of all believers. Our primary ordinances are baptism with water, as a public declaration of faith and membership; communion, symbolizing the body and blood of Jesus; and participation in Love Feast, in which we wash one another's feet commemorating Jesus' call to serve at the last supper.

If you would like to know more about the Church of the Brethren, visit the denominational website which can be reached from our links.

If you want to know more about Crest Manor, click on "We are..." at the top of this page.