Grebel alumni, staff, and friends are getting ready to explore Anabaptist beginnings on a European tour in May 2025. Alongside faculty experts Troy Osborne and David Neufeld, travellers will follow this story from the Netherlands through Germany, France, and Switzerland, visiting the very places where events significant to this tradition occurred. Travellers will come away with an understanding of Anabaptist history by visiting the Dutch village of Zaanse Schans, mounting the Swiss Alps in a cable car, and reflecting in a cave where Anabaptists once worshipped in secret. Participants will engage great works of European art and culture at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and Strasbourg’s cathedral. The tour will end with an opportunity to connect past to present with Anabaptists from around the world at a 500th-anniversary commemoration of the first adult baptisms in Zurich. This event, organized by Mennonite World Conference, will include worship, speeches, discussions, walking tours, and art. 
Both David and Troy study 16th- and 17th-century Anabaptist history with a social and cultural lens—a perspective that highlights stories of individuals to build a multi-faceted view of the past. So in addition to visiting tourist sites, participants will learn how social structures and cultural dynamics shaped the Anabaptist experience.
“I think participants will be surprised by how a visit to the actual site where significant events took place can transform and enrich their understanding of the past and its connection to their own lives,” said David. “I study early Anabaptism in large part because of opportunities I had to visit places linked to this history as a younger person. Those experiences reshaped my vocation and how I understand the faith tradition I’m committed to. I want to contribute to making similar encounters possible through this trip.”
For more information about the trip, visit the TourMagination official website.
