Mennonite & Anabaptist

This is a pretty awful and senseless story which hit me for several reasons. This couple is Mennonite, apparently grew up in an Amish community, and probably still have a good number of family who are Amish (two photos of family in the article linked below appear to be Amish). Hochstetler family photo provided by […]

Continue Reading Amish-Raised Couple Shot, One Killed In Indianapolis Robbery

This is an absorbing 42-minute documentary on the Little Belize Mennonite colony. Little Belize is the home of approximately 3,000 Old Colony Mennonites, living on about 100 square kilometers of land. The Old Colony Mennonites are Plain Anabaptist cousins of the Amish, with numerous similarities to them. The producers of the documentary, made for the […]

Continue Reading Life In A Belize Mennonite Colony (Documentary)

I was shocked to see this obituary today. I immediately recognized the photo from the back of her book. Lillian Fern Stoltzfus wrote a very nice guide to learning Pennsylvania Dutch called Speaking Amish. I don’t believe I ever met Lillian or anyone in her family, but have known of her for years. I would […]

Continue Reading Lillian Fern Stoltzfus 1974 – 2020

In February we posted about Philip E. Riehl, a now-excommunicated Mennonite man who defrauded Mennonite and Amish investors to the tune of $60 million, in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in state history. Riehl was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison. From the Allentown Morning Call: BERKS COUNTY — An accountant who […]

Continue Reading Man Who Defrauded Mennonites & Amish In $60 Million Scheme Sentenced To 10 Years

Lancaster County is (I believe) the only place* where you’ll see both gray-topped and black-topped buggies in the same community. Black is easily the most common color for Amish buggies overall. But the Amish in this best-known of all Plain communities actually drive the gray version. Lancaster County Amish buggies So who is holding the […]

Continue Reading Lancaster County: Gray Buggy or Black Buggy?

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 […]

Continue Reading Mennonites Forgive Driver Who Killed 7-Year-Old Boy

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 […]

Continue Reading A Closer Look at the Amish & Mennonite Conference Line

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 […]

Continue Reading Over 200 Amish Have Taught in Mexico Since 2000

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 […]

Continue Reading Amish In Australia?

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 […]

Continue Reading 600 Amish & Mennonites Help Rebuild Houston After Harvey