Amish Church

Checking in on the kero-net from Lancaster County

Hi everyone, and thanks for all the feedback on the semi-controversial book video.  I meant to post something from here in Lancaster County much sooner, but funny thing, every Amish home I visit claims their Wi-Fi connection is down.  Frustrating. As I’m on some dodgy illicit kerosene-powered land line tucked away in a tobacco barn right now, and I don’t know how much longer it…

Raber’s Almanac

A while back I wrote a post on Raber’s Almanac, an annual guide used by the Amish. The Almanac includes an extensive listing of Amish church districts and their ministers.  It also includes a Scripture and hymn schedule for church service as well as some folk wisdom and even a dab of astrology, which I examined in the original post. The other day I came…

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The trouble with ‘the Amish’

A recent re-read of a piece by Steven Nolt in Mennonite Quarterly Review–‘Who are the Real Amish?  Rethinking Diversity and Identity among a Separate People’— made me recall a common dilemma when discussing our Plain neighbors. ‘The Amish’ is a moniker that tries to do more than it really can, which is blanket a group of people having quite diverse practices.  Saying “‘the Amish’ this”…

6 Questions with a Lancaster County Amishman

“It is very definitely a gray area, in fact it is nearly black.” An anonymous Amish friend from Lancaster County has offered candid answers to some questions on Amish life.  In this first of two parts, he comments on topics such as the Amish presence in the media, Amish internet usage, friendships with non-Amish people, and the benefits and challenges of living life as an…

The Amish Minister’s Burden

Being selected to the Amish ministry is both a blessing and a burden.  Due to the challenges involved, the responsibility is not one that many Amishmen dream of and you won’t find anyone campaigning for the office. The position of bishop is probably the most demanding.  I was recently on the phone with an Amish friend in Ohio, already a minister.  His church had divided earlier…

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Notes from an Ohio Amish funeral

I attended the funeral of an Old Order Amish man while in the Holmes County settlement over the weekend.  A few observations: Around 200 attendees, mostly Amish, with all four major affiliations represented:  Old Order, New Order, Andy Weaver (aka ‘Dan church’) and Swartzentruber. There were only a handful of non-Amish present–mainly consisting of a few plain Mennonites. The Amish funeral takes place in the…

The Amish Ministry

Unlike the typical Catholic priest or Protestant pastor, the Amish minister is unpaid and does not take up formal theological training.  Ministers are selected from among the baptized males of the church, in an often emotional process of voting and drawing lots.  They are in many ways responsible for the spiritual welfare of their church (more on Amish church districts).  Thus being a minister is…

Amish singing

I love hearing the Amish sing (and trying to hang with them, for that matter).  There is something very moving about sitting in the midst of 150 upraised voices, all giving glory to the Maker.  Those accustomed to musical accompaniment may find the drawn-out a capella hymnals tedious, but for me, they are eerily beautiful and uplifting. Sunday church gathering in Geauga County, Ohio Kraybill…

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West Lebanon, Ohio: Churchbound

I happened upon this pair of buggies as they headed to church service yesterday morning.   There’s a good chance their occupants were going to Communion. Many Holmes County Amish churches held their bi-annual communion services this past weekend.  Some will do so this upcoming weekend.  Two weeks before Communion, a church will hold a service called Counsel. Preaching on this special day consists of a…