The Amish are part of a distinct religious community that follows a way of life far different from that of many contemporary people. Because most people do not understand their beliefs, which are reflected in their ways of life, the Amish are often viewed as less intelligent or strange. Keep…
Any work that discusses bundling in 'the good old-fashioned way' has got to be a heady read. And so it goes with Little Known Facts About the Amish and the Mennonites, a tourist booklet first printed in 1938. The seeds of Amish tourism were planted in the early 20th century, with the enterprise really getting
Ever wonder if plain living is right for you? Learn these 10 lessons and observations from the Amish and Mennonites (and the differences between them) from author and real life Mennonite background Georgia. Listen to
Plain Anabaptists are those of the Anabaptist Faith that have kept with a certain lifestyle that is conservative in nature. They feel this lifestyle helps them have a closer relationship with God and also prevents them from getting distracted by the sins of the modern world. Most people of these faiths are born into them, but there are some converts. Plain church congregations can be found in the denominations of Amish, Brethren, Hutterite, & Mennonite. I attended the Belen Mennonite Church, a church that has stayed committed to a conservative lifestyle and an unwavering devotion to God. Their service was at 10am and open to the public. Before I attended, I studied about Plain churches and what to expect from a great Anabaptist Faith Resource Site. I read about what I should wear. Even though I wore my hair up and a conservative blouse, skirt, tights and flats - I was still an obvious anomaly. In the church, the women are on the left and the men are on the right, young women sit at the front of their section. The only deviation I saw was with small children, they were sitting with a parent on both sides. I noticed the only jewelry they wore were watches, not even wedding rings. Women do not speak during church, other than to sing. All people wear plain garb, the men wear button up shirts and plain coats and women wear the same cut of dress of plain or small print colored fabric. The boys do not wear the plain coats until they are baptized and take the commitment of the Conservative Mennonite Faith, the men I saw were clean-shaven. The girls wear their hair in braids until they are baptized and then they wear a white head covering. They started the service with several hymns sung a cappella and many songs were sung throughout the service. Then gentlemen read biblical passages and led the group in prayer. The congregation prayed by turning around to face the pew and kneeling down. The children then left the service for their Sunday school. A moderator led the adults in a bible lesson from a Conservative Mennonite study guide published quarterly for congregations. The men took turns reading the bible passages and answering questions posed by the bible study guide. SIMPLY SAY YES TO GOD'S OFFER The children returned and there was a sermon given by a man who I believe was a bishop, but I am not sure of his title. The title of the sermon was, "Why We Stay Conservative," He spoke of how difficult it is to stay true to the conservative values in a land "saturated with consumerism." He spoke of how easy it is to justify, the idea of letting go of some of the traditional ways; but he warned of allowing such errors creep into your lives. He spoke of families that had fallen away and the results of their decisions. Jude 1:8-11 He also spoke of the pitfall of focusing on the conservative lifestyle itself, more than focusing on keeping the "Spirit of God in our Hearts." He encouraged the members to stay steadfast in their conservative and plain lifestyle as a means to a Godly life free of many of the burdens of the modern world. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58 Before and after the service, many women spoke to me. They were very friendly and asked me to visit again. THANK YOU Belen Mennonite Church for graciously allowing me to be a part of your worship service. Note:This group is not Old Order Mennonite so they do use electricity, cars, phones, and many electrical items. Most still will not listen to the radio or watch television.
A group of young Mennonite women at the scenic overlook
I worked for a year framing houses with a Beachy Amish Crew, and I also worked a year in a barn-building shop with Schwartzentruber Amish. Additionally, I
One of the rarest religious experiences you can have in America is to join the Plain.
