In general they had to obey strict rules,specifically Balk was very strict,they were called "fijne mennisten" or "Zonnisten" or ""Old Frisians". (the less strict were called "grove mennisten" or "Laministen".) The big differnce between both of them was being rejected out of community when they didn't live according the strict rules. The very strict ones were still rejecting party members and the less strict ones had no rejection rules.
The Balk community were followers of Pieter Jelles ,who was born around 1600 at Kollum,he was an important salesman. For teaching the rules of the mennonite church they used the book "Onderwijzinghe des christelijken geloofs" of Pieter Boudewijns.
This was the teacher of the "Old Vlamingen"
at Haarlem (abt.1750).
They lived a humble life without any glamour and rejected lot's of normal all today things.
They wear simple clothing,no gold or silver,no mirrors.
The interior and exterior of their houses was mainly coloured in blue and doorsteps were painted black.
The old gatherplace ""Vermaning""
In 1625 the Mennonites build themselves a gatheringplace place "Vermaning", at the "Westersteke" at Balk (also called
"Harichstersteke" and nowedays "Wilhelminastraat")
In a letter of J. van der Ploeg ,vicar at Grouw (abt. 1697) the place was discribed as
"a humble place with low ceiling
.The listeners were sitting around a fire with their back towards the vicar ,listening to the teacher" and furtheron
" the teacher was standing behind a little desk ,at the sides the other teachers on chairs with a high back rest.
The "Pupils" on unpainted couches.In fact the whole room was unpainted"
Also teacher Jan Jans Honig describes the vermaning of for 1850 in "" the baptisms contributions of 1892 "".
| Mennonite Church Balk | |||
| year | members | souls | |
| 1551-1554 | 32 | ||
| 1557-1561 | 9 | ||
| 1720 | 70 | ||
| 1763 | 10 | ||
| 1823 | 78 | ||
| 1824 | 37 | 83 | |
| 1825 | 35 | ||
| 1826 | 30 | ||
| 1827 | 34 | 74 | |
| 1828 | 30 | 69 | |
| 1829 | 30 | ||
| 1832 | 33 | ||
| 1833 | 33 | ||
| 1838 | 34 | ||
| 1839 | 35 | 94 | |
| 1854 | 33 | ||
| aft 26 apr 1854 | 14 | aft emigration | |
| 31 maa 1855 | 62 | aft arrival Simon Gorter | |
| 1898 | 100 | ||
| 1933 | 100 | ||
| 1950 | 108 | ||
The old mennonite gatherplace was used as a farmers warehouse around 1879-1922.
Owners of the property:
1625 tot 1864 :Mennonite church Balk
sold in 1864 to :Jan Wybes Brandsma, salesman at Balk
devision of propert 1879 to :Anna Maria Goedkoop widow of Wiebe jans Brandsma
sold in 1922 to :Jurjen Teernstra, cattle farmer at Balk
sold in 1928 to :Evert Teernstra (son of Jurjen),hotelkeeper at Balk
sold in 1935 to :Jan Teernstra (also son of Jurjen),hotelkeeper at Balk
sold in ???? to :Lammert Swart en Tineke Langedijk
sold in 1995 to :Roel Holkema at Balk
Around 1922 as a stable for horses for a nearby Hotel Teernstra.
After 1922 as a stable for horses for a nearby reformed church.
(Nowedays Disco "The String")
In 1934 the Vermaning was partly demolished by Jan Jurjens Teernstra (1904-1961) and his wife Sjoeke (Sjuike)Groenendal (1909-1996)
They build a private house (Wilhelminastraat 5) ,the part not demolished beacme a stable /garage.
Jan Teernstra was a son of the founder of Hotel Teernstra ,
Evert Jurjens Teernstra
(1862-1942) and his wife Akke Sjoekes van der Werf (1863-1927).
-Tour of duty
Their preachers Ruurd Jacobs Symensma and Ruurd Johannes blacksmith pressed repeatedly at the Dutch government on exemption of conscription for their municipality members to, but their request was not granted
-Capacitance to old traditions
Youth members of the municipality came more and more in insurrection against the old traditions
-Pressure on the mennonite structure
Time was changing their way of living became harder and harder to maintain.
Pressure to adjust the memnnonite organisation was increasing.
-Means
The mennononites were wealthy,so there was monye to make a new start.
-Following a good example
Emigration to the US was very popular already.
Traditional reformed members seperated from their reformed church in 1834 and had went to the US.
They had found freedom of religion in the US.So the mennonites went in their footsteps.
-Isolation
The mennonites did not sociolize much,their way of living was quite isolated.
Pressure was increasing on their way of living.
They were ridiculed by non-mennonites.
In the US they were autonomous again.
-Obe Johannes Smid death
Their leader Obe Johannes Smid (the blacksmith),was probably an antagonist of migration.
According to their bible it was not good to choose the easiest way out.
By his death in 1850,proponents of migration monopolized.And things could be placed into action.
-Tax burden
The rather high taxes were hard to pay by the farmers.
Production on poor sand grounds became less profitable.
Tow preachers and their supporters left to the US on april 9 1853.
At the end two fifth of the mennonite community emigarted.
Emigration of the mennonite families Visser/Haitjema, Smid/Rijstra/Baukema en Symensma
9 mei 1853
-Bauke Wiebes Rijstra (Grietje Johannes Smit,Tetje,Jitske,Afke,Johannes en Simkje)
-Ruurd Johannes Smit(Grietje (Margaret) Jakobs Symensma,Johannes en Martje)
-Ruurd Jacobs Symensma(Lijsbert Geerts Ykema, Marttje,Geert,Jacobjen,Jacob,Hiltje en Jan)
-Romke Hinnes Haitjema(Jitske Baukes Rijstra)
They arrived on june 4 bij Jacob Christoffel,mennontite preacher.
