If you’ve traveled through northern Lancaster County at any point in the last 168 years, you might have noticed a structure of religious importance lying just feet from the current Route 322. The Pike Mennonite Church is shared by two groups of Mennonites (Stauffer and Weaver), who use it on alternate Sundays. Unlike most Amish, Old Order and Conservative Mennonites worship in church structures. 168 years is how long…
There’s another Plain program on the airwaves, but this one isn’t about the Amish. National Geographic Channel’s Mennonite Made (despite the name, not a response to Amish Mafia) is about building things–log homes, to be precise.  From the Nat Geo website: Mennonite Made follows a tight-knit crew of traditional Mennonites, who practice craftsmanship passed down through generations to build one-of-a-kind log homes. Spearheading the log home…
If you ever find yourself wondering just how the Amish, Mennonites, or Hutterites came to be, you might enjoy today’s video. Mike of Primitive Christianity has put together a short (8 min) and entertaining video detailing how each Anabaptist group ended up where they are today. I particularly like his use of maps to tell the story (on one map he has highlighted the precise…
Sometimes individuals and even whole communities transition away from being “classically Amish”, becoming something different while keeping elements of Amishness. We saw the example of the ex-Amish in Parke County, Indiana last week. Â Today Karen Johnson-Weiner shares photos from a group in Missouri which has also moved in a different direction. Â These people, previously considered Amish, now describes themselves as Mennonite. Karen says that the…
Have a look “behind the wheel” of an Old Order Mennonite buggy. This was taken by Tom at the New York Haiti Auction. What do you notice? Tom notes that it has “a speedometer. LED lights, windshield and all the bells and whistles. I asked a man what a buggy like this one would cost and he said $5,000.00 and then the same or more…
Amish and Mennonites are known for putting on a series of Haiti benefit auctions throughout the year in various locations. Â These auctions are meant to support mission work in the impoverished country. Today Tom serves up photos from a Mennonite-run Haiti auction held this past Friday-Saturday in Penn Yann, NY. Â This is in Yates County in the “Finger Lakes” region of west-central New York. The…
The Hutterites of Montana’s King Colony The National Geographic Channel is on a roll with programs about Anabaptist groups. Â The popular Amish: Out of Order program is entering its final weeks, while last week a new series called American Colony: Meet the Hutterites premiered on the network. Â This series examines the lesser-known communal group found in Canada and the United States. The Hutterites are a…
The Kutztown University talk was a very well attended event last night, with an overflow crowd of around 200 coming out to hear James Weaver and Ben Riehl discuss Old Order Mennonites and Amish. There was much humor and a warm rapport between James, Ben and moderator Dr. Rob Reyolds. The program lasted nealy two hours, with both pre-submitted and live audience questions covering a…
Osiah Horst grew up in an Old Order Mennonite family in Canada. Â Osiah’s father Isaac wrote a column for a local newspaper which eventually grew into the book A Separate People: An Insider’s View of Old Order Mennonite Customs and Traditions, a witty and incisive look at Old Order Mennonite society. Isaac penned 2 dozen books and many columns, before passing away in 2008. Â Osiah…
Linda Maendel is a member of a Hutterite colony in Manitoba. Â We last looked at Hutterites back in January in an interview with Mary-Ann Kirkby, the author of I Am Hutterite. Hutterites live primarily in Canada and the Upper Midwest, and have some similarities to Amish. Â Hutterites share the same Anabaptist roots as Amish and Mennonites, maintain a plain form of dress, and live lives…