Mennonites Forgive Driver Who Killed 7-Year-Old Boy

Members of a Missouri Mennonite community have forgiven the teenaged driver who struck a buggy July 11th, resulting in the death of a 7-year-old boy. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Meanwhile, some men in the Mennonite community have met with the boy to forgive him for killing 7-year-old Mervin Shirk. “They wanted him to know […]
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A Closer Look at the Amish & Mennonite Conference Line

Did you know that Amish, Mennonites and related churches have a hotline that connects them 24 hours a day, 6.5 days a week? Atlas Obscura looks at the story of the Amish and Mennonite Conference Line, which was founded in 2006 by a man named Gary (last name omitted in the article). This is a […]
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Over 200 Amish Have Taught in Mexico Since 2000

Have you ever heard about the Amish in Mexico? It’s quite a remarkable story. No, there are no Mexican Amish communities (at least not anymore). But thanks to their outreach to a group of spiritual kin, the Amish have had a regular presence in Mexico for the last two decades. Old Colony Mennonites are an […]
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Amish In Australia?

Do Amish live in Australia? One family is being described as such in a major profile in the Sydney Morning Herald. The McCallums live in the countryside of the Australian island of Tasmania. Gregory and Bethany, ages 41 and 42 respectively, have eight children, and live in a way that resembles the Amish – dressing […]
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600 Amish & Mennonites Help Rebuild Houston After Harvey

To me, the Harvey hurricane and flooding disaster feels like it was ages ago, but it’s only been about five months. Of course, for those still dealing with the aftermath, the hurricane’s catastrophic effects are clear and present every day. Harvey displaced over 30,000 people and left $125 billion in damage, a figure comparable to […]
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Three Children Killed In Michigan Buggy Crash

An awful story from yesterday morning: EVERGREEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan State Police say three children were killed and six other people were critically injured when a pickup truck crashed into a buggy Sunday morning. It happened at 8:34 a.m. on Condensary Road at Wood Road in Evergreen Township, southeast of Sheridan. Police say […]
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Yoders Celebrate 300 Years In North America

Do you know any Yoders? If so, you might want to congratulate them on a big anniversary. It’s been three centuries since the first Anabaptist Yoder set foot in North America. Shipshewana, IN will be home to a special edition of the Yoder Reunion event: The 2017 National Yoder Reunion will take place Sept. 20 to 23, and it […]
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JAPAS Spring 2017 Issue Now Available

The theme of the latest edition of the Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies is the field of Amish Studies itself. Articles in the latest edition critique the field and previous works, with the main entry being “Seventy-Five Years of Amish Studies, 1942 to 2017: A Critical Review of Scholarship Trends.” I haven’t delved much into […]
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Old Colony Mennonites Featured in Latest Issue of JAPAS

Who are the Old Colony Mennonites? Broadly speaking this religious group shares some things in common with the Amish, including plain dress, use of German dialect, and Anabaptist heritage. Today they are found in Latin America (Mexico, Belize, Bolivia, Paraguay), several Canadian provinces, and two US states. You can find a nice overview of the […]
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The Amish & The Old Colony Mennonite School Project

Who are the Old Colony Mennonites, and why are the Amish helping them improve their schooling? Ohio Amish church member Rebecca Miller returns today with some background on the people, and how the Amish became involved in educational outreach south of the border. A few quick points about this Anabaptist group, related to the Amish: They […]
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