Faith and Flames in the Shenandoah Valley

Terrified, the Brennemans watched as great leaping flames and thick columns of smoke rose from the Ralston's barn first, and then the Burkholder's and Rhodes's.

"They're coming!" Timothy shrieked when a small contingent [of soldiers] galloped down the Broadway Road.

Father was standing in the driveway when they arrived. "Please don't burn our buildings!" he begged.

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Two Mennonite families, Daniel Wengers and Noah Brennemans, face the horrors and hardships of civil war in the once-peaceful Shenandoah Valley. Booms of cannon and screams of wounded men shatter the peace. Raids by alternating armies deplete well-stocked pantries and granaries. Fathers and young men go into hiding. Happy family life suffers strain and disruption. Dreaded diphtheria sends innocent children to the grave.

Through all this, faith in God shines brighter than the flames of destruction. Both young and old find shelter and peace in God's everlasting arms. Spiritual life in the church is stirred. Convictions on nonresistance are tested to the braking point yet grow stronger under trial.

Faith and Flames in the Shenandoah Valley opens a window into Mennonite life in Virginia in the mid 1800s. Church history and nineteenth century customs come alive in this well-researched story. This book will prepare readers for the time when our faith may be tested.

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