June 8 1853 the families had hired a cabbern.
November 3 1853 Ruurd Johannes Smid and Grietje (Margaret) Jacobs Symensma had their own house.
7 april 1854
-Ruurd Klazes Visser(Afke Johannes Smid,Jitske,Antje,Maike,Jacobjen,Gretske,Johannes en Klaas)
-Herre Aukes Visser(Tettje Baukes Rijstra,Auke en 2 kinderen uit zijn huwelijke met Doetje Durks Bakker,te weten Duttje en Tietje)
-Obe Meines Smit (Grietje Romkes Symensma,Sybrig,Auke,Rinke,Meine)
28 april 1854
-Klaas Haitjes Visser (Handtie Jacobs (Hannah) Symensma,Jacob,Jacobje,Haitje en Jan)
-Jan Jacobs Symensma (Wybrig Hinnes Haitjema,Jacob en Hendrikjen)
-Martje Jans Oor (Wed Jacob Ruurds Symensma) Herre Jacobs Symensma en zijn vrouw Sibbeltje Hinnes Haitjema
Between 9 May 1853 and 28 April 1854 19 families emigrated (60 persons) to United States.
They established themselves in Goshen and New paris in the state Indiana.
When they arrived in this area it was still woodlands.
This was burned away and cut down to make land suitable for farming.
The emigrants were successful, they got large farms.
The members spread themselves all over America and more and more they became americans.
In total the Mennonite church consists of 12.954 persons in 1838.
The total population of Friesland at that time was 161.513 persons.So about 8 % of them were Mennonites.
In 1983 118 persons are of the Mennonite church in the County of Gaasterland.
On the upper part of the doorframe of the backdoor of the old gatherplace of the Mennonites was written:
The original Gothic window of the old
gatherplace Vermaning, with at the right
the original traditional blue paint
used by the Mennonites
Part of the still existing interior of the old gatherplace,
Vermaning,at Balk,at the left the original blue of the Mennonites
The original Gothic window with at the right,
down under the original blue on the chalk layer.
The old gatherplace at the Wilhelminastraat became in use as granary presumably for the neighbouring Baker shop,
owned by Inne Johannes Betsema (1799-1875) and his wife Baukjen Wabes Wieringa (1808-1879).
Both also Mennonites.
Lateron it became in use as a stable for the neighbouring Hotel Teernstra and
later as a stable (on sundays) for the reformed church around the corner (Gaaikemastraat,Westeinde).
(Now in use as a Disco called "The String")
In 1811 the General Baptism Society was founded as a "spokesman" for all Mennonite Communities
.The Mennonite community of Balk refused to connect with them.
Many conflicts occured also with the Government about military service.
The Mennonite leaders Ruurd Jacobs Symensma and Ruurd Johannes Smid didn't succeed of getting their way.
At the end the two teachers left on april 9 1853 with part of their community members to the USA
for setting themselves free.
In 1853 en 1854 a total of 19 families emigrated with a total of 60 persons.
The settled down in New Parish en Goshen state of Indiana in the USA.
The less strict mennonites were left behind
| year | elder/pastor | born-death |
| Auke Obbes Smid? | ca 1650-1701 | |
| Rinke Aukes Smid? | ca 1705- | |
| Obe Rinkes Smid | ca 1729- | |
| Johannes Obes Smid | 1763-1828 | |
| 1823 | Ruurd Johannes Smid | 1813-1893 |
| 1824 | Ruurd Jakobs Symensma | 1816-1853 |
| 1826 | Auke Obes Smid (1772-dec 1826) was replaced by Obe Johannes Smid (1802-1850) leading the singing | |
| 27 mei 1827 | Auke Hinnes Visser | 1772-1828 |
| 24 jun 1827-7 dec 1828 | Haitje Hantjes Visser & servant to the poor | 1786-1863 |
| 1828 | Meine Obes Smid | 1765-1844 |
| 5 okt 1828 | Haitje Hantjes Visser | 1786-1863 |
| 5 okt 1828 | Obe Johannes Smid | 1802-1850 |
| 17 okt 1828 | Obe Meines Smid becomes song leader instead of Obe Johannes Smid | 1803-1864 |
| 7 dec 1828 | Ruurd Klazes Visser & servant of the poor | 1799-1873 |
| 21 jun 1829 | Haitje Hantjes Visser | 1786-1863 |
| Haitje Hantjes Visser | 1786-1863 | |
| 7 mei 1854-27 aug 1871 | Simon Douwes Gorter | 1838-1871 |
| 1 feb 1863 | last sermon in the Old Vermaning | |
| 1877-1902 | J.J.Honig | |
| 1902-1912 | R. van der Veen | |
| 1912-1916 | H.C.Bartel | |
| 1916-1922 | S.J.van der Meulen | |
| after 1920 | Woudsend joined the Balk congregation | |
| 1923-1933 | B.P.de Vries | |
| 1933-1942 | W.I.Fleischer | |
| 1943-1946 | C.F.Brusewitz | |
| 1946- | H.J.de Wilde |
Today the Mennonite community has a total of 60 members (together with neighboring village Woudsend).
Every 3 weeks the community is gathering at the church at Balk.
World wide abt. 900.000 mennonites ,most of them in North-America and Africa.
In Friesland about 1200 mennonites, devided in 36 communities.
