The Living Water Mennonite Church provides community for Utah’s small Mennonite population
Antoinette Miller, 9, looks back as she listens to her father, Luke, preach during a worship service Sunday, March 18, 2018, at Living Water Mennonite Church in Provo. The church currently holds services in a renovated garage, but hopes to build a more permanent place of worship soon. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Kendra Gingerich sings a hymn along with other members of the congregation during a worship service Sunday, March 18, 2018, at Living Water Mennonite Church in Provo. At the church, hymns are sung without piano or other accompaniment. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Beth Miller prays as she holds her son, Adrian, 3, beside Kendra Gingerich as the women of the congregation take part in a Bible study during a worship service Sunday, March 18, 2018, at Living Water Mennonite Church in Provo. For part of each worship service, the men, women, and children break into separate groups to take part in Bible studies. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Ethan Mast, 11, gets airborne as he jumps with other children on a trampoline during a birthday party Friday, March 30, 2018, at the family home of Pastor Luke Miller in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Elliot Miller, 11, soon to be 12, blows out the candles on his birthday pie Friday, March 30, 2018, at the family home of Pastor Luke Miller in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
From left, Lane Mast, 10, Julien Palreiro, 12, Elliot Miller, 11, Ethan Mast, 11, and Ocean Palreiro, 9, joke around with one another as Elliott's mother gets a camera to take their picture during his birthday party Friday, March 30, 2018, at the family home of Pastor Luke Miller in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Luke Miller preaches during a worship service Sunday, March 18, 2018, at Living Water Mennonite Church in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Beth Miller holds her son, Adrian, 3, as he plays with a watch and the rest of her family listens to the preacher during a worship service Sunday, March 18, 2018, at Living Water Mennonite Church in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
On Sunday, as Christians of various denominations gathered in temples and other places of worship for Easter services, there was at least one group of Christians in Utah that gathered together in the backyard of their pastor.
The modestly-dressed congregation of the Living Water Mennonite Church gathered around a single fire as the flames and the rays of the morning sun warmed them while they celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pastor Luke Miller led songs of praise while accompanied by fellow pastor Titus Overholt and only the sounds of nature in his own backyard.
The gathering of no more than 30 faithful is one of the few Mennonite congregations in Utah. It is one of only two such churches in the state, according to Pastor Luke. Though vastly outnumbered by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Beehive State, Mennonites share several core values with the LDS Church.
“As a group of Mennonites, the home is a big deal to us and community is a big deal,” said Miller as he ate a fellowship meal among members of the congregation after a typical Sunday service. Though contrary to some general misconceptions, Mennonites generally live a relativity modern life in terms of accommodations.
“As far as our lifestyle, we try to live a simple life, but our houses aren’t that much different from our neighbors,” said Miller. Electricity, internet, smartphones and modern vehicles are just a few of the things found in the daily life of the Millers. As with any faith, there’s a spectrum of practice among Mennonites worldwide, but generally having modern accommodations is not contrary to the faith. Rather, the importance of the matter lies in the influence technology has on the Mennonite community.
“Years ago, it was much easier to say ‘no television, no radio, no this,'” explained Miller. “Today, we live in a whole different time. It’s not that we’re opposed to technology, it just needs to be used properly. I know there’s a lot of trash on the internet, but the internet is one of those things where you can choose to go somewhere for it rather than having it in front of you all the time.” Miller explained that Mennonites generally do not have televisions in their homes.
By and large, Mennonite children are homeschooled.
“Vary rarely will you ever find Mennonites sending children to public schools,” Miller said. “A lot of it has to do with the influences and what it does to them.”
“We don’t want to live as people who react: The world’s doing it this way, so we’re going to do it this way, that’s not how we decide how we’re going to do things,” explained Miller. “Obviously the world continues to change, but God’s word doesn’t change.”
Modesty is a central ideal of Mennonites, and according to Miller something that the Bible teaches, but giving serious considerations to the influences of the modern world is not the only way Mennonites strive to be modest.
“The way we dress is one way of being modest, but it’s not the only way,” Mennonite women often wear bonnets and long skirts, while men were buttoned shirts and loose slacks. “We’ve just chosen to do it this way, and we respect people that do it other ways,”
Though Mennonites and Amish look similar, they are not the same denomination. Both are considered Anabaptists, but the two groups differ in their values concerning lifestyle and faith. “There’s some Amish that aren’t Christian, it’s just a way of living,” said Miller. “Mennonites tend to put more focus on Bible studies, the word of God, and prayer. Mennonite circles are a little bit more open to change if they see that change is a benefit for them. In a lot of Amish circles, change isn’t very existent.”
Pastor Luke is no stranger to change. He, his wife of 14 years and their children underwent a good deal of change when they moved from their home in South Carolina to Provo in 2012. At the time, the Living Water Mennonite Church didn’t exist, and they knew nobody in the area.
Why did Luke and his family move to an area without much of a local Mennonite foundation? The answer might be surprising: billboards.
Christian Aid Ministries is a nonprofit organization of conservative Anabaptists that aims to, “glorify God and enlarge His kingdom,” according to the organization’s website. Christian Aid Ministries has placed billboards throughout the country with direct religious messages such as: “Who is Jesus?”, “After you die, you will meet God” and “Jesus: The only way to God.”
Each billboard includes a phone number. Miller explained that calls in response to the billboard would vary from curiosity as to what the group represented to genuine calls for guidance. According to Miller, around 2012, Utah County garnered the largest call response to the billboards, so he decided to move to the area and start a church.
“We’re here not to bash any group, or to let people know where they’re ‘wrong’ or ‘right,'” explained Miller. “We’re just here to share Christ with anyone who is hungry or thirsty for it.”
Despite not knowing anyone upon moving to Provo, the Millers were met with open arms by the community.
“When we moved here, I think we had 12 people that showed up to help move our stuff into the house,” Miller said.
“When people occasionally do things they shouldn’t do or aren’t nice, our neighbors don’t appreciate that a whole lot — they’ll go to bat,” he said, with appreciation for the inclusivity of his neighbors.
Once moved in, Pastor Luke began trying to create a church and foster a congregation.
“When we moved here in 2012, we started church in our living room,” he said. “We’d have two or so people come. After six months or so, we started renting a building in Orem.”
Currently, where the Living Water Mennonite Church holds services isn’t a typical place of worship: a renovated garage. Despite being a garage, the space is surprisingly accommodating, warm in the winter months and a suitable place to hold services. However, Pastor Luke certainly views the space as temporary, and is in the process of planning something more permanent with a plot of land across the street from the garage.
“Our idea is to build a community center which will serve as a church,” said Miller. “Through the week, it’ll be a place where we have a lot of community activities, and Sundays we’ll use that same space for our meetings. It’ll try to create a safe space for young people to go to and interact with people that love the lord.”
Though, for now, the church is slowly growing.
“There’s only about four families here, and four different singles have moved here,” said Miller. “It’s been growing fairly steadily just the last half year. We’re not here to offend anybody, we’re here just to share the love of Christ.”
”We’re here not to bash any group, or to let people know where they’re ‘wrong’ or ‘right.’ We’re just here to share Christ with anyone who is hungry or thirsty for it.” – Pastor Luke Miller, Living Water Mennonite Church
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