"Thou Art Chosen"

U. S. Mennonites are a quiet, pious Protestant sect, holding the tenets of Menno Simons, 16th-Century Netherlander. Most of the sect's 40,000 "plain" Mennonites live in the Pennsylvania Dutch (German) counties of Pennsylvania. Each plain Mennonite Meeting House has two ministers, two deacons, the latter serving for life. Last week, in the meeting house of Blooming Glen, Pa., nearly 500 Mennonites enjoyed the rare experience of seeing a deacon chosen to replace one who had died.

Four Mennonite bishops sat facing the congregation. One of them took seven Bibles, slipped a paper marker into each, put the Bibles on the pulpit. Seven men, chosen by the congregation, came forward, took the Bibles and returned to their seats. All this was in accordance with Proverbs 16:33, The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. The seven men with their scriptures walked back to the pulpit. Drawing out the lots, the bishop saw that the first three were blank, and to three candidates he said: "Thou art free." To the fourth, a hay & feedstore employe named Franklin L. Alderfer, he said, noting that the slip bore writing: "Thou art chosen." Brother Alderfer wept.

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