Hopefully you can indulge the many photos in this particular entry. On Sunday I visited the Tauferhoehle, or Anabaptist Cave, near Baeritswil. It was a deeply emotional, spiritual, and enjoyable experience. In Schaffhausen I met some Mormons. They overheard me talking to a local woman and then because the one was American, he started talking to me. The other one was Swiss German, and when I told him that I was a Taufer, he recognized the name because he knew about the Tauferhohle. But just because that was the name of the cave, he did not know much about Anabaptists. I needed to give him the regular explanations. And so while Mennonites think of Tauferhohle as a worship space for our spiritual ancestors, the Swiss think of it as a beautiful and fun place to hike. Since I was there on Sunday afternoon the place was full of people. There are several fire circles with grills and wood, so people would hike up to the cave and then picnic. It was nice to know that it was a place that was giving so many people such joy, especially children who loved the cave. But of course many of them did not know where the name came from or what its significance might be. However some signs were put up recently that do an excellent job in both German and English of explaining the place. For my part I spent a lot of time in quiet, when I could. I also sang 606, which is the thing to do in such places. I felt a little awkward doing it by myself, especially since a family was within listening distance. I have visited a number of beautiful cathedrals, or muensters they are called in German, during my stay here. Some of them have been not so beautiful, such as the Grossmuenster of Zurich which is still very plain after the manner of Zwingli. It even has places made for statues but no statues there. Zwingli preached against all such decorations and they were taken out of the church. But the Fraumuenster, or women's cathedral of Zurich is just the opposite. It is gorgeous. It has a whole series of stained glass windows designed by Marc Chagall. They go from the life of Jesus, to the prophets, Jacob's ladder, King David and New Jerusalem, and the giving of the law. Each one is in its own color. I sat there for a long time meditating on the meaning and beauty of the pictures. But I have to say that the beauty of this Tauferhohle is beyond anything else that I experienced. I thought about the irony of the Anabaptists needing to meet here because it was so isolated and so safe for gatherings. But at the same time finding such a beautiful and peaceful place to meet. There is a water fall that goes over the front, so there is the soft noise of water the whole time you are there. And if the preacher is standing at the front, you would have the beauty of God's creation to meditate on as you look past him or her. It is a holy and beautiful place. A note on finding the place. Sam Wenger gives excellent directions in his second volume of A Tour of Ten Important Anabaptist and Reformed Sites in Rural Switzerland. They are very detailed. But you could also use Markus Rediger and Erwin Roethlisberger's Walk in the Footsteps of the Anabaptists. The main thing is to go to Baretswil and then follow the yellow "wanderweg" signs to Tauferhohle. I took the train from Zurich to Wetzikon, and then the bus from Wetzikon to the Oberdorf stop in Baretswil. It was under 40 minutes to be at the Overdort stop. From there the Wanderweg sign says it is 1 1/2 hours by foot. I took my bike up the roads about 2 km and then went by foot another 1 km, I would estimate. It is a climb. And then I returned all the way to Wetzikon by bike. There is a nice bike path part of the way, though it was all down hill for me coming from Baretswil. So you could easily take public transportation and walk the rest of the way for about at total of 4-5 hours. I met some hikers when I got off the bus. I biked up and then saw them on my return. They had given me some guidance. When I spoke to them I told them I was a Taufer, and they said they thought I might be. They could tell I was a foreigner, and thought I might be there to visit an origination point. They were well informed, asking about the Amish as another kind of Taufer. This was a worthwhile and satisfying visit. My last photo is of the beautiful scenery you see when you come out of the woods.
Stephen Scott on the Old Colony Mennonites: People known as Old Colony Mennonites occupy large tracts in the state of Chihuahua near Cuatemoc and Casas Grandes and in Durango. These German-speaking people emigrated from Manitoba and Saskatchewan in western Canada in the 1920s. They came to North America in the 1870s from Russia. The name,
Old Amish recipes for easy Amish cooking. These Amish food recipes are old, authentic and easy to make. Bake, Preserve and Cook your way into an Amish kitchen.
I don’t remember if it was Voltaire who said that having many different religious denominations was a good thing for a nation, and having just one religion was bad, but the worst thing was to…
Amish food is known for being very simple in style. It is often served family style. See my top 17 Amish recipes for real home cooked flavor.
Andy Weaver and his wife Naomi were born and raised Amish in north central Ohio. They were baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist faith in 2014 and have strong convictions to share the gospel and the Three Angels' Messages with their community.
Terri Roberts didn't think she'd ever be able to forgive her son for his horrific crime—but she was overwhelmed by the response of a community that could.
Amish group in rural Ohio celebrate a goodbye picnic for four women and one man who will begin serving hate crime sentences this Friday
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They welcome visitors with homegrown and homemade goods in Hazelton, Bloomfield, Kalona, and in Buchanan County.
