Severe
persecution forced the Anabaptists to move from the big
cities to remote rural areas. The first congregations outside of Zurich were
in Zollikon and
Gruningen. Many churches were organized in the Emme and Jura valleys. A
small
congregation in Langnau has been in continuous existence since the
1530's. The
first known Anabaptist confession of faith was written in Schleitheim
in 1527
by Michael Sattler.