We recently had news of a few Amish families moving to Vermont, a place with no other Amish presence. If that attempt succeeds, it will make 31 total states where Amish live. Which other new states might Amish settle in the coming years? After thinking about it, I see a few possibilities. Read on to find out which five I chose, and why. Five States Where…
Jim Cates is a clinical psychologist who does counseling work with clients, both Amish and English, in northern Indiana. In today’s post he shares the story of an Amish bishop who played a special role for one of his clients–and later faced trials of his own. A Little Rain Must Fall Into each life a little rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary….
What activities take place in a typical week in an Amish community? Amish church member Rebecca Miller returns today with a recent week’s worth of diary entries from her life in the Holmes County community. Rebecca works as an Amish school teacher, and at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, Ohio. She has previously written on preparing for baptism, a firsthand account of an Amish funeral, and…
How do Amish decorate their walls? Artwork and other items typical in English homes are generally not found in Amish homes. That doesn’t mean that Amish don’t display nice things, however. No matter your culture, people still like to fill their houses with eye-pleasing items. The general rule for the Amish is that things with a practical purpose are most acceptable. You’ll see what I mean below. As…
Have you ever visited an Old Order Mennonite community? One of our readers recently did, and shares a look at an off-the-beaten-path Ontario settlement in today’s post. Old Order Mennonites are spiritual kin of the Amish. Similarities include language, plain dress, cultural values, and of course an Anabaptist religious heritage. Amish and Old Order Mennonites live side-by-side in some places (like Lancaster County and the Nappanee, Indiana area),…
What steps do Amish youth go through once they’ve decided to be baptized? Ohio Amish church member Rebecca Miller today takes us through the process. Rebecca describes the instructional meetings based upon the 18 articles of the Dordrecht Confession of Faith. She also shares what happens on baptismal Sunday, and what it feels like to become a member of the church. As Rebecca hints below, the…
The Amish, contrary to popular belief, are not self-sufficient. In one of our previous “Ask an Amish Person” posts, PA Amishman John Stoltzfus addressed this topic. John noted that “we are very dependent on the outside world, far from self-sufficient, all of us are intertwined…” It’s easy to see why some might think Amish live in a bubble. They’ve been called “a people apart,” and sometimes described…
In a community that values outward uniformity, it can take some courage to stand out. In today’s post, Serving The Amish author Jim Cates details the challenge of recruiting Amish leaders to help guide a fledgling alcohol program for Amish adolescents. As Jim describes below, finding those leaders wasn’t easy–but was pivotal to the program’s success or failure. — It Was Such a Clever Idea! As a…
One of our readers recently came across some issues of the Amish publication Young Companion, dating to the early 1970s, at a local thrift shop. I’m calling this “retro”, but as a look at the contents shows, most of the subject matter would probably be just as appropriate today. A little background first. Young Companion is a publication with an interesting history. It is one of…
Coming on the heels of the Wisconsin building code exemption, another conflict involving Amish appears to have been resolved last week in Heuvelton, New York (St. Lawrence County). As reported in the Watertown Daily Times, area Amish have agreed to nearly double the amount of reflective tape used on their buggies (the group in question objects to using the orange SMV triangle; for a summary of the case, go here)….