Our Vision & Mission

Our Vision

Our vision is diverse communities connecting across boundaries by knowing and valuing their own and each other’s stories of life, faith, cultures, and histories.

Vision Illumination

We understand ourselves to be conservers of the historical and ongoing stories of diverse Anabaptists with connections to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

We understand ourselves to be learners, actively pursuing new information and mutually beneficial relationships across boundaries.
We understand ourselves to be communicators, interpreting Lancaster Anabaptist-connected stories for interested audiences.

Our Mission

Our mission is to hold, honor, and share items and stories featuring the lived experiences and faith values of Lancaster Mennonites and interrelated communities.

Mission Illumination

We recognize and value cultural diversity within Lancaster Mennonite-connected communities.
We recognize and value important relationships with interrelated communities, especially, but not limited to, those with Native American partners and African American partners.

Core Values

Education

We encourage exploration of diverse, Mennonite-related historical backgrounds, cultures, stories

Preservation

We keep and care for documents and artifacts

Accessibility

We proactively make our collections and educational experiences broadly available

Intentional Health

We nurture personal and organizational health, living with integrity and accountability

Relationships

We seek to be connected and to connect others

Faith

As communities we seek to follow Christ in daily life

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Featured Stories

Fifty Years of the Biblical Tabernacle Experience

DirectionsBiblical Tabernacle Experience (at the Mennonite Life Visitors Center)…

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Introducing Mennonite Life

It’s an exciting time to be a Mennonite history…

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Welcome, Refugees

For Mennonites in Lancaster, loving your neighbor means welcoming…

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Mennonite Artists

Beyond folk arts, Mennonites contribute significantly to visual, language,…

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Discover Something New

Exhibit: ‘They Went Out from Us’: Zwingli and the Radical Reformation

Mennonite Life joins our global faith community in celebrating…

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50th Anniversary Community Celebration of the Biblical Tabernacle Experience

Celebrate 50 years of the Biblical Tabernacle Experience in…

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Community Hymn Sing: 500 Years of Anabaptism

Join us for a community hymn sing celebrating the…

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Discovery Days at the 1719 Museum: Celebrating Culture through Craftsmanship

This is a week-long day camp for youth age…

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