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 crew are owner Norman Troyer and his family of crewmates: his brother-in law-Elmer working as the foreman, his son Freeman driving the loader and cousin Mark manning the chainsaw.

While they haven’t gotten the same attention Amish enterprises have, Mennonite-run businesses have thrived in similar ways.  Mennonite-made furniture, for instance, is quite popular in Canada.

Mennonite Made features members of the Salem Christian Mennonite Brotherhood in Salem, Missouri, formerly a New Order Amish group from Salem, Indiana.  They are affiliated with the Berea Amish-Mennonite Fellowship.

In The Amish-Mennonites of North America, Cory Anderson writes that “The Berea Amish-Mennonites are more conservative than the Ambassadors and Fellowship Churches, but less so than the Midwest Beachy” (p. 286).

I’ve also gotten this description: “Two (or 4) notches stricter than Beachy, more progressive than Amish. They have cars, but the men wear broadfall pants (changed to optional last year at Salem).  They use the English language in worship services like the Beachy Amish do,” and that “Salem is a rather conservative Amish Mennonite group.”

It looks like Mennonite Made is just a one-time program, at least for now.  It has aired a few times already, including last night.

In the clip below, Andy Mast of Mast Woodworks creates a log bench for the Colorado home the crew is building.  You’ll see by his appearance Andy could be taken for an Amishman.

I have not been around TVs a lot lately, so have not watched much more than this clip.  Has anyone seen Mennonite Made?  What do you think?

And have you ever bought anything from a Mennonite-owned business?

(Hat-tip to Linda)

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