The Missouri Amish population has seen rapid growth in recent years, in part due to Amish migration from other states. Today Missouri is home to around 17,000 Amish - in over 60 settlements across the state (see Young Center). The Missouri Amish population is North America's seventh-largest. Missouri Amish communities include: Seymour - The area
I have found that there is much curiosity about the Mennonites and the Amish. While this isn't the major topic of my blog, I do attempt ...
When Lucy was still Cletus the Fetus, we visited rural Pennsylvania for an Amish & Mennonite family reunion and were able to stop into an Amish General Store. I picked up a traditional outfit, reasoning that even if I had a boy, it would be ok to dress him up for a photo op. It's probably a…
Powwow, or braucheri, is a form of folk magic which originated in the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Learn about the history and practices of powwow.
Our extended family is still blessed to have someone who regularly supplies us with these tasty little “pies-in-a-pocket.” I consider it another one of those “labor of love” recipes, and have gladly pretended that I could never make them, but I’m beginning to think that one day I may change my mind, because they will remind me of the most beautiful woman in my life . . . my Mom. The funny thing is that she will never just make enough for the family gathering, but enough so that grandkids can take home “the leftovers.” One thing she keeps saying is, not to put them in a sealed container (except for in the freezer), because they will get soft. Since I had my hands free for most of the observation, I was able to get lots of pictures, and now have a hard time choosing what is necessary for explanatory’s sake and what is merely “ornamental.” If this gets too long to print, be sure to "unclick" images for printing. Ingredients: 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup shortening or lard 1/2 cup margarine or butter 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk Filling: 6 cups blueberries or finely chopped fruit such as plums, apples and/or rhubarb. 1 1/2 cups sugar mixed with ¼ c flour and ¼ c cornstarch if using apples ( 1/4 cup more flour or cornstarch if using berries or very juice fruit) Method: Cut lard and butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender. Add combined beaten egg and liquids. Stir with fork until everything is moist. If dough is too moist, sprinkle with a handful of flour and knead gently (or turn, up and over to mix in dry crumbs from the bottom, using a firm spatula) until dough holds together nicely. Refrigerate overnight or a few hours. Divide dough in half and roll out to a square ( 16" x 16") for 12 - 16 patches or a rectangle (approx 12” x 18”) for 4 - 41/2" strips. 5. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of sugar mixture in the center of each square, top with fruit and another 1 - 2 teaspoons of sugar mixture on top of fruit. Brush edges of pastry with water. 6. Fold up corners and pinch edges very well. 7. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets, not too close together. 8. Bake at 400° F about 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown and juices run out. (you can freeze the unbaked Perishky and bake later; bake frozen Perishky a little longer) Tips: Use your darkest baking sheets for nice browning. Frozen Perishky will not open as quickly. The ones that ran out are likely the ones that I pinched, but no worries . . . parchment paper allows for easy clean up and the Perishky will be just fine! In fact, I like seeing what kind of fruit to expect.
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Sie terrorisierten ihre Glaubensbrüder mit Scheren und Rasierern – als Strafe dafür, dass sie nicht folgsam waren. Im „Bartkrieg“ stehen 16 Mitglieder der Amisch-Gemeinde in den USA vor Gericht.
How does one photograph a group of people whose beliefs prohibit virtually all photography? David Nevala found out a few summers ago when he arrived in...
But I have won the war! Sorry for the delayed posting. It was all for a good reason. So many of you may know, and some of you may not. One of my challenges this year has been having little creatures crawl throughout my scalp, make babies, and suck my blood. Yes, piojos...aka lice. It all started when my family came to visit...in December.... My head was itching like no other, and my mama told me, "Arelis, I think you have lice." And I said (after considering all of the lice infested kids at the guarderia)..."Mama, I think you are right." And she was. It was confirmed later that week by my host mom, Juana. Little did I know at that point in time that I would be fighting long battles up until the end of March. 3 months. So in this posting, I want to thank all the people who helped me fight and eventually win...by combing, plucking, shampooing my hair (at one point Juana (host mom) put rubbing alcohol in my hair), and pulling out and popping eggs. Josh, Kathy, Juana (host mom), Juana (MCC), Julie, Laurie, Corrie's host mom, Vicky, Maritza, Liz, Lupe, Paolo, Corrie. I may sound dramatic...and its because it was. Hopefully, I will make it through the rest of my year without getting it again! But working with the precious kids at the guarderia makes it all worth it!
